Central Michigan opens 2026 season at New Mexico in first-ever meeting between the schools

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Central Michigan opens its 2026 football season tonight at New Mexico, the first meeting between the two programs in either school's history.

Kickoff at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is set for 10 p.m. Eastern Time and 8 p.m. local time on FS1.

The game starts the second season under Matt Drinkall, who took the Chippewas to a bowl game in his first year — the program's first postseason appearance since 2021. Central Michigan finished 7-6 overall and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference, good for fifth place. League coaches picked CMU to finish fifth again in the 12-team MAC this year, the school said.

Drinkall said at MAC media day in July that he expects a more open approach this fall.

"We were incredibly conservative in all three phases," he said. "Now we'll be able to blossom out a little bit and expand and play a little bit more exciting football."

Both teams enter the night at 0-0, and both are also breaking in a quarterback.

Central Michigan lists senior Angel Flores and junior Jadyn Glasser as co-starters on its Week 1 depth chart, with senior Marcus Beamon behind them, according to the Albuquerque Journal. All three saw action last season.

The Chippewas return their leading receiver, senior Langston Lewis, who caught 43 passes for 596 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 and was named third-team All-MAC. Seniors Vaughn Blue and junior Brock Townsend are listed as co-starters at running back.

New Mexico is in a similar spot. Second-year head coach Jason Eck lists three quarterbacks — James Laubstein, Luke Moga and Toa Fa'avae — and told reporters he plans to rotate two or three of them tonight.

"One thing I like about playing multiple quarterbacks is — and I'm a big believer of this — playing a lot of guys if you have close battles, I think you build depth that way," Eck said.

Tonight's game replaces a road trip to New Mexico State that had been on Central Michigan's schedule for the same date, the second half of a home-and-home series that started in Mount Pleasant in 2019.

The Chippewas play their home opener Sept. 12 against Colgate, then host Wyoming on Sept. 19 before closing non-conference play at the University of Miami in Florida on Sept. 26.