LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returns to Aggie Memorial Stadium after stumbling against UMass in the season opener last week. The bout versus the Leathernecks will be the last time the Aggies compete in front of a home crowd until October 4 when they host FIU.
Game Information
Western Illinois (0-0) at NM State (0-1, 0-0 CUSA)
Date: September 2, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN+
- Adam Young (PxP)
- Danny Knee (Analyst)
- Tatiana Favela (Sidelines)
Radio: The Aggie Radio Network, Powered by LEARFIELD
- Jack Nixon (PxP)
- Cory Lucas (Analyst)
PICK SIX
2 – Saturday’s meeting with the Leathernecks will mark just the second time that the two sides have collided in history. NM State first played Western Illinois on Halloween night of 1981, winning 31-24.
4 – Diego Pavia threw for three touchdowns in Saturday’s loss to UMass – marking the fourth consecutive game with multiple passing touchdowns for the Albuquerque native.
9 – Nine different Aggie receivers caught at least one pass on Saturday while Trent Hudson’s three catches paced the balanced passing attack.
20 – The Aggie offense put 20 points on the board in the fourth quarter against the Minutemen to mark the Aggies’ highest scoring fourth quarter since posting 21 against Nevada on Oct. 9, 2021.
210 – NM State’s 210 rushing yards was the most of any team that participated in a Week 0 game and two yards ahead of Jacksonville State who ranks second after rushing for 208 yards against UTEP.
30 – The 30 points scored by the Aggie offense on Saturday marked the highest point total for NM State in a season opener since 2017 when it scored 31 against Arizona State.
WEEK ZERO WAKE UP CALL
While talented, the NM State team fell short in the season opener as it lost 41-30 to a revamped UMass team which added four new quarterbacks in the offseason, including Georgia Tech/Clemson transfer Taisun Phommachanh. Phommachanh finished the game against the Aggies with 10 completions for 192 yards while also leading the Minutemen on the ground with 99 rushing yards on 17 attempts.
The Aggies put themselves behind the eight ball early and often against UMass as three NM State turnovers turned into 21 points. Despite big plays from Monte Watkins, Trent Hudson and Jordin Parker and a 20-point fourth quarter, the UMass Minutemen were able to leave Aggie Memorial Stadium with an upset victory.
TWO IN HIS DEBUT
Junior Trent Hudson had quite the debut on Saturday as he caught three passes, two of which were hauled in in the end zone. With the two touchdown performance against UMass, Hudson became the first Aggie to record two receiving touchdowns in one game since Hudson’s running mate Jonathan Brady did so against Valparaiso in the final home game of the 2022 season.
The wide receiver from Killeen, Texas, transferred to NM State after recording 50 catches, 778 receiving yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman at Trinity Valley Community College last season.
BOUNCE BACK
This Saturday, the Aggies will be looking to get in the win column following the loss to the Minutemen. Fortunately, NM State has performed well following a loss as of late – recording wins in the last three games immediately following a loss.
A NEW HOME: CONFERENCE USA
After spending the previous five seasons as one of just six schools at the FBS level to be labeled an Independent, the Aggies are now officially members of Conference USA.
The last time that NM State resided in a football league was in 2017 when it competed as members of the Sun Belt – finishing 7-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play on its way to earning a spot in the Nova Home Loans Arizona bowl to end a 57-year drought without a bowl game.
The Aggies represent one of four new programs in CUSA as they were joined by Jacksonville State, Liberty and Sam Houston when they made the transition on July 1. Meanwhile, the league also consists of five returning members (FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky)
PRESEASON BUZZ
The last time the Aggies were in a conference was also the most recent time before 2022 that they finished with a winning record. This fact alone means that 2023 will be just the second time in the last 21 seasons that the program enters a year in which they finised with a .500 winning percentage or better in the previous campaign.
With success comes expectations and that is exactly what this offseason has consisted of for NM State. In a recent poll produced by Big Game Boomer, the Aggies were labeled as the No. 22 ranked Group of Five team in college football. The 2022 Quick Lane Bowl Champions were also selected to finish fifth in the Conference USA Preseason Poll based on a vote of the league’s nine head coaches.
RETURNING PRODUCTION
With the scope of college football being dominated by the transfer portal and realignment, the Aggie offense will go against the grain as the returners accounted for over 83% of its total yardage one season ago. This includes 97% of its rushing yards and 100% of its rushing touchdowns from 2022.
Additionally, the 2023 Aggie receivers were responsible for 71% of all receiving yards and 83% of all receiving touchdowns from last year.
CUSA PRESEASON HONORS
Individually, the Aggies garnered five preseason awards from the new conference as quarterback Diego Pavia, left tackle Shiyazh Pete, defensive tackle Dion Wilson Jr., defensive back Andre Seldon and wide receiver Jonathan Brady each were touted as players to watch this season.
Pavia and Pete led an up-tempo offense in 2022 and found themselves on the Offensive Watch List. Meanwhile, Seldon and Wilson Jr. represented the Aggies on the defensive side of the ball and Brady was one of just two kick returners to receive CUSA laurels.
QUICK LANE BOWL CHAMPIONS
After picking up a necessary seventh win in the final week of the season, NM State found itself bowl eligible for the first time since 2017 and second time since 1960.
With its regular season performance, NM State earned a spot in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, Mich., where it met up with Bowling Green. On the back of game MVP, Diego Pavia who threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 65 yards with his feet, the Aggies defeated the Falcons 24-19. The win also re-solidified NM State as the lone program in the country with at least one bowl game appearance and zero bowl game losses as it moved to 4-0-1 all-time in bowl games.
Throughout history, 75% of teams who won the Quick Lane Bowl have once again been bowl eligible the following full season. Western Michigan, the 2021 champions, snapped a six-year stretch of bowl eligibility. NM State has not pieced together back-to-back bowl eligible seasons since 1959-60.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
In addition to the CUSA awards, the Aggies have drawn several preseason award honors on a national scale.
From his center position, Canaan Yarro received HERO Sports Preseason Third Team All-American honors – a list that honors student-athletes competing for a Group of Five program. Yarro also found himself on the 2023 Wuerffel Award Watch List for his ability on the field and his contributions to the Las Cruces community.
Junior quarterback Diego Pavia earned a spot on the Maxwell Award Watch List after turning himself into a household name last December. The Maxwell Award honors the most outstanding player in collegiate football.
Electric Aggie return man and wideout Jonathan Brady also received national recognition as he was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List. With the listing, Brady is recognized as one of the most versatile players in all of college football.
Aggie left guard AJ Vaipulu was touted as one of 85 athletes to land on the watch list for 2023 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year.
Lastly, wide receiver Kordell David was selected to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List following a breakout campaign in 2022.
ATTENDANCE BOOM
Few schools across FBS football saw a larger attendance growth last season than NM State. The Aggies concluded the season averaging 14,993 fans per home game, up 27% from the 2021 season.
The Aggie faithful continued this trend into the season opener as 15,356 fans were in attendance to watch NM State battle with UMass on Saturday, Aug. 26.
THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS
Since his arrival in 2019, Ethan Albertson has established himself among the top kickers in the country. Amid his senior season, the San Diego, Calif., native ranks inside the top-ten in NM State history for field goals made (7th, 29), field goals attempted (9th, 38), field goal percentage (1st, 76.32%), extra points made (10th, 66), extra points attempted (9th, 69) and extra point percentage (95.65%)
FRESHMAN AGGIES
The 2023 Aggie roster will feature 34 true freshman this season including six from the Land of Enchantment.
BROTHERS ON THE BACK END
Defensive backs Andre Seldon and Myles Rowser are not only brothers on the field, but the two are also half brothers. Seldon is a returning leader on the Aggie defense while Rowser will make his NM State debut this season after starring for Campbell last year.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Maintaining the family theme, the Aggie team will have three student-athletes this season whose fathers also suited up for the Aggies during their respective playing days.
Wide receiver Ethan Singleton is the son of former Aggie running back Anthony Singleton who played for the Aggies from 1986-89. Anthony Singleton ranks tenth in program history in both rush attempts (420) and rushing yards (1,858 yards).
Freshman David Barela’s dad David Barela also played for the Aggies from 1990-93.
Lastly, Las Cruces native Sideeq Shabazz will be the fourth member of the Shabazz family to wear Crimson & White. His father, Sideeq Shabazz played for the Aggies from 1999-02 and is one of 28 former Aggies earn a spot in the NFL. Additionally, his family members Shukree and Sina also played for the Aggies.
CONSISTENCY ON THE FRONT LINE
NM State returns four starting offensive lineman from 2022 – Shiyazh Pete (LT), AJ Vaipulu (LG), Canaan Yarro (C), and Isaiah Mursalat (RG). The four Aggies have put together 68 games played on the offensive line in the Crimson and White.
A WINNING TRADITION
With seven wins in 2022, Jerry Kill entered the 2023 season as the tenth winningest active coach in FBS football.
Interestingly enough, three of the top 10 coaches on the active wins list lead CUSA programs as K.C. Keeler (ranked 4th) and Rich Rodriguez (ranked 9th) lead Sam Houston and Jacksonville State, respectively.
Aside from Keeler and Rodriguez, Kill trails just Nick Saban (Alabama), Mack Brown (North Carolina), Brian Kelly (LSU), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Chris Crieghton (Eastern Michigan), and Terry Bowden (Louisiana – Monroe).
DUAL THREAT
After an impressive first season in the Crimson and White, quarterback Diego Pavia already finds himself among the Aggie greats. He currently ranks 30th all-time in career passing yards (1,450) and 10th in career rushing yards (508).
REPRESENTING A COUNTRY
With the return of Nikhil Webb Walker, NM State fields the only player in FBS football with a hometown located in Jamaica. The linebacker hailing from Trelawny, Jamaica, joined the NM State roster as a walk-on ahead of the 2022 season.
IRON SHARPENS IRON
In 2022, the Aggies had two quarterbacks that started at least five games in Diego Pavia and Gavin Frakes. In total, the two combined to throw for 2,186 yards and 17 touchdowns.
This season, the quarterback room will only be more competitive as it gets bolstered by the addition of former four-star and Texas A&M transfer Eli Stowers.
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT
When HC Jerry Kill replaced Doug Martin, the Aggies cleaned house for the remainder of the coaching staff as well. In fact, just one staff member was retained from the 2021 team – Defensive Graduate Assistant Quinn Thomas.
However, from 2022 to 2023, all 10 assistant coaches will make the return. This make Kill’s staff one of just seven schools in the country to bring back its entire staff – joined by Colorado State, Louisiana, Kansas, USC, Iowa and Pitt.
WOMEN BELONG IN SPORTS
In her second season as the NM State equipment manager, Paulina Mihelich becomes one of just four lead equipment managers across the FBS level.
Under Mihelich, the Aggies join Nevada, New Mexico, and Temple as the lone schools to be powered by women.
With Rachel Phillips also serving as the Aggies’ Director of Football Operations, NM State and Temple are the only two programs that feature women at both the head equipment manager and DFO positions.
Phillips is one of just eight female DFOs around the country, joining women at Temple, Notre Dame, TCU, Kansas State, Maryland, Bowling Green, and FAU.
Also returning is Associate Athletic Trainer Sam Graff. With Graff leading the way for the Aggies, NM State is one of 12 schools at the FBS level with a female lead athletic trainer for football – Rice, Georgia Southern, Bowling Green, Troy, Kansas State, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan, Iowa, Virginia, BYU, and UCF are the other 11.
The Aggies also added Kaylee Nilsson to the staff as a Graduate Assistant Nutritionist. In her role, Nilsson keeps NM State at optimal nutrition levels for training, competition, recovery, hydration, immunity, travel, and more.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES (WESTERN ILLINOIS)
While NM State began its season last week, Saturday will serve as Western Illinois’ season opener. Last season, the Leathernecks finished with an overall record of 0-11 with an average margin of defeat of 25.1 points per game.
The Leathernecks are led by Head Coach Myers Hendrickson who, before taking over as the head man at WIU, posted a 31-5 overall coaching record. The Western Illinois alum will bring a new look Leatherneck squad that returns neither its leading receiver or leading rusher from 2022.
AGGIE FOOTBALL AND ESPN+
With the offseason shift to Conference USA, the Aggies were also recipients of a change in their media rights deal.
This season, all Aggie home football games that are not produced by ESPN or CBS Sports Network will be produced in-house by AggieVision on ESPN+ with Saturday’s contest versus the Leathernecks being the first of this nature.
THE VARSITY NETWORK
Last season, NM State Sports Properties and its parent company LEARFIELD, announced the creation of “THE VARSITY NETWORKî an interactive application that features free live gameday broadcasts, original content, and national college programming such as College Sports Now, College Football Biltz and the new College Football Saturday Night.
Fans can download the app for iPhone or android and will gain instant access to free gameday audio streams, including NM State football brought to you by Adam Young and Danny Knee, and receive push notifications to remind them of games starting or upcoming audio broadcasts.
THE VOICE(S) OF THE AGGIES
NM State broadcaster Jack Nixon returns for his 44th year of broadcasting Aggie athletics for the NM State radio network. A legend on the Aggie airwaves, Nixon has broadcast over 400 Aggie football contests and over 1,000 Aggie men’s basketball games. An NM State Hall of Fame selection, Nixon will handle of the radio duties with former Aggie Cory Lucas, who joined the broadcaster ahead of the 2017 season.
FILLING THE GAP
The Aggie middle linebackers Chris Ojoh and Trevor Brohard were two of the best backers in the nation and combined to account for 177 tackles. Combine those two dominant forces with safety Bryce Jackson and Syrus Dumas and the Aggie defense will enter 2023 missing over 35% of its total tackles from one season ago.
Tasked with reloading on the defensive side of the ball, Head Coach Jerry Kill brought in big name transfers including Dion Wilson Jr., Jamari Buddin and Myles Rowser to play alongside returning defensive standouts Andre Seldon Jr., Keyshaun Elliott and Dylan Early in efforts of locking down opposing offenses.
On This Day – Sept. 2
NM State competed four times on Sept. 2 in program history with the most recent contest coming in 2000 when the Aggies visited South Carolina. NM State has twice played at home on Sept. 2, winning both games by an average margin of victory of 66 points.
The Aggies first played on Sept. 2 in 1989 when they fell to Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
Last Five on Sept. 2
1989 – L, 73-3 at Oklahoma (Norman, Okla.)
1995 – W, 45-17 vs. UTEP (Las Cruces, N.M.)
1999 – W, 73-7 vs. New Mexico Highlands (Las Cruces, N.M.)
2000 – L, 31-0 at South Carolina (Columbia, S.C.)
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE
Here’s a look at the future schedules for the New Mexico State football team with all announced games until 2029.
The Aggies and UTSA have canceled a four-game series that was set to take place in Las Cruces in 2025 and 2029 while also playing at the Alamodome in San Antonio in 2024 and 2026.
NM State and Wyoming have also announced that the back end of a home-and-home series will now be pushed to September 18, 2032. The Aggies and Cowboys opened the series in Las Cruces on August 25, 2018.
2023
Week Date Team
0 Aug. 26 UMass
1 Sept. 2 Western Illinois
3 Sept. 16 at New Mexico
4 Sept. 23 at Hawai’i
6 Oct. 7 UTEP
7 Oct. 14 at Louisiana
Nov. 18 at Auburn
TBA TBA at San Diego State
2024
Week Date Team
3 Sept. 14 NIU
4 Sept. 21 at Wyoming
5 Sept. 28 New Mexico
6 Oct. 5 at Fresno State
8 Oct. 19 Louisiana
12 Nov. 16 at Texas A&M
13 Nov. 23 Abilene Christian
2025
Week Date Team
4 Sept. 27 at New Mexico
2026
Week Date Team
1 Sept. 5 Central Michigan
6 Oct. 10 at Hawai’i
TBA TBA New Mexico
2027
Week Date Team
2 Sept. 11 at NIU
5 Oct. 2 Hawai’i
TBA TBA at New Mexico
2028
Week Date Team
13 Nov. 25 at Liberty
2029
Week Date Team
12 Nov. 17 Liberty
2032
Week Date Team
5 Sept. 18 at Wyoming
##NM State##
