LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returns to Aggie Memorial Stadium for the first time this season on Saturday as it welcomes Mercyhurst for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Aggies will also be looking to continue their success in home openers after posting victories in each of the last two seasons. With a win on Saturday, NM State would secure its third consecutive home-opening victory for the first time since winning home openers in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
GAME TWO
Who: NM State (0-1, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Mercyhurst (0-1, 0-0 NEC - FCS)
Where: Las Cruces, N.M. – Aggie Memorial Stadium (28,853)
When: Saturday, September 5, 2026 – 7 p.m. MT
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: MJ Newsom
Analyst: Danny Knee
Sideline: Mando "Monster" Medina
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ / TuneIn App
Play-by-Play: Jeff Matthews
Color Analyst: Cory Lucas
Live Stats: NMStateSports.com/Stats
YEAR THREE FOR TONY SANCHEZ
NM State is in its third season under the leadership of Head Coach Tony Sanchez. Last year, the Aggies tallied four wins, increasing their win total by one game from the 2024 campaign. This marks Sanchez's eighth season as a head coach at the FBS level after previously spending five seasons at the helm of the UNLV program (2015-19).
In total, Sanchez holds a career record of 27-58 and a record of 7-18 as the leader of the Crimson and White.
During Sanchez's tenure, the Aggies have seen 15 individuals earn all-conference honors, including a pair of First Team All-CUSA selections in 2025.
This year, the Aggies are seeking their third appearance in a bowl game in a five-year span - a feat that has never been done at NM State.
HOME SWEET HOME
NM State begins its six-game home schedule on Saturday and will be seeking its third consecutive home-opening victory after collecting wins over SEMO (2024) and Bryant (2025) across the last two seasons. With a win Saturday, 2026 would mark the first time since 2002-04 that the Aggies have won their home opener in three straight seasons.
CUSA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Following a strong showing at Florida State in Week 0, NM State earned four Conference USA weekly honors as voted on by the media.
Quarterback Trey Hedden was named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while defensive end Gabe Peterson earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording seven tackles, a tackle for loss, a half-sack and a quarterback hurry.
Offensive lineman Ma'Kyi Lee was selected Offensive Lineman of the Week after posting the Aggies' top Pro Football Focus grade up front, including a 76.9 pass-blocking grade, and redshirt freshman Carson Su'esu'e was named Freshman of the Week following his Aggie debut in Tallahassee.
TALLYING TAKEAWAYS
After finishing 14th in the nation in turnovers forced in 2025, the Aggie defense picked up right where it left off. On Saturday, safety Nick Session intercepted a pass from Ashton Daniels to extend the Aggies' streak of games with a forced turnover to 17 games, dating back to the 2024 campaign. During this stretch, the Aggies have recorded an interception in 13 of the 17 contests.
For Session, this marked his first interception as an Aggie and the second of his collegiate career after notching one during his time at Oklahoma State in 2021.
EMPHASIS ON EXPERIENCE
With 15,176 combined snaps in FBS competition entering the year, the Aggies' roster ranked fourth among CUSA teams in career FBS snaps played, sitting only behind Liberty (21,490), Kennesaw State (17,153) and Western Kentucky (15,607).
Additionally, with 215 combined FBS starts prior to the start of the season, NM State ranked second among CUSA programs with only Liberty (279) having more combined starts.
ENHANCED GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE
NM State Athletics has unveiled a series of fan-focused enhancements at Aggie Memorial Stadium aimed at creating a more convenient, connected and engaging game day experience for the 2026 season and beyond. Fans attending the home opener on Sept. 5 will notice upgrades throughout the stadium, including digital ticketing through Blocktickets, expanded entry points, upgraded magnetometers, enhanced Wi-Fi, new end zone video boards, additional restrooms, improved signage and expanded concession options featuring new grab-and-go locations on the Aggie Bridge.
The improvements also extend beyond kickoff, with new video boards in the tailgate area, weekly "Know Before You Go" fan communications and an upgraded bar-top experience in the Athletic Director's Patio. NM State Director of Athletics Joe Fields said the enhancements reflect the department's ongoing commitment to providing an exceptional experience for Aggie Nation.
QB1
For the third consecutive season, the Aggies handed the keys to the offense over to a new quarterback. This year, transfer Trey Hedden earned the starting job after spending the previous two seasons slinging it at Furman.
With the Paladins, Hedden compiled 4,734 passing yards and 30 touchdowns through the air, including posting a program record 2,967 passing yards as a sophomore in 2025. At Furman, Hedden tallied nine games with 250-plus passing yards, including eclipsing 300 yards twice. He also threw multiple touchdowns in 11 total games.
In his first outing as an Aggie, Hedden compiled 26 completions for 272 yards and two touchdowns. His 272 yards mark the most by an Aggie quarterback in the season opener since Tyler Rogers finished with 398 yards on the road at Arizona State in 2017.
KING OF THE GRIDIRON
After recording 41 catches for 588 yards to introduce himself to Aggie fans in 2025, TK King got off to a strong start to his final collegiate season.
At Florida State, King hauled in a team-high seven catches for 78 yards and one touchdown. This gives King 382 receiving yards in his last four games with the Crimson and White, giving him an average of 95.5 receiving yards per game during this stretch.
BIG GAME FOR BRODIE
Wide receiver Brodie Malone-Bradford made his name known on Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium. The sophomore from Houston finished the night with six catches for a team-high 96 yards and one touchdown. With this performance, Malone-Bradford logged new career highs in receptions and receiving yards.
DYNAMIC DUO
Against ACC foe Florida State, the duo of Brodie Malone-Bradford and TK King combined to record 174 receiving yards. This marked the most by any receiving duo during Week 0 action. Additionally, King and Malone-Bradford were the only pair of teammates to each finish with 75 or more receiving yards during the first week of college football.
NEW FACES ON THE FIELD
On Saturday in Tallahassee, a total of 27 Aggies made their debut with the program, including nine starters as James Jones, Trey Hedden, Myles Libman, Luke Moise, Tyler Keinath, James Williams, Armond Owens, De'Marcus Peters and Kaian Roberts-Day all took the field in Crimson and White for the first time.
RETAINING THE ROSTER
For the first time since the transfer portal was introduced, the spring portal window no longer exists. For Head Coach Tony Sanchez and the Aggies, this could prove to be a difference maker.
This season, 92 of the 105 on the Aggies' roster were with the program during the spring. Last year, the Aggies lost 18 players to the transfer portal following the spring semester in 2025. This included seven starters - one of which was running back Seth McGowan who landed at Kentucky before becoming a seventh-round NFL Draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Additionally, by the end of the 2025 season, only one of the Aggies' starting offensive linemen was with the program during the spring.
BRACE FOR IMPACT
In the offseason, the Aggies added HBCU Impact Player of the Year James Jones, who made a name for himself with a breakout season at Delaware State. As a junior, Jones compiled 958 rushing yards on just 98 carries to post an average of 9.8 yards per carry and 87.1 yards per game.
Last season, Jones eclipsed 100 yards rushing six times and tallied nine rushing touchdowns. In comparison, NM State eclipsed 100 rushing yards just twice as a team in 2025.
LEADERS IN THE MIDDLE
NM State brought back two big pieces of its defense as both linebackers Sone Aupiu and Tory Gethers returned for the 2026 season.
Aupiu, who tallied a career-high 11 tackles in the Aggies' season finale last year, is in his fifth year with the program and fourth as a starter. In total, Aupiu has made 37 starts for the Aggies and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he ranked third on the team in total tackles with 68.
In the opener, Aupiu paced the Aggies in tackles with eight, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
After a breakout season in 2025, Tory Gethers is alongside Aupiu once again. Gethers serves as the Aggies' leading tackler among returners after ranking second on the team with 88 total tackles, despite only starting eight games last year.
YEAR TWO WITH YOST
While the Aggies brought in a new quarterback, NM State does enter its second season with Offensive Coordinator David Yost on the headset.
Yost boasts more than 30 years of experience, including stints in well-respected conferences such as the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Mid-American. He maintains a reputation of being one of the top quarterback developers in college football and has helped the growth of several NFL-bound passers, including Justin Herbert (Oregon), Jordan Love (Utah State), Blaine Gabbert (Missouri) and Chase Daniel (Missouri).
CLOSE CALLS
Finishing games was an emphasis for Head Coach Tony Sanchez this offseason after he saw his squad come up short in four games that came down to the wire. In 2025, the Aggies fell twice in overtime games and twice missed potential game-tying field goals in the final minute of play.
In total, the Aggies played in six one-score games, but only emerged victorious twice. This marked the most games decided by eight or fewer points in one season since 2017, when the Aggies played in seven one-score games.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES
This season, the Aggies will be near the top of the nation in movies downloaded as they are set to take on a schedule which includes trips to Tallahassee, Honolulu and Miami. According to CFBMap.com, the Aggies' schedule features the seventh most travel miles among all FBS programs. In total, the Aggies are slated to travel a total of 17,763 miles to rank behind only Hawaii, Stanford, Sacramento State, North Dakota State, Arizona State and California.
COACHING STAFF CONTINUITY
Once again, NM State enters the season with continuity on its staff as nine full-time coaches return for the 2026 season. Only Siddiq Haynes (Defensive Line) and Jamie Christian (Running Backs) enter their first season with the program.
AGGIE ADDITIONS
In the offseason, the Aggies brought in a total of 49 newcomers, including 33 transfers with 11 coming from the FBS level. Some of the notable newcomers include quarterback Trey Hedden (Furman), running backs TJ Washington Jr. (Iowa) and James Jones (Delaware State), wide receivers Myles Libman (Stanford) and Lyndon Ravare (Kennesaw State), safety Tayden Barnes (Cincinnati), cornerback De'Marcus Peters (Texas A&M-Kingsville) and defensive lineman Kaian Roberts-Day (UTSA) among others.
AGGIE THROUGH AND THROUGH
From student-athlete to head ball coach, Tony Sanchez has had crimson running through his veins since the day he transferred to NM State as a player. Now, Sanchez is one of just 15 coaches at the FBS level currently serving as the head coach at his alma mater.
Following two seasons at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., Sanchez began his Aggie playing career in 1994. During his time, Sanchez made 54 catches for 741 yards and five touchdowns to help the Aggies win seven games. His career was highlighted by a senior season in which he tallied 42 catches for 576 yards and four touchdowns.
Sanchez collected his first win as the Aggies' head coach on Aug. 31, 2024, when NM State defeated SEMO 23-16.
THE JOE FIELDS ERA
On September 29, New Mexico State University announced the hiring of Joe Fields as the institution's 24th Director of Athletics. Prior to being named the AD at NM State, Fields spent one year at Tulsa. His time in collegiate athletics also includes stops at his alma mater, Syracuse, as well as Texas A&M. Fields also competed as a student-athlete himself, playing safety at Syracuse (2004-07), where he earned All-Big East Conference honors. He also spent one year in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.
WHERE ARE THEY FROM
This year's Aggie roster is made up of 105 players from 23 states and three countries. The largest percentage of the roster hails from Texas, with 25 Aggies coming from the Lone Star State, narrowly edging out a group of 24 from California. Additionally, 13 players are from Arizona and nine are from the Aggies' home state of New Mexico.
In addition to the United States, the NM State roster also features one player each from Australia and Canada.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Ahead of the season, NM State held a team vote to select its team captains for the 2026 campaign. This year, the Aggie captains are made up of three offensive players and three defensive players.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Aggies are led by quarterback Trey Hedden, offensive lineman Tyler Keinath and wide receiver TK King. Defensively, linebacker Sone Aupiu, safety Nick Session and defensive lineman Henry Davis III will also serve as team captains.
YEAR FOUR
The Aggies are now in their fourth year as members of Conference USA. NM State made quite the splash in its debut campaign - going 7-1 in league play on its way to an appearance in the CUSA Championship Game in addition to being one of only 27 FBS programs to reach the 10-win mark in 2023.
NM State has now won 11 games across its first three seasons in the new league.
HISPANIC HEAD COACHES
The Aggies' leader, Tony Sanchez, is one of just five Hispanic head coaches at the FBS level. Sanchez, a second-generation American of Puerto Rican and English descent, is also joined in this group by Baylor's Dave Aranda, Miami's Mario Cristobal, Duke's Manny Diaz and West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez.
Additionally, Sanchez is the first NM State head coach of Hispanic descent. Sanchez leads the Aggie program, which is based in Las Cruces, a city with a Hispanic population of more than 60%.
WHERE TO WATCH THE AGGIES
After just three of the Aggies' 12 games were featured on national networks in 2025, the Aggies will find themselves in the national spotlight six times this season. This year, NM State is slated to play three games on ESPN2, two games on CBS Sports Network and one game on The CW
The Aggies' Week 1 matchup against the Lakers will stream live on ESPN+ with MJ Newsom (PxP), Danny Knee (Analyst) and Mando "Monster" Medina (Sideline) on the call.
WHERE TO LISTEN TO THE AGGIES
Once again, all games this season will air 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 with the call provided by Abel Rodriguez (play-by-play) and Eddie Rubio (analyst). Radio broadcasts for all Aggie games will also be available to listen to nationwide via the TuneIn App. Radio play-by-play for Saturday's game will be provided by Jeff Matthews, with analysis provided by Cory Lucas.
ON THIS DATE IN AGGIE HISTORY
In their history, the Aggies have played six times on September 5, most recently doing so in 2015, when they traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to battle the Gators. Saturday will mark the third time that NM State plays at Aggie Memorial Stadium on September 5th as it also did so in 2009 against Idaho and in 1992 against Weber State. In total, the Aggies hold a record of 2-4 on September 5, with wins coming over UTEP (1981) and Weber State (1992).
MORE ON THE LAKERS
Mercyhurst comes to Las Cruces with one game under their belt during the 2026 season after they opened the season on the road at Youngstown State last Thursday, falling 43-10.
The Lakers are led by first-year head coach Tom Sydeski who takes over after two years on staff as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Mercyhurst currently has an enrollment of 2,641 students and is located in Erie, Pa., which is 1,609 miles away from Las Cruces. It is a private university that was founded almost exactly 100 years ago, first opening its doors on September 20, 1926. The Lakers' first season of college football came in 1981 and this year marks their third season competing at the FCS level.
