New Mexico
Michigan RB Justice Haynes dazzles in Wolverine debut vs. New Mexico
It didn’t take long for Michigan running back Justice Haynes to introduce himself to a new fanbase, or as an explosive threat in the Wolverines’ backfield.
On just his third carry in a maize and blue uniform, the transfer from Alabama ran through a gaping hole, made one cut to his right and sprinted up the right sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. By the time the clock hit 0:00 in the fourth quarter, Haynes had a new Michigan record under his belt.
“I mean, 16 carries, 159 yards, three touchdowns, pretty electric,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said of Haynes after the game. “Most yards since 1970 in a debut, so that kind of explains it. It’s really good.”
As Moore said, Haynes’ 159 rushing yards were the most by a Michigan player in their debut over the past 55 years, surpassing the 112 yards that former Michigan tailback Chris Evans ran for as a true freshman in 2012, in a 63-3 win over Hawaii.
“It’s something we’ve seen since spring,” Moore said. “It’s something we’ve seen this summer and we saw in fall camp. I think I said it to the staff on Thursday. I’m like, I don’t know when it’s going to be, but he’s going to break a 50-yard run and he’s going to be gone, and it was early in the game. So I’m not surprised by it, but excited to see how it continues to build.”
Moore wasn’t the only one who wasn’t surprised at Haynes’ early success. Tight end Marlin Klein echoed his head coach’s sentiments during postgame media availability as well.
“Yeah. Honestly, that’s what I’ve been seeing from him since he got to Michigan. So I’m not surprised at all,” Klein said. “You know, shout out to the boys up front, the O-line, getting him right, and just him being the playmaker that he is. But he had a great game, and I hope that’s what he’s going to do for the rest of the year. He looked outstanding out there, and he’s going to continue to be a great player for us.”
There was an element of ‘boom or bust’ to Michigan’s rushing attack against the Lobos, particularly with Haynes toting the rock. Of his 16 carries, 10 went for three yards or less, albeit one of those coming on a one-yard touchdown run. With that said, when there was a play to be made, Haynes showed every bit of the speed and athleticism that made him a five-star prospect coming out of high school.
In addition to the 56-yard score on Michigan’s opening possession, Haynes also had a 59-yard run early in the fourth quarter, coming up just a yard shy of the endzone.
“I just saw, you know, a hole, opened up well, and then saw green grass and ran the green grass,” Haynes said of his first, long touchdown. “But the offensive line, like I said, did a great job out there.
“All glory to God, I couldn’t do it without the man upstairs. Couldn’t do it without the offensive line, the tight ends, the receivers, and Bryce obviously handing me the ball and also making plays in the air to keep the box light and then also Coach Lindsey, but you know it means a lot, but it’s just one step and we got to keep going.”
Haynes’ counterpart in the backfield, sophomore Jordan Marshall, was limited to just 29 yards on 11 carries against New Mexico, but the tandem has the potential to be one of the best one-two punches in the Big Ten, and all of college football, if Michigan’s offensive line play continues to improve.
Those are expectations that Haynes has put on himself, in addition to what was expected by his head coach and teammates.
“Yes, I definitely expect this out of myself,” Haynes said. “Like I said, all glory to God and all the boys up front. But I definitely do expect this out of myself, you know, each and every week. Like I said, I put in a lot of work, I feel like, and, you know, I’m hard on myself. So I want to, you know, I’m going to go back and watch the film and see what I could have even done better in this game.”
Grant’s Monday Night Forecast
A few evaporating rain showers are possible again Tuesday with warmer temperatures. Windier weather later this week will bring a high fire danger back to New Mexico.
It’s been a warm day with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms across central and northern New Mexico. Some of that rain has made it to the ground, while other showers have evaporated before reaching the surface. Temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s for most of the state. Showers will fade after sunset, with mostly clear skies overnight and mild temperatures.
Even warmer weather is on the way Tuesday with lighter winds. More areas will reach the 80s by the afternoon. A few spotty showers will develop again, especially near the mountains, with some of that rain evaporating before reaching the ground.
Winds pick up Wednesday afternoon, with gusts between 25 and 45 mph. This will begin another stretch of high fire danger across the state. The strongest winds arrive Thursday, with westerly gusts of 35 to 55 mph. That will expand the fire danger statewide. A dry cold front will move through Thursday as well, but temperatures will only drop slightly, ending up closer to average.
Breezy conditions continue Friday through the weekend as the jet stream pulls more moisture into New Mexico. That will bring increasing chances for rain and thunderstorms this weekend, with a few lingering into early next week.
New Mexico
Landlord AC ordinance, Rio Grande water levels, Spotty rain, New legislative office, New Mexico Motorfest
Monday’s Top Stories
Monday’s Five Facts
[1] ABQ City Councilor aims to bolster protections for renters amid unseasonable warmth – Albuquerque city councilor is looking to make sure city landlords are not only providing cooling systems, but also ensuring they actually work when they’re needed. City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn spearheaded an ordinance in December of 2024, requiring all Albuquerque rental properties to have a cooling system. Now, Fiebelkorn is taking it a step further, hoping to establish cooling system performance requirements. The ordinance is expected to be voted on in final action at Monday’s city council meeting.
[2] Rio Grande showing dry spots in Valencia County amid record-low snowpack – Portions of the Rio Grande are now seeing dry spots earlier than expected. Officials say the timing is not normal. In Valencia County, parts of the river are already running dry. Near the river crossing in Los Lunas, the river has open pockets. Further south, it is being reported as dry as well. There is a slight positive outlook for the monsoon season, with forecasters and officials predicting a strong season in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
[3] Very spotty rainfall, warmer, & mostly calm week – Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground. Temperatures will continue to increase through the middle of the week.
[4] NM representatives celebrate grand opening of new office with open house – A new state legislative office made its debut for representatives Eleanor Chavez and Yanira Gurrola. The new location is just one of the handful of new legislative offices now open across the state. They hosted a grand opening for the building that was open to the public. Representative Gurrola says it’s just one step towards modernizing the state’s legislature. The new office will allow residents to stay more connected to each representative.
[5] New Mexico Motorfest 2026 takes place in celebration of Route 66 Centennial – Another Route 66 celebration took place over the weekend and this one was all about cars. The New Mexico Motorfest happened at the Expo New Mexico racetrack. Over 300 vehicles from classic hot rods to lifted trucks were featured at the event. Some of the proceeds went to New Mexico veterans.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
Related
-
Culture42 seconds agoBook Review: ‘Permanence,’ by Sophie Mackintosh
-
Lifestyle7 minutes agoHow ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Red Carpet Looks Came Together
-
Technology19 minutes agoThe Vergecast Vergecast, 2026 edition
-
World25 minutes agoMexico pyramid shooter who took hostages and killed 1 is identified
-
Politics31 minutes agoByron Donalds cracks down on persistent border blind spot leaving US vulnerable to overstays
-
Health37 minutes agoHealthy diets spark lung cancer risk in non-smokers as pesticides loom
-
Sports43 minutes agoPGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
-
Technology49 minutes agoAlexa+ lets you order food like a real conversation