Rio Grande Rivalry (football)

For other sports, see Rio Grande Rivalry.

The New Mexico–New Mexico State football rivalry, known as the Battle of I-25 and the Rio Grande Rivalry in all sports, is an annual football game between the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. It is called the Battle of I-25 because the two universities are located along Interstate 25 connecting Albuquerque and Las Cruces. In the entire history of the rivalry, the game has never been contested anywhere beside those two cities.

Rio Grande Rivalry

New Mexico Lobos New Mexico State Aggies
Sport	Football
First meeting	January 1, 1894 New Mexico 18, New Mexico A&M 6
Latest meeting	September 28, 2024 New Mexico 50, New Mexico State 40
Next meeting	September 27, 2025, in Albuquerque
Stadiums	University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S.
Trophy	None (1894–1992 and 2001–present) Maloof Trophy (1993–2000)
Statistics
Meetings total	114
All-time series	New Mexico leads, 74–35–5 (.671)
Largest victory	New Mexico A&M, 110–3 (1917)
Longest win streak	New Mexico, 18 (1938–1958)
Current win streak	New Mexico, 1 (2024–present)

150km
100miles

New Mexico State

New Mexico

  

Locations of New Mexico and New Mexico State

Series history

The rivalry between New Mexico's only two NCAA Division I institutions dates back to January 1, 1894 – eighteen years before New Mexico achieved statehood – when the schools met in a football contest in Albuquerque. While it is clear that New Mexico won that first game, school records seem to disagree on the score. According to New Mexico media guides the final score was 25–5 but according to New Mexico State media guides the score was 18–6. By the time New Mexico entered the union in 1912 UNM and New Mexico A&M (as NMSU was known prior to 1959) had already met on the gridiron six times. Until 1937, the series was competitive with the Aggies holding a 15–12–4 lead over the Lobos. Starting in 1938 the Lobos began to dominate the series, starting with a streak of 18 straight wins over the Aggies from 1938 to 1958 (including a three year stretch during World War II when the game was not played). From 1959 to 1968, however, the Aggies won seven of ten meetings, mostly during the tenure of College Football Hall of Fame head coach Warren B. Woodson. Although the Aggies defeated the Lobos in their first meeting after Woodson's departure in 1968, the Lobos resumed their dominance in the series the following year, winning 16 of the next 18 meetings (including a tie in 1971). Beginning in 1993, the two universities played for the Maloof Trophy, but it was short-lived; the trophy was retired in 2000.

The Lobos all-time advantage is 74–35–5, however the rivalry remains spirited, with the series even at seven wins each over the past 14 games dating back to the 100th meeting between the schools in 2009. Most recently the Lobos defeated the Aggies 50–40 on September 28, 2024.

In August 2020, New Mexico State postponed football and fall sports due to COVID-19 with consideration for a spring football season. The Mountain West Conference initially postponed fall sports for New Mexico and other member schools as well, but New Mexico and other member schools began a conference-only schedule beginning in late October. The 2020 season was the first since 1945 without the rivalry game.

Game results

New Mexico victories

New Mexico State victories

Tie games

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	January 1, 1894	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	18–6
2	November 30, 1905	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	40–0
3	November 29, 1906	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico A&M	25–5
4	November 21, 1908	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	10–6
5	December 3, 1909	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	51–0
6	November 12, 1911	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	10–6
7	November 16, 1912	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico A&M	27–0
8	November 14, 1913	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	13–0
9	November 26, 1914	Albuquerque, NM	Tie	7–7
10	November 25, 1915	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	13–0
11	November 30, 1916	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	51–0
12	November 29, 1917	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	110–3
13	November 27, 1919	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	24–2
14	December 4, 1920	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	14–7
15	November 24, 1921	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	6–0
16	November 30, 1922	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	7–0
17	November 17, 1923	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico A&M	6–0
18	November 15, 1924	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	6–0
19	November 21, 1925	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	20–9
20	November 13, 1926	Las Cruces, NM	Tie	6–6
21	November 18, 1927	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	26–9
22	October 27, 1928	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	14–13
23	November 16, 1929	Las Cruces, NM	Tie	7–7
24	November 8, 1930	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico A&M	14–6
25	November 7, 1931	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	13–6
26	October 22, 1932	Albuquerque, NM	Tie	0–0
27	November 18, 1933	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	14–7
28	November 17, 1934	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	12–6
29	November 11, 1935	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	32–0
30	November 14, 1936	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico A&M	7–6
31	October 8, 1937	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico A&M	5–0
32	November 12, 1938	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	6–2
33	November 10, 1939	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	9–6
34	November 9, 1940	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	39–6
35	November 8, 1941	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	28–0
36	October 10, 1942	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	32–0
37	October 12, 1946	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	7–6
38	October 11, 1947	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	20–0
39	October 9, 1948	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	61–0
40	September 30, 1949	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	14–13
41	October 7, 1950	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	26–13
42	October 6, 1951	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	20–0
43	October 4, 1952	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	23–0
44	November 7, 1953	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	28–6
45	November 20, 1954	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	39–27
46	September 17, 1955	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	14–7
47	September 22, 1956	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	14–6
48	September 21, 1957	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	25–7
49	September 20, 1958	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	16–7
50	September 19, 1959	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico A&M	29–12
51	October 8, 1960	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	34–0
52	September 23, 1961	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	41–7
53	September 15, 1962	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	28–17
54	October 19, 1963	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	13–12
55	October 24, 1964	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	18–14
56	November 13, 1965	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	20–6
57	November 12, 1966	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	47–12
58	November 18, 1967	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	54–7

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
59	November 16, 1968	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	33–6
60	November 22, 1969	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	24–21
61	October 17, 1970	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	24–17
62	October 9, 1971	Albuquerque, NM	Tie	35–35
63	September 16, 1972	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	55–20
64	September 15, 1973	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	48–6
65	November 2, 1974	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	26–24
66	November 22, 1975	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	52–28
67	October 30, 1976	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	16–7
68	October 29, 1977	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	35–13
69	October 21, 1978	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	35–20
70	September 29, 1979	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	30–16
71	September 27, 1980	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	52–19
72	October 24, 1981	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	17–13
73	October 23, 1982	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	66–14
74	September 24, 1983	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	31–10
75	September 8, 1984	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	61–21
76	September 14, 1985	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	34–27
77	October 25, 1986	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	45–14
78	September 12, 1987	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	17–14
79	September 10, 1988	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	36–34
80	September 9, 1989	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	45–13
81	September 1, 1990	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	29–12
82	September 28, 1991	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	17–10
83	September 12, 1992	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	42–39
84	September 25, 1993	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	42–7
85	October 22, 1994	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	56–31
86	September 23, 1995	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	36–24
87	August 29, 1996	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	28–7
88	September 6, 1997	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	61–24
89	September 19, 1998	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	28–27
90	September 11, 1999	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	35–28
91	September 16, 2000	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	16–13
92	November 24, 2001	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	53–0
93	September 21, 2002	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	24–13
94	September 27, 2003	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	24–17
95	September 25, 2004	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	38–3
96	September 17, 2005	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	38–21
97	September 9, 2006	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	34–28
98	September 8, 2007	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	44–34
99	September 27, 2008	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	35–24
100	September 26, 2009	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	20–17
101	October 9, 2010	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	16–14
102	October 1, 2011	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	42–28
103	September 22, 2012	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	27–14
104	October 5, 2013	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	66–17
105	September 20, 2014	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	38–35
106	October 3, 2015	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	38–29
107	September 10, 2016	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	32–31
108	September 9, 2017	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	30–28
109	September 15, 2018	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	42–25
110	September 21, 2019	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	55–52
111	September 11, 2021	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	34–25
112	October 15, 2022	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico State	21–9
113	September 16, 2023	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico State	27–17
114	September 28, 2024	Las Cruces, NM	New Mexico	50–40
Series: New Mexico leads 74–35–5

• Non-conference games (95: 1894–1930 and 1951–present)
• Not played in 17 seasons (1895–1904, 1907, 1910, 1918, 1943–1945 and 2020)

Coaching records

Since first game on January 1, 1894

New Mexico

Head Coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
No coach	New Mexico	1	1892–1893	1	0	0	1.000
W. A. Zimmer	New Mexico	0	1894	0	0	0	–
No team (1895–1898)
No coach	New Mexico	0	1899	0	0	0	–
No team (1900)
Joe Napier	New Mexico	0	1901	0	0	0	–
No team (1902)
Walter McEwan	New Mexico	0	1903–1904	0	0	0	–
Martin F. Angell	New Mexico	2	1905–1907	0	2	0	.000
Hermon H. Conwell	New Mexico	1	1908	1	0	0	1.000
Sam P. McBirney	New Mexico	1	1909	1	0	0	1.000
Carl Hamilton	New Mexico	0	1910	0	0	0	–
Ralph Hutchinson	New Mexico	6	1911–1916	2	3	1	.417
Frank E. Wood	New Mexico	1	1917	0	1	0	.000
No team (1918)
John F. McGough	New Mexico	1	1919	1	0	0	1.000
Roy W. Johnson	New Mexico	11	1920–1930	4	5	2	.455
Chuck Riley	New Mexico	3	1931–1933	1	1	1	.500
Gwinn Henry	New Mexico	3	1934–1936	1	2	0	.333
Ted Shipkey	New Mexico	5	1937–1941	4	1	0	.800
Willis Barnes	New Mexico	2	1942–1946	2	0	0	1.000
Berl Huffman	New Mexico	3	1947–1949	3	0	0	1.000
Dudley DeGroot	New Mexico	3	1950–1952	3	0	0	1.000
Bob Titchenal	New Mexico	3	1953–1955	3	0	0	1.000
Dick Clausen	New Mexico	2	1956–1957	2	0	0	1.000
Marv Levy	New Mexico	2	1958–1959	1	1	0	.500
Bill Weeks	New Mexico	8	1960–1967	3	5	0	.375
Rudy Feldman	New Mexico	6	1968–1973	4	1	1	.750
Bill Mondt	New Mexico	6	1974–1979	5	1	0	.833
Joe Morrison	New Mexico	3	1980–1982	3	0	0	1.000
Joe Lee Dunn	New Mexico	4	1983–1986	4	0	0	1.000
Mike Sheppard	New Mexico	5	1987–1991	4	1	0	.800
Dennis Franchione	New Mexico	6	1992–1997	5	1	0	.833
Rocky Long	New Mexico	11	1998–2008	8	3		.727
Mike Locksley	New Mexico	2	2009–2011	0	2		.000
George Barlow	New Mexico	1	2011	0	1		.000
Bob Davie	New Mexico	8	2012–2019	6	2		.750
Danny Gonzales	New Mexico	3	2020–2023	1	2		.333
Bronco Mendenhall	New Mexico	1	2024–present	1	0		1.000

New Mexico State

Head Coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
W. M. Clutte	New Mexico A&M	1	1893	0	1	0	.000
Alfred Holt	New Mexico A&M	0	1894	0	0	0	–
No coach	New Mexico A&M	0	1895–1896	0	0	0	–
Charles M. Barber	New Mexico A&M	0	1897–1898	0	0	0	–
John O. Miller (a)	New Mexico A&M	0	1899	0	0	0	–
William A. Sutherland	New Mexico A&M	0	1900	0	0	0	–
John O. Miller (b)	New Mexico A&M	2	1901–1907	2	0	0	1.000
William G. Hummell	New Mexico A&M	1	1908	0	1	0	.000
J. H. Squires	New Mexico A&M	1	1909	0	1	0	.000
Art Badenoch	New Mexico A&M	3	1910–1913	3	0	0	1.000
Clarence W. Russell	New Mexico A&M	3	1914–1916	0	2	1	.167
John G. Griffith	New Mexico A&M	1	1917	1	0	0	1.000
No team (1918)
Anthony Savage	New Mexico A&M	1	1919	0	1	0	.000
Dutch Bergman	New Mexico A&M	3	1920–1922	2	1	0	.667
R. R. Brown	New Mexico A&M	3	1923–1925	2	1	0	.667
Arthur Burkholder	New Mexico A&M	1	1926	0	0	1	.500
Ted Coffman	New Mexico A&M	2	1927–1928	0	2	0	.000
Jerry Hines	New Mexico A&M	11	1929–1939	5	4	2	.545
Julius H. Johnston	New Mexico A&M	3	1940–1942	0	3	0	.000
Maurice Moulder	New Mexico A&M	0	1943	0	0	0	–
No team (1944–1945)
Raymond A. Curfman	New Mexico A&M	2	1946–1947	0	2	0	.000
Vaughn Corley	New Mexico A&M	3	1948–1950	0	3	0	.000
Joseph T. Coleman	New Mexico A&M	2	1951–1952	0	2	0	.000
James Patton	New Mexico A&M	2	1953–1954	0	2	0	.000
Tony Cavallo	New Mexico A&M	3	1955–1957	0	3	0	.000
Warren B. Woodson	New Mexico A&M / State	10	1958–1967	6	4	0	.600
Jim Wood	New Mexico State	5	1968–1972	1	3	1	.300
Jim Bradley	New Mexico State	5	1973–1977	1	4	0	.200
Gil Krueger	New Mexico State	5	1978–1982	0	5	0	.000
Fred Zechman	New Mexico State	3	1983–1985	0	3	0	.000
Mike Knoll	New Mexico State	4	1986–1989	1	3	0	.250
Jim Hess	New Mexico State	8	1990–1996	1	7	0	.125
Tony Samuel	New Mexico State	8	1997–2004	3	5		.375
Hal Mumme	New Mexico State	4	2005–2008	0	4		.000
DeWayne Walker	New Mexico State	4	2009–2012	3	1		.750
Doug Martin	New Mexico State	8	2013–2021	2	6		.250
Jerry Kill	New Mexico State	2	2022–2023	2	0		1.000
Tony Sanchez	New Mexico State	1	2024–present	0	1		.000

• John O. Miller's overall record in series was 2–0–0 (1.000)

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games
• List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I