NM State Visits FIU for Final Midweek Game of the Season
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- NM State will make its first-ever trip to Miami for a bout with Conference USA foe FIU. Following a double overtime victory over LA Tech that ended a five-game losing streak, the Aggies will seek their second straight win as they battle a Panther team that is amid a three-game losing skid.
WEEK SIX
Who: NM State at FIU
Where: Miami, Fla. – Pitbull Stadium (20,000)
When: Tuesday, October 29, 2024 – 5 p.m. MT
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: CBS Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Dave Ryan
Analyst: Donte Whitner
Listen: 99.5 FM KXPZ / TuneIn App / Sirius XM 970
Play-by-Play: Jack Nixon
Color Analyst: Cory Lucas
Live Stats: NMStateStats.com
PICK SIX
4 – In the Aggies win over LA Tech, defensive end Kale Edwards logged four total sacks to mark the most by an individual in FBS this season and also earned him CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
10 – Following a perfect performance against LA Tech, kicker Abraham Montaño now ranks 10th in the nation in field goal percentage.
24 – NM State’s Tuesday night game marks its only action in a stretch of 24 days - marking the longest stretch with just one game of any team in the country this season.
4 – With a win over LA Tech, the Aggies now need to win four of their final five games this season to earn its third-straight bowl bid - a feat that has never been accomplished by the NM State program.
1 – Tuesday’s bout in Miami will mark the Aggies’ first-ever road game against FIU.
136 – In 2023, the Aggies finished the year ranked 14th at the FBS level in rushing yards per game. This season, the Aggies offensive line room brings a combined 131 total starts to the table and will be the Aggies most experienced position group by a wide margin.
ENDING THE STREAK
In their last time out, the Aggies came away with a hard-fought 33-30 victory over LA Tech in double overtime. This put an end to a five-game losing streak which marked the longest such streak since the 2021 season. This victory also marked the Aggies’ first double overtime game since 2005.
BLOCK THAT KICK!
Arguably the play of the year for the Aggies came on the final play of regulation against LA Tech when defensive tackle Naki Fahina busted through the line to block a potential game-winning field goal from the Bulldogs. This blocked field goal marked the first time that the Aggies had blocked a field goal since Oct. 4, 2014, when they did so against Georgia Southern.
This also marks the Aggies’ second blocked kick of the season which is good for 16th-most in the nation this year.
KALE’S COMING OUT PARTY
Last Tuesday, NM State defensive end Kale Edwards logged a total of four sacks in th Aggies’ victory over LA Tech. This equals the highest total sack mark for any individual at the FBS this season - matching the efforts of Suntarine Perkins (Ole Miss), Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Virginia Tech) and Cameron Whitfield (Louisiana). Impressively, Powell-Ryland has reached this mark twice this season.
This performance from the native of Couer d’Alene, Idaho, earned him recognition from the Conference USA office as he was named the CUSA Defensive Player of the Week. This was also just two sacks shy of the single game program record set by Fredd Young when he recorded six sacks against LA Tech in 1983.
CAROUSEL OF QUARTERBACKS
This season, four different Aggie quarterbacks have now seen significant game action after Brandon Nuñez made an impact in the win over LA Tech. With Nuñez’s contributions, he joins teammates Parker Awad, Santino Marucci and Deuce Hogan to become the fourth Aggie quarterback with at least five pass attempts this season. This also makes the Aggies one of just two FBS teams with four different players that have at least five pass attempts. Interestingly enough, the Aggies’ next opponent, FIU, is the only other program in this boat.
#WEEKDAYCUSA
The Aggies’ stretch of midweek games continues this week against FIU as they travel to Miami for their final midweek game of the year.
This marks the second season in a row that sees all October league matchups played on midweek evenings after a successful launch in 2023. CUSA’s broadcast partners will share the October weeknight football games on linear television across CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
In 2024, the Aggies were a perfect 4-0 with victories over FIU, Sam Houston, UTEP and LA Tech. During this stretch of games, the Aggies outscored their opponents by an average of 13.8 points per game. In general, October has been friendly to the Aggies as they began this year with a perfect 6-0 record in October across the last two seasons.
Thus far, the Aggies are 0-1 this season and will have two more midweek opportunities this season.
THREE WEEKS, ONE GAME
This week’s game versus the Panthers will mark the Aggies only game during a stretch of 24 total days. Prior to Tuesday, NM State last took the field on Oct. 15 and following their eighth game of the year, they will not return to action until Nov. 9. This marks the longest stretch in the country with just one game.
MONEY MONTAÒO
Kicker Abraham Montaño has been one of the bright spots for the Aggies this season and following a perfect 2-for-2 performance against LA Tech, he now ranks 10th in the nation in field goal percentage - connecting on 10-of-11 tries this season. Against the Gamecocks, Montaño connected from 48 yards out at the end of the second half before splitting the uprights during the first overtime.
This season, the only miss for the Fresno State transfer came from 57 yards away on a kick into the wind that had the distance and would have tied the longest kick in program history.
FLORIDAGGIES
NM State currently has five student-athletes that hail from the state they will compete in on Tuesday as Santino Marucci (Jacksonville), Lanar Kelley, Jr. (Jacksonville), Jakobe Campbell (Zephyrhills), Ethan Singleton (Orlando) and Roscoe Burton (Miami) all call the Sunshine State home. This week, Marucci, Kelley and Singleton will make the trip to South Beach.
PJ AND TJ
While limited, this year’s passing game has gone through the duo of slot receivers, PJ Johnson III and TJ Pride. Junior PJ Johnson III now leads the Aggies in receiving yards with 215 on 12 catches this season. This includes six catches for 143 yards in the last two games.
Meanwhile, true freshman TJ Pride is one of only two other Aggie receivers to eclipse the century mark this season as he has recorded a team-high 20 catches for 213 yards and has paced the Aggies in receptions in each of the last four games.
KEEP THE FOOT ON THE PEDAL
Despite the Aggies ranking 97th in the country in scoring offense, NM State has scored first in five of its eight games this season. Unfortunately, this hasn’t translated to wins as the victory over LA Tech marked the Aggies’ first victory of the season in a game that they scored first in.
WINNING THE GROUND GAME
Head Coach Tony Sanchez preaches the importance of winning the rushing battle and last Tuesday marked just the second time this season that the Aggies have rushed for more yards than their opponent. The other time came in their first win of the season when they outrushed SEMO in the season opener.
On the contrary, the Aggies have been outgained on the ground in each of their five losses.
In fact, the last time the Aggies won a game in which they lost the rushing battle came on Oct. 29, 2022, when they defeated UMass despite the Minutemen rushing for 162 yards - 51 more than the Aggies.
SIMILAR SPOT
The Aggies carry a 2-5 record into the meeting with the Panthers. Despite recording two of the most successful seasons in program history during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, the Aggies are familiar with slow starts.
During a 2022 season which was capped off by a win in the Quick Lane bowl to finalize their record at 7-6, the Aggies entered the week seven with a 1-5 record - identical to their record through six games this season. In 2022, a 21-9 Aggie victory over New Mexico ended a streak of three consecutive losses to the Lobos and ignited a back half of the season in which the Aggies finished 6-1 to earn the program’s first bowl bid since the 2017 campaign.
One year later, the Aggies would travel to Albuquerque with a 1-2 record in hand. NM State would then improve to 2-2 with a 27-17 win at University Stadium. After dropping the following game on the road at Hawaii, the Aggies would fall to 2-3 prior to kicking things in gear to finish the regular season with a 10-3 record.
While Tony Sanchez and staff would not opt to be in a position with two wins through seven games, it is a space that the Aggies have proven they can bounce back from. In fact, in six of the Aggies’ last seven seasons that resulted in plus-.500 winning percentage, NM State held a losing record through at least five games.
Previous seven winning seasons
Year Start Finish
2023 2-3 10-5 (Isleta New Mexico Bowl)
2022 1-5 7-6 (Quick Lane Bowl)
2017 2-4 7-6 (Arizona Bowl)
2002 1-2 7-5
1999 3-4 6-5
1992 2-3 6-5
1978 2-3 6-5
TURKEY HUNTING
After earning bowl bids in both 2022 (Quick Lane Bowl) and 2023 (Isleta New Mexico Bowl), the Aggies will need to win four of its final five games to make it three straight bowl appearances for the first time in program history.
Similarly, a winning season for the Aggies would mark the first time since the 1965, 1966 and 1967 seasons that NM State would piece together back-to-back-to-back seasons with a record of above .500. In fact, the 2022 and 2023 seasons represented the first time since 1966 and 1967 that the Aggies tallied consecutive seasons with a winning record.
WHERE TO WATCH THE AGGIES
After eight of the Aggies’ 15 games were featured on national networks in 2023, including three of the final four contests, the Aggies will once again have their opportunities in the spotlight in 2024. Entering the year, NM State is slated to play six of its 12 games on a national network, including Tuesday’s game which will air on CBS Sports Network.
WHERE TO LISTEN TO THE AGGIES
Once again, all games this season will be aired live on 99.5 FM KXPZ for those in Las Cruces and the surrounding areas. Additionally, all home games will be available in Spanish on 96.7 FM La Equis. Radio broadcasts for all Aggie games will also be available to listen to nationwide via the TuneIn App. Radio play-by-play will be provided by Jack Nixon with analysis provided by former Aggie running back Cory Lucas.
This week, the Aggie radio call will also air live on Sirius XM Channel 970.
ONE FINAL RIDE
NM State broadcaster Jack Nixon returns for his 45th and final year of broadcasting Aggie athletics for the NM State radio network. A legend on the Aggie airwaves, Nixon begins the 2024 football season with 500 games under his belt in addition to over 1,400 basketball games.
For much of the season, the “Voice of the Aggies” and NM State Hall of Fame selection, Nixon will handle the radio duties alongside former Aggie Cory Lucas, who joined the broadcaster ahead of the 2017 season.
