New Mexico head coach Jason Eck understands well the challenge that North Dakota State will bring to Albuquerque on Saturday from his FCS days, but it’s even more than that.
Eck regards NDSU as a tougher opponent than the Lobos’ biggest-name opponent, Oklahoma, this season. The Lobos fell short of the upset against the Sooners, 14-6 on Sept. 19.
“Really, when you look at everything, how they play in all three phases,” Eck told reporters on Monday, “[NDSU is] probably the best team we’ve played all year when you include everything. Oklahoma, I think, had more freak athletes. But as far as a team and how they play together and how it fits, this is a really, really good football team.”
Oklahoma has a 3-3 record in the SEC, and the Sooners have a notable win over former No. 1 Texas in an otherwise roller coaster season. If the Bison outperform the Sooners in beating the Lobos, that could go a long way for the College Football Playoff committee.
Eck, who coached against the Bison on South Dakota State‘s staff in the 2010s, is set on preventing that from happening. His Lobos squad has a slim lead for the Mountain West Conference standings, and a loss will end slim CFP hopes for either the Lobos or Bison on Saturday.
More Coaches Than Jason Eck Have Past Beef With Bison
New Mexico has a couple of coaches on staff besides Eck, who have previous rivalry encounters with the Bison.
Lobos defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky played against the Bison with Division II Minnesota State-Mankato in the 1990s. Offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner played for North Dakota in the old Bison-Fighting Sioux rivalry, and tight ends coach Zach Lujan played and coached for SDSU against the Bison.
“They don’t love North Dakota State,” Lobos linebacker Mercury Swaim told the Albuquerque Journal’s Sean Reider on Tuesday. “They don’t love those guys very much. They definitely (made) that known to us.”
New Mexico may not have been indoctrinated into Bison lore as if they’re an old North Central Conference or Missouri Valley Football Conference team, but the bulletin board material is there. Reider detailed more of the Lobos coaches’ stories of playing the Bison, which can be read here.
Bison Coach Tim Polasek Addresses Jason Eck’s Ticket Sales Push
Eck has been bullish on filling his team’s stadium with Lobos fans on Saturday, especially considering how Bison fans travel.
That said, Bison head coach Tim Polasek has his squad ready for the challenge. After all, NDSU hasn’t backed down from any challenge in the transition from FCS titan with 10 national championships to FBS newcomer this year.
“Jason’s got some real energy behind this football team, and he’s doing everything in his power to sell tickets. I appreciate it,” Polasek told reporters on Tuesday. “I think it’s going to be pretty loud and pretty hostile, from what I understand. They’re a hungry, motivated group. They really are. This is a really good football team.”
“I think you guys all had them as L’s coming into the year. I’m pretty sure on that. And I looked at it. I circled it like this is gonna be a son of a gun, and so here we are, and we’re 6-1, and we’re bowl eligible,” he added. “I hope it’s one of the reasons we chose to go up, and people realize how difficult some of these games are going to be. It’s a challenge.”
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New Mexico’s Jason Eck Makes Head-Turning Comment on NDSU