New Mexico’s Eck, Layne Relive Upset Win in Laramie

LAS VEGAS, Nev., -- Jay Sawvel asked his team to show up with a pair of brass knuckles and a tire iron.

That was in response to an embarrassing showing a week prior at Arizona State that led to death threats for the rookie head coach.

They instead were flagged nine times, including a false start inside the opposing 1-yard line that took points off the board. Quarterback Evan Svoboda was credited with a fumble near midfield. That came courtesy of an errant snap that sailed well over the 6-foot-5 signal caller's head.

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The visitors, in front of a capacity crowd inside War Memorial Stadium, pounded that mistake into the end zone seven snaps later.

If you're a Wyoming fan, the PTSD from reading the above may be starting to set in. That's the gist of a forgettable 17-13 loss to Idaho, an FCS program, in the 2024 home opener. Jason Eck, who is now the boss at New Mexico, appeared on social media minutes after that stunning upset, dancing inside a Gatorade-soaked locker room.

His son remembers it well.

"That was a big win for our program at that time," Jaxton Eck said with a smile Wednesday at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. "That was a good FBS win. A lot of good memories in that game."

One might be rudely dumping Cowboy running back DJ Jones in the backfield on a crucial 4th-and-1 attempt late in the first half. That came on one of those inside handoffs from the shotgun with Wyoming lining up inside the Vandals' 35.

The now senior linebacker at New Mexico -- and newly-enshrined preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West -- tallied a team-best nine tackles on that sun-splashed afternoon in Laramie. Six were solo stops.

Jack Layne, also sharply dressed, donning a black suit and cherry red neck tie, smiled and nodded as the man to his left described that outing. He was an observer that day, a week removed from snapping his collarbone in a competitive loss at No. 3 Oregon.

Jack Wagner, a quarterback who started one season at the varsity level in high school, made his first-career start at Wyoming to add unwanted salt to the wound.

What were his memories of the win?

"I think that's one of the coolest venues I've seen in college football," the Lobos' QB said. "I remember the altitude there was no joke. I just walked down the stairs. Now we know what that's like. It's an advantage, man. The altitude, you know, playing at Albuquerque.

"I'm excited to go back there, man. Super cool fan base."

Eck, who registered the second-most tackles in the conference last fall with 124, agreed, wholeheartedly.

"Wyoming has a great football program and gets a lot of buy-in," he added. "So, that was cool to play in that environment."

His dad is still the center of attention, too, often releasing humorous videos through the school on X. Albuquerque is beginning to believe.

"He's not a bad actor," Eck said with a laugh. "Those videos are funny. We did the NCAA video game one. That was pretty fun to do. But, no, he has a good personality. He knows how to get the the fan base excited."

The Cowboys and Lobos are scheduled to meet Nov. 21 in Laramie. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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