The night of Saturday, Oct. 24 was a joyous one for the New Mexico football program, which improved to 6-1 on the season with a 21-16 victory against North Dakota State in front of 34,794 fans who packed University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico despite stormy conditions in the area.
For a brief moment on the way to that win, though, the man steering the Lobos
on that eventful evening lost his cool.New Mexico coach Jason Eck was shown getting in the face of defensive end Brett Karhu after an interception return for a touchdown by Austin Brawley that gave the Lobos a 21-9 lead with 10:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. Television cameras showed
Karhu getting in the face of North Dakota State quarterback Nathan Hayes during the 56-yard return to the end zone.
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) October 25, 2026
Karhu wasn't flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. After speaking with officials and apparently being informed about Karhu's actions, however, Eck stormed over to the fifth-year senior and got in his face. A Lobos assistant coach who had been speaking with Karhu stepped in to calm Eck down.
Jason Eck was mad his player got in the NDSU QB's face on the interception and almost cost them a penalty pic.twitter.com/NH8d08huUQ
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) October 25, 2026
Oddly enough, Karhu's brief altercation with Hayes, which ended with the edge-rusher being shoved to the turf, may have delayed the Bison quarterback just long enough to help Brawley get into the end zone. Hayes hit Brawley right at the 1-yard line, with momentum carrying the New Mexico safety across the goal line for the touchdown
Karhu seemed to indicate all was well with his coach in a postgame post to X (formerly Twitter):
Best coach in the country!! 🐺🐺
— Brett Karhu (@brettkarhu) October 25, 2026
❤️@Coach_Eck https://t.co/j9zSVYAiHX
The touchdown ended up being the decisive play of the game. North Dakota State, the former FCS powerhouse competing in its first season in the Mountain West, scored a touchdown on its ensuing drive, but New Mexico was able to burn 4:11 off the clock on its next possession and pin the Bison deep. North Dakota State then went four-and-out and the Lobos were able to go into victory formation to seal the victory.
With the win, New Mexico became bowl eligible for the second-consecutive season and just the second time since 2016. The Lobos' lone setback this season was a 14-6 road loss to Oklahoma, a game in which they had the ball in the Sooners' red zone down by eight with three minutes remaining.
It's not the first time this season Eck has gotten animated with his players. Early in the fourth quarter of a Week 7 win at Hawaii on Oct. 17, Eck ripped a pro wrestling-style belt that New Mexico uses as a turnover prop away from a player who was celebrating a fumble recovery. The Lobos trailed what was a 1-5 Rainbow Warriors team by three at the time.
WOW: New Mexico HC Jason Eck was furious with his players for celebrating a turnover while losing to Hawaii.
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) October 18, 2026
Eck walked over and took the turnover belt away from his players, clearly upset that they were celebrating despite trailing in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/9SoMBs4jJC
New Mexico went on to score touchdowns on its next two drives to pull out a 21-10 victory.
In two seasons in Albuquerque, Eck has turned around what had been a languishing Lobos program, going 15-5. New Mexico's nine wins last season were tied for the second-most in program history. This season, the Lobos are well-positioned to win their first-ever Mountain West championship. If things break right, potentially earn the designated Group of Six spot in the College Football Playoff. Eck's role in that rise has made him one of the most coveted coaching candidates from outside the Power Four conferences.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Jason Eck lit into New Mexico DE after game-sealing pick-6 vs NDSU
