After one of the most tumultuous offseasons in school history, Arizona is finally ready to return to some level of normalcy when the 2024 campaign begins Saturday night at home against New Mexico.
The game will mark the UA coaching debut of Brent Brennan, who spent the previous seven years at San Jose State in the Mountain West. And his first game with the Wildcats just so happens to be against one of his former MWC rivals.
New Mexico is also breaking in a new coach, former BYU and Virginia head man Bronco Mendenhall, and has also played a game. The Lobos led FCS Montana State 31-14 in the second half and were up 10 with six minutes left but ended up falling at home last Saturday.
That result, as well as what is expected of Arizona this season, has resulted in the highest spread for the UA as a favorite since 2016.
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To better understand New Mexico, we reached out to Adam Evarts of SB Nation sister site Mountain West Connection. Here are his feisty answers to our lifeless questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: New Mexico certainly didn’t look like a two-score home underdog to an FCS team, that late collapse notwithstanding. Still, what were the biggest surprises from the Lobos in your opinion?
Adam Evarts: “Honestly the biggest surprise was the defense itself. New Mexico had six starters back from last season, and it was supposed to be its most experienced group, yet they allowed 567 yards of offense, including two ball carriers near 200 yards rushing each. That was a surprise that wasn’t a good one.”
Quarterback Devon Dampier, an Arizona native, had a heck of a start to his sophomore year with a couple touchdowns and solid poise. What makes him most effective in this offense?
“Honestly, everything. Dampier can beat you with his arm and legs and he doesn’t turn the ball over at all. He has seen action now in 10 games at UNM and has yet to turn the ball over. When you think you have his receivers covered, he will take off running. Very versatile, he will remind Arizona fans of a light version of Khalil Tate. Khalil Tate-lite if you will. Smaller than Tate, but same abilities.”
New Mexico’s defense was all over the place, returning two fumbles for TDs but also giving up a ton of yards on the ground. Is that going to be an issue all season, and who on that side of the ball should Arizona be most concerned with?
“This was supposed to be the side of the ball with the least amount of worry, and yet they’re the ones who looked inexperienced and young. So, honestly, it may be a big problem stopping the run this season, I am not too sure. With Arizona’s passing attack, Arizona fans will hear a lot of Noah Avinger, the 6-foot corner who will probably take on the Wildcats’ top receivers. Christian Ellis is playing free safety and the Lobo-back position, he will be around the ball a ton as well.”
Being able to solve Montana State’s offense is one thing, but how do you expect the Lobos to deal with the combo of quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan?
“The 3-3-5 defense that the Lobos run has a lot of plays where the blitzes come late, they come from everywhere, and they come fast. New Mexico ended up with three sacks, four tackles for loss, and of course, as you mentioned, the two fumble returns for touchdowns that were both hits on the quarterback. Expect a lot of blitzing on Fifita and for McMillan to go up against Avinger like mentioned above. That will be a fun battle to watch.”
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What are your first impressions of Bronco Mendenhall? Is he capable of turning around one of the worst programs in FBS?
“So, I remember when Bronco was the defensive coordinator here (1998-2002). I liked him then, and I still like him now. His coaching style is making the players earn their way. He took the numbers away from them in fall camp and made them earn them throughout camp, and left it up to the players to figure out who worked the hardest week-to-week to earn those numbers back. I like that it allows the players to take control of their own work and makes everyone dig harder. He is definitely capable of turning around the program, but the one downside about New Mexico will be NIL. Not a lot of NIL money is rolling through the school, so it will be difficult to keep players around for many years here. However, while here, he will get the most out of his players.”
Prediction time. Can New Mexico shock the world and upset a ranked team on the road or will Arizona win as expected? Give us a score prediction.
“If one were to take away the two defensive touchdowns that the Lobos scored, that means the offense only put up 17 points. Not good in this day and age of explosive offenses in college football. The Lobos are very young on offense. Talented, but very young. Arizona’s defense is experienced and that spells doom for this Lobo offense taking a step back this season. I think the Lobos defense can keep it close for a half, but then the Wildcats take over in the second half and get a 45-10 victory.”
NM FAST (New Mexico Federal and State Technology) is now accepting applications for a free space-sector accelerator cohort designed to help New Mexico-based technology companies compete for federal funding through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The cohort targets founders and researchers pursuing grants from NASA, Space Force and related federal agencies, with programming set to launch July 21.
The cohort will admit six to 10 New Mexico companies and run for 10 to 12 weeks, meeting in weekly sessions of approximately one and a half to two hours. Programming covers the full arc of federal commercialization strategy, including space-sector SBIR/STTR opportunities and federal funding pathways, proposal development for technical narratives and commercialization components, federal procurement positioning and agency discovery, capital strategy and follow-on funding options, and transition planning from Phase I to Phase II awards. Participants also receive targeted one-on-one advisory support throughout the program. The cohort is offered at no cost to accepted companies.
The program is open to companies at both the pre-award and early-award stages. The majority of cohort seats are designed for Phase 0 companies preparing to submit Phase I SBIR/STTR applications to NASA or Space Force. A limited number of seats are available for Phase I awardees working toward Phase II readiness and Phase III transition planning.
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“New Mexico has a deep base of research and a growing pipeline of founders ready to translate that work into companies that can compete for federal R&D dollars,” said Carlos Murguia, director of the Technology and Innovation Gateway at Arrowhead Center. “This cohort focuses specifically on the space sector, pairing New Mexico companies with Larta’s expertise in SBIR and STTR commercialization to give founders a clear, structured path from early-stage research to federal award.”
Larta Institute, NM FAST’s commercialization partner for this program, will lead the full design and delivery of the accelerator curriculum. Larta has supported startups that have collectively raised more than $23.7 billion since 1993 and brings that track record to founders working in New Mexico’s growing aerospace and space technology sector.
The cohort aligns with the aerospace priority sector named in the New Mexico Entrepreneurship Programmatic Support Grant and is relevant to companies working at the intersection of advanced computing, bioscience and advanced energy applications in space-related contexts.
NM FAST is administered by Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University and operates statewide, serving founders in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Los Alamos and rural communities across New Mexico. Over more than a decade of programming, NM FAST has supported more than 470 New Mexico startups and helped companies secure nearly $28 million in federal SBIR awards. Targeted outreach is directed to rural, women, veteran and minority entrepreneurs.
The program is sponsored by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Technology and Innovation Office through the New Mexico Entrepreneurship Programmatic Support Grant, which supports continued statewide programming for SBIR/STTR-eligible companies in the four priority sectors.
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Applications are open now and will be accepted through July 14, 2026. Interested companies can apply at forms.gle/CqSwEL7LahqB5pGu9. Space is limited, and selected companies will be notified before the program launch.
SANTA FE, N.M. – Santa Fe County and Edgewood approved a new agreement and ordinance that secures ongoing fire and EMS services for Edgewood residents.
According to a joint announcement from the Town of Edgewood and Santa Fe County on June 19, the two governments negotiated and adopted a new Joint Powers Agreement and ordinance to keep the Santa Fe County Fire Department serving the town.
County and town representatives drafted the agreement together. The town adopted the ordinance unanimously at a special meeting on June 16, putting an end to weeks of uncertainty.
Santa Fe County District 3 Commissioner Camilla Bustamante said, “I believe we are all relieved to know that the people of Edgewood will continue to have the fire and EMS services necessary to protect their homes, their families, and their community. This community deserves nothing less.”
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The announcement said the ordinance takes effect five days after final publication. The statement also said no further action or approval is needed to guarantee continued fire suppression, fire prevention, and EMS services for Edgewood residents.
Both governments noted the agreement will continue indefinitely unless either side ends it with five years’ notice.
