It's been a trying week for Oklahoma football Team 132. Still smarting from the disappointing Week 2 loss to Michigan, the Sooners enter a danger zone this week, facing a New Mexico team that is better than most people think, while trying to avoid getting caught looking too far ahead to a long-circled Week 4 showdown at Georgia.
It is no secret that the Sooners' first five games -- three of which are against teams currently ranked in the nation's top 25 -- are arguably the most difficult of any team in college football. It is also true that OU's margin of error for remaining in serious contention for a return trip to the College Football Playoff this season took a significant impact with the loss at Michigan, especially with consecutive games against No. 2 Georgia and No. 1 Texas coming up in the next three weeks.
This is No. 24 Oklahoma's second 2026 opponent from the Mountain West Conference This is not UTEP, however, coming into Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. New Mexico won nine games last season as a member of that same conference, and the Lobos are off to another strong start in 2026.
New Mexico comes to Norman with a 2-0 record and an average point differential of 54-7. The Lobos rank No. 3 nationally in both total offense and total defense, and No. 7 in scoring offense, but you also must factor in the quality of the two opponents they have played: Central Michigan and FCS Mercyhurst.
Oklahoma is 2-0 all-time in games vs. New Mexico, but the last time they played each other was 91 years ago. Both games were in Norman and were resounding Sooner victories: 47-0 in 1930 and 25-0 in 1935. The Sooners are 16-2 all-time against teams from the Mountain West, including one already this season (51-0 vs. UTEP).
How to watch Oklahoma vs. New Mexico
When: 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday
Watch: ESPN2 (watch using fuboTV free trial)
Announcers: Jay Alter (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analysis) and Lauren Sisler (sidelines)
What to know about New Mexico
- New Mexico lost its starting quarterback, Jack Layne, before the season started. Layne, who followed his head coach, Jason Eck, to New Mexico from Idaho ahead of the 2025 season, is out for the season after undergoing surgery on a recurring elbow injury. In his stead, the Lobos have gone with two quarterbacks in the first two games this season. Sophomore Toa Fa'avae has started both games, but junior Luke Moga has also seen action and has been the more productive of the two, completing 65% of his passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
- The Lobos are a run-oriented team. Through the first two games, 70% of New Mexico's offensive plays have been runs. The Lobos average 5.1 yards when they run the ball, using a rotation of four or five different running backs. Senior Scottre Humphrey has shouldered the heaviest load of the New Mexico ball carriers so far, gaining 174 yards, along with three rushing touchdowns and averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
- Five New Mexico players are 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Mountain West selections: wide receiver Troy Omerie, tight end Cade Keith, offensive lineman Malik Aliane, defensive lineman Brian Booker and linebacker Jaxton Eck.
- New Mexico leads all FBS teams with a plus-8 turnover margin. The Lobos have five interceptions and three fumble recoveries through two games. Meanwhile, they have no giveaways of their own.
What to know about Oklahoma
- Injuries, which have plagued the Sooners all five seasons that Brent Venables has been head coach, are an early concern and are beginning to mount again this season. Starting offensive left tackle Michael Fasusi could miss a second straight game this week. Additionally, starting WILL linebacker Kip Lewis is likely out with an injured knee, and it was reported this week that wide receiver Trell Harris is out for the "foreseeable future" with an apparent abdominal injury.
- We're just two games into the 2026 season, but the loss at Michigan last weekend revealed some highly concerning things about the Oklahoma offense. Against good teams, which Michigan surely is, the Sooners continue to show inconsistency and dysfunctionality on offense despite all the reported offseason changes to improve offensive performance. Entering Week 3, Oklahoma ranks 105th nationally in total offense (345 yards per game), 72nd in scoring offense (30.5), 100th in rushing offense (135.0 ypg) and 87th in passing offense (210 ypg).
- Tight end Rocky Beers, in his first season at OU after transfering from Colorado State, is Oklahoma's leading receiver with eight catches for 137 yards and an average of 17.1 yards per catch. The Sooners' No. 1 receiver from last season, Isaiah Sategna, has been getting plenty of defensive attention and, as a result, has just six total catches in two games for only 85 yards and one touchdown.
- Defensive end Taylor Wein, a 2025 All-SEC Second-Team honoree, ranks third in the SEC this season with 4.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a career-high five tackles in Week 1 against UTEP and topped that with seven tackles vs. Michigan, including three for a loss.
Extra point
Oklahoma has converted just nine of 24 third-down conversions through two games. That's a 37.5% success rate and ranks 87th among FBS teams. New Mexico, on the other hand, comes into the game with the Sooners having allowed their opponents only 4-of-35 third-down conversions, an 83.3% success rate on defense and sixth-best in the country.
Prediction
Oklahoma is back home at the Palace on the Prairie, where the Sooners have won 90% of their games in the last 26 seasons (just 17 losses in 169 games during that span). They will not lose to New Mexico. The bigger concern is what the offense will look like after last week's disturbing outing against Michigan. The Sooners could actually use a statement game, on offense especially, but in all three phases, to give them some much-needed confidence and momentum going against No. 2 Georgia next weekend.
Oklahoma 45, New Mexico 13
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