The Liberty Flames (1-0, 0-0 CUSA) will open CUSA play this week, traveling to Las Cruces, New Mexico to take on the New Mexico State Aggies (1-0, 0-0 CUSA) on Saturday, September 7 at 10:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
This will be a rematch of the 2023 CUSA Championship game just about nine months ago. Liberty and NMSU will be meeting for the fourth time in 21 months but the first time in Las Cruces during that time.
Despite the two teams meeting so frequently, this year’s matchup will feature a much different version of the Aggies. Head coach Jerry Kill, who performed a monumental task in rebuilding NMSU, has moved on to Vanderbilt. He took with him quarterback Diego Pavia who helped the Aggies have so much success the past two seasons.
Tony Sanchez, former head coach at UNLV who was on staff at New Mexico State under Kill, takes over the reigns this season. They opened the year with a 23-16 come from behind victory over FCS Southeast Missouri, 23-16. The Aggies trailed 16-10 early in the fourth quarter before picking up a safety, a 51-yard field goal, a touchdown and two point conversion to take the lead with just under two minutes remaining.
NMSU rotated quarterbacks throughout the season opener. Parker Awad, a JUCO transfer, completed just 5 of 17 passes for 37 yards with one interception. He also rushed 7 times for 14 yards. Kentucky transfer Deuce Hogan completed 2 of 5 passes for 23 yards while rushing twice for two yards.
As noted by those numbers, the Aggies threw for just 60 yards and one interception against SEMO in the opener. New Mexico State rushed the ball 49 times for 210 yards and 2 scores, good for 4.3 yards per carry. Seth McGowan, an Oklahoma transfer, rushed 11 times for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. Buffalo transfer Mike Washington toted the rock 18 times for 50 yards. A total of 8 different players had at least one rushing attempt.
Three receivers combined for 7 receptions for 60 yards, led by PJ Johnson who had 2 catches for 35 yards.
The Aggies allowed 352 yards to SEMO, 295 through the air. They held Southeast Missouri to 57 rushing yards on 21 rush attempts.
Three Players to Watch For
RB #1 – Seth McGowan was a true freshman at Oklahoma in 2020. He rushed 58 times for 370 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Sooners while adding 13 catches for 201 yards and a score. Last year, McGowan was at Butler Community College where he rushed for 125 yards and 4 scores.
DB #3 – Tayden Barnes led the team with 9 tackles in the season opener. He also added 2 pass breakups and 1.5 tackles for loss.
LB #35 – Tyler Martinez had 8 tackles for New Mexico State in the opener.
Recent Results/Upcoming Games
Aug. 31 – W, 23-16 Southeast Missouri
Sep. 14 – NMSU @ Fresno State
Sep. 21 – NMSU @ Sam Houston
