LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State football team gets set to close out the 2018 season with a road game against Liberty in Lynchburg, Va. on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 12 p.m. MT. This is the second meeting of the year between the Aggies and Flames with the Crimson & White prevailing 49-41 at home on Oct. 6.
WHERE TO WATCH
Aggie fans who cannot make it to the game can watch the action live on ESPN3. Matt Warner is set to handle the play-by-play for the Aggies season finale with Joe Jauch serving as the analyst and Bobbie Bohlig set as the sideline reporter.
LISTEN UP!
Fans can also listen in to every Aggie game this season on the Aggie Sports Network with NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer
Jack Nixon on the call and Cory Lucas as the analyst. The broadcast can be heard on the flagship station, 99.5 FM KXPZ or with the TuneIn app.
Affiliates:
Alamagordo - 103.7 FM KNMZ
Albuquerque - 1150 AM KNMM
Carlsbad - 1240 AM KAMQ
El Paso - 1380 AM KHEY
Gallup - 1230 AM, 94.9 FM KYVA
Las Vegas - 107.1 FM KMDS
STAY CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State football team all season on Twitter by following @NMStateFootball, on Instagram by following @NMStateFB and through Facebook.com/NMSUFootball.
LOOKING AT THE FLAMES
Host Liberty enters the weekend's contest holding a 4-6 overall record this season. The Flames are currently on a three-game losing streak, having lost all of the games on the road. Liberty looks for it's first-ever victory over an FBS independent after falling in the three previous matchups this season to Army, UMass and NM State.
Liberty is 3-1 at Williams Stadium this season, meaning the Flames have guaranteed a .500 or better home record for the 13th straight season. The Flames are 60-15 at Williams Stadium since the start of the 2006 season, good for a .800 winning percentage.
Liberty currently ranks 46th in the country in total offense with 430.7 yards per game. On defense, the Flames are allowing 511.0 total offensive yards per game in 2018. The per-game average ranks the Flames 127th in the country in total defense.
New Mexico State outlasted Liberty in a Homecoming shootout on Oct. 6 this season, which featured 1,085 combined yards of offense (567 for NMSU and 518 for Liberty). The Aggies walked away with a 49-41 win in the first-ever meeting with the Flames.
IN THE NATION
Eleven games through the 2018 college football season, NM State along with a handful of Aggies are ranked in the top-25 nationally.
As a team, NM State is ranked in the top-25 in four categories…
Rank Category Value
9 Blocked Punts 2
11 Defensive Touchdowns 3
12 Blocked Kicks 3
18 Fumbles Recovered 10
Individually, the Aggies have nine players ranked in the top-25 nationally as well…
#1 Jason Huntley (RB)
Rank Category Value
1 Kickoff Return Touchdowns 2
15 All-Purpose Yds. Per Game 134.2
25 Total Touchdowns 12
#7 Javahn Fergurson (LB)
Rank Category Value
1 Tackles Per Game 13.4
17 Fumbles Recovered 2
#14 Josh Adkins (QB)
Rank Category Value
23 Completions Per Game 21.4
25 Passing Yards Per Game 250.0
#10 Izaiah Lottie (WR)
Rank Category Value
5 Punt Return Touchdowns 1
#25 Christian Gibson (RB)
Rank Category Value
5 Blocked Kicks 2
#23 Ron LaForce (DB)
Rank Category Value
5 Tackles Per Game 12.2
#41 Leon McQuaker (LB)
Rank Category Value
6 Tackles Per Game 12.1
#51 Roy Lopez (DL)
Rank Category Value
17 Fumbles Recovered 2
#28 Shane Jackson (LB)
Rank Category Value
17 Fumbles Recovered 2
LAST TIME OUT
The New Mexico State football team made a trip to Provo, Utah to take on fellow independent Brigham Young University on a cold Saturday night inside of LaVell Edwards Stadium. After the Aggies scored first, the Cougars went on to outscore the team 45-3 as the Crimson & White fell on the road, 45-10.
Both NM State (3-8) and BYU (6-5) were forced to punt on a three-and-out for their first drives of the game. Then the Aggie offense got rolling on its next possession. Following three third-down conversions,
Christian Gibson broke off a 13-yard rush into the red zone. Sitting 17 yards out,
Josh Adkins went on to find
Drew Dan who made a remarkable catch in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown to put NM State up 7-0. This scoring drive spanned 85 yards and lasted 4:27 as the Aggies got on the board.
The Cougars went on to score 38 unanswered points before the Aggies could get more points back up. On fourth down of their final third quarter series for the Aggies, a short punt ricocheted off a Cougar special team's player and NM State recovered the ball at the BYU 30. Then on 4
th & 10, the field goal unit once again took the field and this time knocked down a 33-yard attempt to put the score at 38-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
The first drive of the fourth quarter for BYU saw the opposition get back on the board. A 50-yard rush followed by a 21-yard pass set up a two-yard touchdown rush that put NM State behind 45-10 with 13:09 left in the game.
That score stood for the remainder of the contest as the Aggies fell on the road to the Cougars, 45-10, on Saturday night in Utah.
NOTABLES: LAST GAME
- Naveon Mitchell made his first appearance in the Crimson & White as a punt returner and also added his first career reception.
- Ray Buford Jr. made his first career interception with NM State with the pick in the end zone during the fourth quarter.
- Josh Adkins set a new career-high in passing attempts with 61, topping his previous high of 59 set at Texas State on 10/27/18.
- With his six receptions at BYU, O.J. Clark moved into seventh all-time in career receptions at NM State with 136.
- Trevor Brohard played in his first game at NM State and recorded his first career tackle.
