LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Aggies hit the highway for the second consecutive week as they make the 200-mile journey to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 113th installment of the Rio Grande Rivalry. Each side will enter Saturday’s assembly looking for their second win of the 2023 season.
Recreation Info
NM State (1-2, 0-1 CUSA) at New Mexico (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West)
Date: September 16, 2023
Time: 6:00 p.m. MT
TV: Mountain West Community
- Jeff Siembieda (PxP)
- George Carter (Analyst)
Radio: The Aggie Radio Community, Powered by LEARFIELD
- Jack Nixon (PxP)
- Cory Lucas (Analyst)
PICK SIX
113 – Saturday’s assembly between the Aggies and Lobos will mark the 113th time the 2 sides will collide on the gridiron.
9 – In every of the Aggies’ first three sport, 9 completely different Aggies have recorded at the least one reception.
16.96 – By posting a mean of 16.96 yards per completion, the NM State offense ranks sixth within the nation on this class amongst FBS groups.
7 – Diego Pavia ranks seventh within the nation in whole passing yards with 715 by means of the primary three video games. He additionally ranks ninth in whole passing touchdowns (6).
2017 – NM State is searching for its first win in Albuquerque since 2017 when the Aggies knocked off the Lobos 30-28.
25 – 2022 marked simply the third time within the final 25 seasons of the Rio Grande Rivalry that each side didn’t rating double digits as NM State emerged with a 21-9 win.
BLOCK THAT KICK!
The hand of Gabe Peterson helped NM State’s particular groups unit got here up with a blocked level after try for the primary time since since Dion Henrique did so at Florida on September 5, 2015.
BRADY BOOM
In 12 months two with this system, sophomore extensive receiver Jonathan Brady has already emerged as one in every of Aggies’ go-to targets within the passing sport. With three video games within the books, the Las Vegas native paces all Aggie receivers with 143 whole receiving yards.
His 102-yard receiving sport towards Western Illinois on Sept. 2 marked the primary time an Aggie receiver eclipsed the century mark since Jared Wyatt did so on Nov. 27, 2021, towards UMass.
TWO FOR TWO
Jordin Parker made his presence felt as soon as once more within the win over WIU as he caught his second landing move of the season. With the landing, Parker now has two touchdowns on simply two receptions to make him the one FBS participant with landing catches on 100% of his receptions and a number of catches this season.
Parker can be one in every of simply 90 FBS athletes with a number of receiving touchdowns this 12 months – becoming a member of fellow Aggie Trent Hudson who leads the Aggies with three toucdowns – tying him for seventh most on the FBS stage.
SATURDAYS ARE FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL… JUST NOT IN LAS CRUCES
NM State is within the midst of a stretch of 63 days through which it won’t play a house sport on a Saturday. For seven consecutive weeks, the Aggies will both be on the highway or internet hosting a midweek contest.
Throughout this era, the Aggies will welcome FIU on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and Sam Houston on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
THE ‘T’ IN TRENT STANDS FOR TOUCHDOWN
In the course of the first three weeks, Aggie newcomer Trent Hudson has caught three landing passes – making him the primary Aggie to catch three or extra touchdowns since 2017 when eventual fourth spherical NFL draft decide Jaleel Scott hauled in 4 landing passes within the Aggies’ opening three video games.
THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS
Since his arrival in 2019, Ethan Albertson has established himself among the many high kickers within the nation. Amid his senior season, the San Diego, Calif., native ranks contained in the top-ten in NM State historical past for discipline targets made (Seventh, 30), discipline targets tried (t-Seventh, 39), discipline objective share (1st, 76.9%), further factors made (eighth, 73), further factors tried (ninth, 77) and further level share (94.8%)
A NEW HOME: CONFERENCE USA
After spending the earlier 5 seasons as one in every of simply six faculties on the FBS stage to be labeled an Impartial, the Aggies are actually formally members of Convention USA and can open convention play this Saturday once they go to Liberty.
The final time that NM State resided in a soccer league was in 2017 when it competed as members of the Solar Belt – ending 7-6 total and 4-4 in convention play on its technique to incomes a spot within the Nova Residence Loans Arizona bowl to finish a 57-year drought and not using a bowl sport.
The Aggies characterize one in every of 4 new packages in CUSA as they had been joined by Jacksonville State, Liberty and Sam Houston once they made the transition on July 1. In the meantime, the league additionally consists of 5 returning members (FIU, Louisiana Tech, Center Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky).
SPREAD THE LOVE
In every of the Aggies’ first three video games, 9 completely different receivers have caught at the least one move. Within the opening trio of tilts, the Aggies have additionally had precisely eight completely different ball carriers in every sport.
RETURNING PRODUCTION
With the scope of school soccer being dominated by the switch portal and realignment, the Aggie offense will go towards the grain because the returners accounted for over 83% of its whole yardage one season in the past. This contains 97% of its speeding yards and 100% of its speeding touchdowns from 2022.
Moreover, the 2023 Aggie receivers had been answerable for 71% of all receiving yards and 83% of all receiving touchdowns from final 12 months.
ATTENDANCE BOOM
Few faculties throughout FBS soccer noticed a bigger attendance development final season than NM State. The Aggies concluded the season averaging 14,993 followers per dwelling sport, up 27% from the 2021 season.
The Aggie devoted continued this pattern into the season opener as 15,356 followers had been in attendance to observe NM State battle with UMass on Saturday, Aug. 26. Aggie Nation then upped that quantity to 17,943 for the Week 1 matchup towards Western Illinois.
AGGIEQUERQUE
This 12 months’s NM State roster options 4 Aggies from the Lobos’ yard, together with beginning quarterback Diego Pavia who performed soccer and baseball and wrestled at Volcano Vista. Throughout his highschool days up north, Pavia gained a state title in wrestling and likewise led Volcano Vista to an ideal 11-0 report within the common season as a senior.
Fellow Volcano Vista alumni Tyler Martinez additionally makes his return dwelling and can accomplish that as one of many anchors of the Aggie protection. Colt Mangino and Tyler Devera additionally hail from Albuquerque.
BROTHERS ON THE BACK END
Defensive backs Andre Seldon and Myles Rowser usually are not solely brothers on the sphere, however the two are additionally half brothers. Seldon is a returning chief on the Aggie protection whereas Rowser will make his NM State debut this season after starring for Campbell final 12 months.
CONSISTENCY ON THE FRONT LINE
NM State returns 4 beginning offensive lineman from 2022 – Shiyazh Pete (LT), ALSO Vaipulu (LG), Canaan Yarrow (C), and Isaiah Mursalat (RG). The 4 Aggies have put collectively 68 video games performed on the offensive line within the Crimson and White.
A WINNING TRADITION
With seven wins in 2022, Jerry Kill entered the 2023 season because the tenth winningest energetic coach in FBS soccer.
Apparently sufficient, three of the highest 10 coaches on the energetic wins checklist lead CUSA packages as Okay.C. Keeler (ranked 4th) and Wealthy Rodriguez (ranked ninth) lead Sam Houston and Jacksonville State, respectively.
Except for Keeler and Rodriguez, Kill trails simply Nick Saban (Alabama), Mack Brown (North Carolina), Brian Kelly (LSU), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Chris Crieghton (Jap Michigan), and Terry Bowden (Louisiana – Monroe).
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT
When HC Jerry Kill changed Doug Martin, the Aggies cleaned home for the rest of the teaching workers as properly. In truth, only one workers member was retained from the 2021 crew – Defensive Graduate Assistant Quinn Thomas.
Nonetheless, from 2022 to 2023, all 10 assistant coaches will make the return. This make Kill’s workers one in every of simply seven faculties within the nation to convey again its whole workers – joined by Colorado State, Louisiana, Kansas, USC, Iowa and Pitt.
THE VARSITY NETWORK
Final season, NM State Sports activities Properties and its mother or father firm LEARFIELD, introduced the creation of “THE VARSITY NETWORKî an interactive utility that options free stay gameday broadcasts, unique content material, and nationwide school programming akin to Faculty Sports activities Now, Faculty Soccer Biltz and the brand new Faculty Soccer Saturday Evening.
Followers can obtain the app for iPhone or android and can achieve prompt entry to free gameday audio streams, together with NM State soccer dropped at you by Adam Younger and Danny Knee, and obtain push notifications to remind them of video games beginning or upcoming audio broadcasts.
THE VOICE(S) OF THE AGGIES
NM State broadcaster Jack Nixon returns for his forty fourth 12 months of broadcasting Aggie athletics for the NM State radio community. A legend on the Aggie airwaves, Nixon has broadcast over 400 Aggie soccer contests and over 1,000 Aggie males’s basketball video games. An NM State Corridor of Fame choice, Nixon will deal with of the radio duties with former Aggie Cory Lucas, who joined the broadcaster forward of the 2017 season.
BEHIND ENEMY LINES (NEW MEXICO)
The Aggies will head north looking for their second straight win over the Lobos after defeating UNM 21-9 final season.
Led by Danny Gonzales, New Mexico hoists a report of 1-1 on the season and shall be coming off of a dominant 56-10 win over FCS program Tennessee Tech.
Offensively, the Lobos are led on the quarterback place by UAB switch Dylan Hopkins who has tallied 28 completions, 388 passing yards, 4 passing touchdowns and two interceptions by means of UNM’s first two video games.
The NM State protection may even be keyed in on working again Jacory Crosky-Merritt who enters Saturday as one in every of solely 24 backs within the nation averaging higher than 100 speeding yards per sport.
As a unit, the UNM offense is averaging 404.5 yards of offense per sport whereas its protection is giving up 345.5 yards to opposing offenses.
