LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Aggies and Bulldogs will once again take the field as conference opponents when the two sides meet on Tuesday night. As winners of its last three games, NM State will look to extend that streak four while also looking to pick up their first win as a program in Ruston, La.

Game Information
NM State (5-3, 3-1 CUSA) at LA Tech (3-5, 2-2 CUSA)
Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Time: 5:00 p.m. MT
TV: CBS Sports Network

• Carter Blackburn (Play-by-Play)
• Robert Turbin (Color Analyst)

Radio: The Aggie Radio Network, Powered by LEARFIELD

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

PICK SIX
3 - Now fellow members of CUSA, this is the third conference that NM State and LA Tech have been apart of together (WAC, Big West)
15.7 - At 15.7 yards per completion, the Aggies currently rank third in the nation in this category. Aggie receiver also ranks 11th in the nation in yards per reception at 20.69.
2 - Diego Pavia became the second Aggie quarterback in program history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards during their time as an Aggie.
5 - The Aggie defense is one of just six units in the country to have held its previous five opponents to 20 or fewer points.
2002 - The Aggies' last 5-3 start came in 2002. Additionally, this is just the second time in the last 30 seasons that NM State has had a 5-3 start or better.
2 - With five games remaining on the schedule, the Aggies are in need of two wins to earn a bowl bid for the second straight season.

SPOOKY SEASON
Since Jerry Kill took over the Aggies, the month of October has been friendly to the men in crimson and white and that trend has only continued this season.
 
With Wednesday's result, the Aggies are now 3-0 this October and now move to 5-1 in the 10th month of the year across the last two seasons. With the win over UTEP, the Aggies have already equaled their number of October wins during the previous regime which spanned nine seasons
 
This season specifically, the Aggies have outscored their opponents 89-37 while averaging 445.3 yards of offense and holding opposing offenses to just 356.0 yards per game to rank first among CUSA teams in October. Additionally, teams have scored only 12.33 points per game against the Aggies during their three October games.
 
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
With the Aggies' win over Sam Houston last Wednesday, NM State has now rattled off three consecutive home wins, a feat that has been accomplished only four times in the last 20 NM State seasons.
 
During the win streak, the Aggies have outscored opponents 119-51. NM State's offense has averaged 515.7 yards of offense per game while holding opposing teams to just 337.0 yards per game. On the ground, the Aggies have limited opponents to just 67.0 rushing yards per game.
 
WHAT CAN CRIMSON DO FOR YOU?
Despite leaning on the passing attack in the last two outings, this year's Aggie squad has also been dominant in the trenches as they have out-gained their opponents in rushing yards in all but one game this season.
 
Thus far, the Aggies are one of only three CUSA teams to average more than 200 rushing yards per game this season. Just last week, the Aggies posted their highest rushing total since posting 270 yards against Western Illinois in the second game of the season.
 
"IT'S A SIMPLE GAME"
As Jerry Kill would say, "It's a simple game, we just like to make it hard sometimes." A primary focus for all offenses including the Aggie offense is to protect the ball. When that happens and the Aggies commit zero turnovers, NM State is a perfect 4-0 this season. On the contrary, the Aggies have won just one game this season when the opposing defense comes up with at least one turnover.
 
MVPAVIA
Diego Pavia has been one of the most electric players in all of college football this season - passing for 1,801 yards and rushing for a team-high 527 yards.
 
As of Sunday, there are only two other college quarterbacks who have eclipsed 1,800 yards through the air and 500 yards with their legs - South Florida's Byrum Brown (1,865 passing, 567 rushing) and current Heisman favorite Jayden Daniels (2,573 passing, 521 rushing).
 
100 YEARS
Wednesday's win over UTEP in El Paso coupled with the win over New Mexico in Albuquerque earlier in the season helped NM State accomplish something it hadn't done since 1923.
The pair of victories marked the first time that the Aggies knocked off both of their rivals on the road in the same season in 100 years. However, the 2023 season is just the first time since 1999 that the two tilts came on the road as most years the Aggies host either the Lobos or the Miners.
 
WINNING WAYS
With a win on Tuesday, NM State can extend its win streak to four games to match its longest stretch without a loss since the 2002 season. In fact, the 2002 streak of four consecutive wins is the program's only four game win streak since 1975.
 
KINGS OF NEW MEXICO
For the first time since 2017, NM State tallied a win in Albuquerque as they defeated the Lobos 27-17 on Sept. 16. This also marked the second consecutive win over the Lobos and makes Jerry Kill the first Aggie coach since Dewayne Walker to begin his career with a perfect 2-0 record against the Aggies' in-state rival.
 
In the win, the Aggies were led offensively by Albuquerque native Diego Pavia who finished the night with 203 passing yards, two throwing touchdowns and 99 rushing yards. The 99-yard rushing total marked the most by any Aggie at that point in the season.
 
SPECIAL TALENT
Since his arrival in 2019, Ethan Albertson has established himself among the top kickers in the country. Two weeks ago, Albertson received recognition for his performance against New Mexico as he was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
The award came on the heels of a Saturday performance in which he made a pair of field goals and went a perfect 3-for-3 on PAT attempts.
 
Amid his senior season, the San Diego native ranks inside the top ten in NM State history for field goals made (4th, 38), field goals attempted (6th, 52), field goal percentage (1st, 73.1%), extra points made (5th, 92), extra points attempted (5th, 96) and extra point percentage (2nd, 95.8%).
 
DUAL THREAT
After an impressive first season in the Crimson and White, quarterback Diego Pavia already finds himself among the Aggie greats. He currently ranks 17th all-time in program history in career passing yards (3,251) and third in career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,033). On Wednesday, Pavia also became just the second quarterback in program history to surpass 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in an Aggie uniform.
 
The Albuquerque, N.M., native is averaging 225.1 passing yards per game to lead the team. Additionally, the quarterback has also been the Aggies' most effective rusher as he is averaging 65.9 yards on the ground per game.
 
THESE ARE NOT THE POINTS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
By holding UTEP to just seven points on Wednesday, NM State has now held each of its previous five opponents to 20 or fewer points. There are only five other programs in the nation that can also make this claim as NM State joins Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio in this elite category.
 
AIR IT OUT
Between Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck and Wide Receivers Coach Tony Sanchez, the Aggies have formed an offensive attack that produces big play after big play in the passing game. Currently, the Aggies rank third in the nation in passing yards per completion - averaging over 15 yards per reception (15.7).
 
Thus far, the Aggies have compiled 20 passing plays of 25 yards or more in just seven games. This also includes 11 passing plays of 40 yards or longer (40, 40, 42, 42, 49, 52, 63, 75, 75, 78, 80). This all begins in the backfield with Diego Pavia who now ranks eighth among FBS quarterbacks in yards per pass attempt at 9.53.
 
BLOCK THAT KICK!
On Sept. 9, the hand of Gabe Peterson helped NM State's special teams unit came up with a blocked point after attempt for the first time since since Dion Henrique did so at Florida on Sept. 5, 2015.
 
BIG PLAYS ONLY
Jordin Parker has put together one of the most unique seasons in all of college football as he has now caught three touchdown passes on just four receptions on the season.
 
His stat line gets even stranger when you look at his total receiving yards this year. Following yet another big catch against FIU, Parker ranks third on the team in receiving yards with 194. That is good for an astonishing 48.5 yards per reception.
 
Parker's running mate Trent Hudson also has a thing for the big play as he averages 20.7 yards per catch to rank 11th in yards per reception among FBS players with at least two catches per game.
 
SATURDAYS ARE FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL... Just not in Las Cruces
NM State is in the midst of a stretch of 63 days in which it will not play a home game on a Saturday. For seven consecutive weeks, the Aggies will either be on the road or hosting a midweek contest.
 
During this period, the Aggies welcomed FIU on Wednesday, Oct. 4, and hosted Sam Houston on Wednesday, Oct. 11. They also traveled to El Paso on Wednesday, Oct. 18, and will now visit LA Tech on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
 
NO LIMITS ON THE AGGIES
As the Aggies enter the heart of their conference schedule, some of NM State's numbers stack up against the best of the best in the new league.
 
Currently, the Aggies have five individuals who rank inside the top five in the conference in a total of 19 statistical categories.
 
Diego Pavia
Pass Efficiency (2nd, 164.6)
Passing TDs (1st, 16)
Passing Yards (3rd, 1,801)
Passing Yards per Game (4th, 225.1)
Passing Yards per Completion (2nd, 15.39)
Total Offense per Game (1st, 290.8)
Yards per Pass Attempt (2nd, 9.53)
Rushing Yards (3rd, 525)
Rushing Yards Per Game (4th, 65.6)
Rush Yards per Carry (2nd, 5.90)
Completion Pct. (2nd, 61.9%)
Completions Per Game (4th, 14.62)
 
Jonathan Brady
Combined kick return yards (4th, 173)
 
Star Thomas
Total TDs (t-3rd, 5)
 
Ethan Albertson
Field Goal Pct. (3rd, 71.4%)
Field Goals Per Game (1st, 1.25)
Scoring (1st, 58 pts)
 
Trent Hudson
Receiving TDs (t-1st, 5)
Total TDs (t-3rd, 5)
 
BEEFING WITH THE BULLDOGS (AGAIN)
After 11 years apart, the Aggies and Bulldogs are once again conference rivals with NM State's recent move to Conference USA. NM State most recently resided in a conference with LA Tech from 2005-12 when the two sides competed in the Western Athletic Conference. Prior to this stint, the two programs were briefly in the same league when LA Tech found a place in the Big West from 1993-95.
 
In total, nine of the 12 meetings between the Aggies and Bulldogs have come while the two schools were members of the same conference. Unfortunately for the Aggies, LA Tech was dominant during its time in the WAC - going 7-1 against NM State. However, the Aggies did get the best of the Bulldogs in their lone meeting as members of the Big West - winning 48-13 in 1995.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
In college football, coaches on opposite sidelines often have relationships from previous roles and Tuesday will be no different as both NM State Head Coach Jerry Kill and LA Tech Head Coach Sonny Cumbie recently spent time on Gary Patterson's staff at TCU. Cumbie was in Fort Worth for six seasons and ended his tenure with the Horned Frogs as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
 
While Kill's and Cumbie's TCU careers did not overlap, Kill did coach alongside LA Tech Assistant Head Coach Dan Sharp when both Kill and Sharp were at TCU. However, several current Aggie staff members did coach alongside Cumbie with the Horned Frogs. Both NM State Offensive Consultant Garrett Altman and Tight Ends Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Tyler Wright served on staff with Cumbie at TCU. Cumbie also worked daily with NM State Director of Football Operations Rachel Phillips who was TCU's Director of Recruiting Operations in Cumbie's final season at TCU.

A WINNING TRADITION
With 12 wins under his belt at NM State, Jerry Kill is the tenth winningest active coach in FBS football.
 
Of note, three of the top 10 coaches on the active wins list lead CUSA programs as K.C. Keeler (ranked 4th) and Rich Rodriguez (ranked 9th) lead Sam Houston and Jacksonville State, respectively.
 
Aside from Keeler and Rodriguez, Kill trails just Nick Saban (Alabama), Mack Brown (North Carolina), Brian Kelly (LSU), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Chris Crieghton (Eastern Michigan), and Terry Bowden (Louisiana - Monroe).
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES (LA TECH)
Although NM State was technically on the road last week, the trip to El Paso spanned only 40 miles and allowed the Aggies to stay in Las Cruces the night before the rivalry bout. This week, NM State's travel will not be so friendly as they venture to Ruston, La., where they will face off with LA Tech on just five days rest. Meanwhile, the home game will be the Bulldogs first game since Oct. 10.
 
LA Tech Head Coach Sonny Cumbie will lead the sideline opposite the Aggies on Tuesday night. Cumbie enters Tuesday's game with a 8-17 overall record as a head coach, including going 6-14 in a season and a half with the Bulldogs.
 
For the second straight week, the Aggie defense will be preparing for two quarterbacks as both Jack Turner and Boise State transfer Hank Bachmeier have recently take snaps for the Bulldogs. Bachmeier, the Bulldogs starter in their season opener, suffered an injury against North Texas that sidelined him for three weeks before returning in the Bulldogs' last outing against Middle Tennessee. This opened the door for Jack Turner who has thrown for a touchdown in each of the Bulldogs' last five games. Whether it is Bachmeier or Turner leading the charge, LA Tech will rely heavily on its passing attack as 63% of its offense comes from the passing game.
 
In the receiving game, Smoke Harris and Cyrus Allen will serve as the Bulldogs' go-to receivers. Harris, the Bulldogs' leading receiver will remind Aggie fans of Monte Watkins as LA Tech's offensive approach will involve getting Harris the ball anyway that it can. On the season, Harris has hauled in 59 passes for 614 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Allen will pose as the Bulldogs' deep threat as he is currently averaging 17.38 yards per catch.
 
In the backfield, LA Tech will lean on senior Tyre Shelton who paces the Bulldogs in rushing yards with 488 while also leading the team in rushing touchdowns with five.
 
Defensively, the Bulldogs will be led by safety Myles Heard who ranks first on LA Tech's unit in tackles with 61 on the season, including 30 solo tackles. Meanwhile, linebacker Jeslord Boateng will attempt to handle the Aggies' on the first and second levels as he ranks second on the Bulldogs in both total tackles (54.0) and tackles for loss (7.5) this season.
 
LAST TIME VS. LA TECH
The last time the Aggies and Bulldogs met was in 2012 when No. 24 LA Tech traveled to Las Cruces, N.M., to face off with a 1-6 Aggie squad.
 
While the Aggies dropped the bout 28-14, NM State put up much more of a fight than most would have anticipated as Andrew Manley threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, inlcuding one to Austin Franklin.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were led by quarterback Colby Cameron who threw for 292 yards and one touchdown and future NFL running back Kenneth Dixon who the Aggies held to just 69 yards on 20 carries. However, Dixon did find the end zone once.
 
LOCAL TIES
The Aggies' current roster features six student-athletes from the state of Louisiana as PJ Johnson III (Lake Charles), Star Thomas (Homer) Monte Watkins (Laplace), Jaylen Watkins (Laplace), Jordan Smith (Slidell) and Jeremiah Vessel (Baton Rouge) all hail from The Pelican State.
 
In fact, PJ Johnson III and LA Tech wide receiver Solo Lewis suited up alongside each other in high school at Lake Charles College Prep. The two formed a dynamic duo for the Blazers in 2021 as Lewis ranked first in receiving yards per game (74.4) and receiving touchdowns while Johnson III ranked second in both categories - averaging 66.1 receiving yards per game and catching eight touchdowns. The pair combined to help the Blazers finish the season with a 10-1 overall record.