New Mexico State has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the UTEP Miners at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Sun Bowl. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, New Mexico State didn't have too much trouble with Sam Houston at home as they won 27-13. New Mexico State's offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.
Diego Pavia continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries, while also throwing for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Trent Hudson also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, UTEP finally caught a break after four consecutive losses. They came out on top against FIU by a score of 27-14 on Wednesday.
UTEP's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kelly Akharaiyi led the charge by picking up 223 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Akharaiyi's longest reception was for an incredible 80 yards. Another player making a difference was Cade McConnell, who threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes.
UTEP's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. The heavy lifting was done by Maurice Westmoreland and Praise Amaewhule who racked up 4.5 sacks between them.
New Mexico State now has a winning record of 4-3. As for UTEP, their win on Wednesday bumped their record up to 2-5.
Not only did both teams in this Wednesday's contest win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking forward, the matchup is expected to be close, with New Mexico State going off as just a 3-point favorite. This will be their first time playing as the favorites on the road this season.
New Mexico State came up short against UTEP in their previous matchup back in September of 2022, falling 20-13. Thankfully for New Mexico State, Ronald Awatt (who rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.