LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After three consecutive weeks on the road, the NM State football team will return to Aggie Memorial Stadium to take on Hawai'i on Saturday, September 24. With a chance to secure the first win of the Jerry Kill era, the Aggies invite fans to participate in pre-game festivities surrounding Ag Day while also staying for a postgame fireworks show.

Game Information
NM State (0-4) vs. Hawai'i (1-3, 0-0 Mountain West)
Date: September 24, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. MT
TV: FloFootball / Bally Sports Arizona / Comcast New Mexico

• Adam Young (PxP)
• Danny Knee (Analyst)
• Andy Morgan (Sidelines)

Radio: Aggie Radio Network from LEARFIELD

• Jack Nixon (PxP)
• Cory Lucas (Analyst)

Pick Six
0 - Hawai'i is one of just three teams in FBS football without a passing touchdown to this point. The Rainbow Warriors are joined by Florida and South Florida in this exclusive club.

1 - NM State captain and cornerback Syrus Dumas picked up the first interception of the season for the Aggies against Wisconsin. The pick was Dumas' third of his career after snagging a pair of opposing passes in 2021.

3 - Through the first three official weeks of the season, NM State is the only FBS team to have played three road contests. After a week zero home game, NM State played at Minnesota, UTEP, and Wisconsin.

3 (again) - Through four games this season, Aggies defensive end Lazarus Williams has recorded 3.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 of which have been sacks. Williams recorded sacks in both the Nevada and UTEP contests with the second being a strip sack.

10 - Hawai'i and NM State have met ten times before with the Rainbow Warriors winning all ten contests. The closest matchup between the two teams came in 2011 when NM State lost by 11 points.

45 - Hawai'i enters the contest allowing 45.5 points per game - The second worst in FBS football. Only Akron has allowed more points per game thus far.

News and Notes
#ABESTRONG
We open this week's game notes on a somber note. On Saturday night, Abe Romero passed away at just 17-years old after a hard fought battle. Romero was the starting middle linebacker and team captain at Organ Mountain High School in Las Cruces. Romero collapsed during the Knights' August 26 contest before fighting for the next three weeks in the ICU.

A WINNING TRADITION
Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, Director of Athletics Mario Moccia quickly made a coaching change, hiring Jerry Kill to lead the Aggies football program. Kill enters the 2022 season as the eighth winningest active coach in FBS football.

Kill trails just Nick Saban (Alabama), Mack Brown (North Carolina), Brian Kelly (LSU), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Chris Crieghton (Eastern Michigan), and Terry Bowden (Louisiana - Monroe).

ROAD TRIPPIN'
With the return to Las Cruces, the Aggies have finally concluded a three-game road swing. With trips to Minneapolis, MN, El Paso, TX, and Madison, WI, the Aggies are the only team in FBS football with three road contests under their belt.

EL CAPITANS
Chris Ojoh, Diego Pavia, Trevor Brohard, Lazarus Williams, Canaan Yarro, and Syrus Dumas have each represented NM State at the coin toss this season.

Yarro and Dumas won the toss against Wisconsin last week, electing to defer. Dumas added his first interception of the season in the contest.

REPRESENTING A COUNTRY
With the addition of Nikhil Webb Walker, NM State now has the only player in FBS football with a hometown located in Jamaica. The linebacker recently joined the NM State roster as a walk-on.

WINNIN' WARRIORS
The Rainbow Warriors have dominated the Aggies throughout history. Hawai'i boasts a 10-0 all-time record against NM State. The closest match-up between the two programs game on October 22, 2011 in Honolulu when the Aggies fell by 11 points - 45-34. Hawai'i and NM State have met four times previously in Las Cruces.

RENEWED RIVALRY
NM State and Hawai'i renewed their rivalry in 2021 after ten years away. The Rainbow Warriors and Aggies met twice in 2021 - an oddity in college football - with Hawai'i winning both contests.

VAIPULU BROTHERHOOD
NM State freshman offensive lineman AJ Vaipulu has a unique connection to the Hawai'i football program. His brother, Solo, is a senior offensive lineman for the Rainbow Warriors, making 40 starts throughout his career. The brothers both attended Corona Centennial High School in Corona, California. In his first year of collegiate football, AJ has made two starts thus far - At center against Minnesota and at left guard against Wisconsin.

"Not a ton of people get to compete against their brother at a high level of football," said AJ. "A lot of our family is going to be at this game so it'll just add fuel to the fire."

SECOND QUARTER STRUGGLES
Through four games this season, NM State has struggled to get anything going. The Aggies are being outscored 76-2 in the second quarter thus far this season.

FOURTH QUARTER FOCUSED
While many teams preach getting stronger in the fourth quarter, Coach Kill and company are actually doing so. This season, NM State is outscoring opponents 17-16 in the final frame.

TAKEAWAY BATTLE
Syrus Dumas intercepted a Graham Mertz pass late in the first half against Wisconsin to begin a potential scoring drive. The interception was Dumas' third in an Aggie uniform as snagging two in the 2021 season.

DEJA VU
Both of NM State's games against UTEP and Wisconsin ended after exactly 3:23 of game time.

QB1/2
Throughout the early parts of the 2022 season, NM State has been platooning a pair of quarterbacks. Both Diego Pavia and Gavin Frakes have made starts and have seen action in every game for NM State.

This week, Hawai'i is in a similar situation with both Joey Yellen and Brayden Schager completing 40+ passes and throwing for 300+ yards for the Rainbow Warriors.

NOTABLES: LAST GAME (Wisconsin)
After a sixty year hiatus, the Aggies made their second trip to Madison to take on the RV/RV Badgers. The trip to America's Dairyland quickly went sour as Wisconsin trounced the Aggies 66-7.

The lone NM State score in the contest came in the fourth quarter on an Ahmonte Watkins one-yard touchdown run. Brett Money made his season debut on the point-after try, cashing in and splitting the uprights. Watkins' touchdown run was setup by an incredible catch by Jordin Parker, who was forced out at the one-yard line.

Freshman linebacker Keyshaun Elliott led all players in the game with seven tackles. The seven stops - all of which were solo - marked a new career-high for Elliott. Chris Ojoh, Sterling Webb, and Buddha Peleti each got credited with at least half of a sack in the NM State loss.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES (Hawai'i)
Much like NM State, Hawai'i has had a disappointing start to the season. After three losses to open the season, all by at least 32 points, the Rainbow Warriors got the first win of the Timmy Chang era on Saturday with a 24-14 victory over Duquesne.

Also like the Aggies, Hawai'i continues to roll out a pair of quarterbacks. Both Joey Yellen and Brayden Schager have completed at least 40 passes for over 300 yards. Neither quarterback has recorded a touchdown through the air as Hawai'i has six touchdowns - all on the ground.

The Rainbow Warriors have taken on a pair of Power Five opponents in Vanderbilt and Michigan in addition to a future Conference USA foe for the Aggies in Western Kentucky