NMSU football hosting New Mexico in Rio Grande Rivalry

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The NM State football team is set for its second rivalry game in a row as it kicks off the home slate with Rio Grande rival New Mexico onSaturdayat 6 p.m. MT in Aggie Memorial Stadium. The game is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

The contest will also be broadcast on the Aggie Sports Network with Voice of the Aggies and Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on play-by-play, while Preston Williams will be the color analyst. Fans can also listen to the game here on TuneIn Radio or on the following stations in New Mexico:

Aggie Sports Network: Affiliates

Alamogordo KNMZ 103.7 FM

Carlsbad KAMQ 1240 AM

Gallup KYVA 1230 AM, 94.9 FM

Las Vegas KMDS 107.1 FM

The Aggies are 0-1 on the season after falling to Battle of I-10 rival UTEPlast Saturdayin the season opener. After amassing just 48 passing yards and a field goal in the first half, Tyler Rogers and the NM State offense picked up the momentum for the second half. Rogers finished the game 17-of-41 for 206 yards. In addition, he collected 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on nine attempts. As a team, the Aggies scored three touchdowns in the second half.

New Mexico holds a 70-31-5 series lead after the Aggies fell 38-29 on Oct. 3, 2015 in Albuquerque. NM State last defeated the Lobos on Oct. 1, 2011 as they captured a 42-28 win in Albuquerque. During that meeting, Larry Rose III amassed a career-high 260 rushing yards and a personal best three touchdowns. The Aggies held a 29-14 lead early in the third quarter before ultimately falling in a heartbreaking loss.

New Mexico is 1-0 this season after topping South Dakota 48-21 on Sept. 1. Quarterback Austin Apodaca led the Lobos under center as he went 12-of-16 for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Teriyon Gipson racked up a team 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.

This history of the two teams dates back over 100 years. They first met on Jan. 1, 1894, eight years before the first Rose Bowl. The teams squared off six times before New Mexico became a state in 1912.

Presently, the schools have the Rio Grande Rivalry Trophy. Each time the schools face each other in a sport, the winner earns a point towards the trophy. At the end of the athletic year, the school with the most points holds the trophy for an entire year.

Notes

Rodney Butler (15), Jacob Nwangwa (14) and Terrill Hanks (11) each had more than 10 tackles. This was the first time NM State had three or more players. OJ Clark had a career-high five receptions for a personal-best 68 yards. Tyler Rogers scrambled for a career-best 63 yards. With 206 passing yards, Rogers now has 11th 200-yard passing games in his career. Jacob Nwangwa had a personal-high 14 tackles and tied a career-high 1.0 tackles for loss. Terrill Hanks racked up his second career forced fumble, which DeMarcus Owens recovered and returned for his first scoop and score. Owens also racked up a career-high six tackles and tied personal-best 1.0 tackles for loss. Rodney Butler racked up a personal-best 3.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore Parker Davidson kicked the 11th field goal of his career. Freshman Payton Theisler amassed 338 punting yards on seven punts.