The game will be broadcast on local radio in Las Cruces and throughout New Mexico and carried on the Internet at ESPN3.com.
The New Mexico State flagship radio station for football and men’s basketball is changing from 103.9 FM to 98.7 FM in Las Cruces. All football and men’s basketball games will be aired live and in their entirety.
This move took effect for the first home football game on Thursday, August 28 at 6 p.m. (MT).
The flagship station this year will be 98.7 FM of the NM State Sports Network, which extends across the state of New Mexico. Other stations in the network carry all football and men’s basketball games and include:
• KNMZ 107.1FM Alamogordo
• ESPN 101.7 The Team Albuquerque/Rio Rancho
• KSVP 990AM Artesia
• KAMQ 1240AM Carlsbad
Aggies on Social Media
The Aggie Athletic Department has a Twitter account at www.twitter.com/nmstateaggies where fans and media can get all their in-game scores. The Aggies also have a Facebook page where promotions and photo albums can been viewed at www.facebook.com/NMSUathletics. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at nmstateaggies for all the behind the scene info on your team.
Looking Back
The Aggies fell to 2-5 on the season after their fifth consecutive loss. NM State fell 41-24 to Troy on the road, Oct. 11.
NM State’s first score of the game came off a 53-yard run by freshman running back Larry Rose III. The run was the longest of Rose’s career. Maxwell Johnson would give the Aggies their second score of the day on a 24-yard field goal to put the Aggies within 10, at 20-10.
Wide receiver Jerrel Brown would get in on the action late in the third as sophomore quarterback Tyler Rogers connected with Brown on a 30-yard pass to keep the Aggies within 10 at 27-17 with 1:29 left in the third quarter. The Aggies’ final score of the game came with 2:14 left in the game capping off a 66-yard drive when Rogers found wide receiver Teldrick Morgan all by himself in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown reception.
NM State posted a total of 395 yards on the afternoon while giving up 571 yards to the Trojans. Freshman running back Rose looked to be back to form as he tallied a team-high 85 yards on the ground, which included a 53-yard touchdown run. The run was the longest of his career as he finished the afternoon posting 135 total yards, including 50 yards receiving.
Morgan continued his high level of play on the season, leading the Aggies with 67 receiving yards on 7 receptions and one touchdown. He also had 139 kick-off return yards to finish with 213 all-purpose yards against the Trojans. Morgan’s quarterback, Rogers, went 22-of-32 passing for 272 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions. He was sacked four times on the afternoon, which was the first time this season any sacks were given up by the Aggie offensive linemen.
The Aggies struggled to stop the run giving up 360 yards on the ground. The NM State offense also did what Head Coach Doug Martin did not want from his offense to by turning the ball over four times. Troy scored twice off of the four NM State turnovers, with the first Aggie turnover resulting in Troy ending their drive with a turnover of their own. Rogers’ interception resulted in a Troy 41-yard field goal to push their lead to 20-7. The Aggies second fumble of the day came with 10:48 remaining in the fourth quarter resulting in a four play, 26-yard touchdown drive to double the score, 34-17.
Defensively, linebackers Derek Ibekwe and Rodney Butler led the charge with 14 and 12 tackles respectively. Linebacker JB Copeland stepped up and made 10 tackles while he joined defensive lineman Drew James for a sack.
This will be the 21st meeting between NM State and the Vandals. Idaho leads the all-time series 14-6. The first meeting came on Oct. 30, 1971 in Las Cruces and Idaho won that game 19-14. The Aggies won the last meeting 24-16 in Las Cruces on Nov. 30, 2013. The first time the Aggies played in Idaho was on Oct. 9, 1976 with the Vandals winning 33-6.
• Freshman quarterback Andrew Allen rushed for 118 yards against LSU on Sept. 27. He is the last freshman to score a rushing touchdown against LSU since former Oregon running back DeAnthony Thomas did so on Sept. 3, 2011. He is also the last freshman to rush for 100 yards against LSU since former Auburn and current Louisville tailback Michael Dyer did so for Auburn on Oct. 23, 2010.
• Teldrick Morgan currently ranks No. 12 in the nation with 675 receiving yards and he is also No. 10 in the nation with 7.76 receptions per game.
• Kawe Johnson is currently tied No. 10 in the nation with three forced fumbles on the season.
• The NM State defense ranks No. 2 in the nation in passing yards allowed per game with 131.7.
• The Aggies are No. 3 in the Nation in fewest penalties per game with 3.57 and No. 1 in fewest penalty yards per game with 26.57
Aggies in the Sun Belt
After playing an independent schedule in the 2013-14 season, the Aggies are now members of the Sun Belt Conference for the 2014-15 season.
The Aggies are 1-2 in the Sun Belt, sitting near the middle of the pack at the No. 8 spot in the Sun Belt standings. The Aggies dropped from seventh to eighth after a loss to Troy Saturday, Oct. 11 in Troy, Ala.
While the Sun Belt just recently got into the full swing of the season, all of the teams in the conference have plenty of games under their belt, with Georgia Southern leading the way at 5-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. Arkansas State is tied for second place with 4-2 record overall and 2-0 record in the conference. Texas State is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play after an Oct. 11 bye week. UL Lafayette is 1-0 in conference, but 2-3 overall, while UL Monroe is tied for fifth place with South Alabama. Both UL Monroe and South Alabama have 2-1 records in the Sun Belt and are 3-3 and 3-2 overall respectively.
With Troy picking up their first win of the season with a victory over the Aggies, they moved to No. 7 in the standings at 1-1 in SBC play. Appalachian State, Georgia State and Idaho fill out the bottom of the Sun Belt standings.
Founded in 1976, the Sun Belt has adapted and evolved in its nearly 40 year existence. The Sun Belt Conference has a permanent seat on the NCAA’s 18-member Board of Directors. With the 2014-15 year marking the debut of the College Football Playoff (CFP) the Sun Belt continues to find itself among the 10 premier college football conferences and the new system is guaranteed universal access based on performance – there are no automatic qualifiers for the playoff system. Additionally, the CFP will mean that a spot among the premier bowl games of college football will be guaranteed to the highest-ranked champion from the other “Group of Five” conferences: the Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.
With the College Football Playoff included with the league’s other bowl arrangements, the Sun Belt Conference is tied to seven total bowl games. The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl, the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, the Cure Bowl (debuting in 2015) all guarantee a home for a bowl eligible Sun Belt Conference team each year. And beginning with the2016 season, the Sun Belt is also part of a rotation of conferences that will send a team to the Bahamas Bowl and the Miami Beach Bowl.
The Sun Belt’s 21 non-conference football wins in the 2013 season was a new record for the league - eclipsing the mark of 19 set the year prior. Additionally of note for the league’s non-conference win total was that the Sun Belt fared well against its peer opponents in the non-AQ BCS ranks. The Sun Belt finished a combined 8-1 against members of Conference-USA (4-1), the Mid-American Conference (3-0) and the Mountain West Conference (1-0). The Sun Belt also had the best overall non-conference win percentage when comparing the four non-AQ conferences.
Aggies Through the Air
NM State found some success in the air last season, throwing for a total 2,886 yards. The two main quarterbacks for the Aggies were Andrew McDonald and King Davis III. McDonald threw for 2,497 yards going 235-for-350. He threw 11 interceptions and 15 touchdowns on the year. Davis went 26-for-51 with one interception and two touchdowns.
The Aggies were only out thrown by 114 yards in the air, with their opponents throwing for 3000 yards on the season. The Aggies longest pass of the season was an 85-yard bomb to Austin Franklin against Rice on Oct. 19.
The Aggies averaged a 132.88-quarterback efficiency rating in 2013, with McDonald leading the way with a 134.36.
Tyler Rogers will be the starting quarterback for the Aggies in 2014, coming in as a sophomore from Arizona Western where he played one season. Rogers threw for 1,832 yards at Western, recording 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He rushed for 364 yards and a team high 10 touchdowns as well. In high school Rogers threw for almost 6,000 yards in his career, including 76 touchdowns for Liberty High School.
The success as a pass first team has carried into this season, as the Aggies have recorded 1,775 yards passing on the season thus far, compared to opponents 922711. Rogers has recorded 1,743 yards passing on 167-269` passes. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Rogers favorite target this season is standout wide receiver Teldrick Morgan, who has caught 53 passes for 60875 yards and five touchdowns.
Andrew Allen Big Play Potential
Aggie true freshman Andrew Allen has seen limited action for NM State, but in the few plays he has been involved in the young quarterback has found success in the out of the ordinary play calls.
Allen is 4-5 on the season through the air for a total of 32 yards. Where Allen has really shined has been in the rushing game, having carried the ball eight times for 124 yards and one touchdown.
Allen’s highlight play of the year came against No. 17 LSU when he took a direct snap 79 yards down the field to score the Aggies only touchdown of the game. He also went 2-2 in the air against LSU for 16 yards.
NM State boasts a talented receiving core that features five of last year’s top six receivers led by seniors Jerrel Brown and Adam Shapiro. The Aggies tend to spread the wealth amongst the receiving core, which makes any receiver capable of being a threat to make a play. Of the five receivers who return from a year ago, each of those players appeared in every game last season. Each player also managed to catch at least 20 passes and gain at least 200 receiving yards a season ago.
Although the Aggies have a lot of experience among their receivers, they still are receiving production from their younger wide-outs. Redshirt sophomore, Teldrick Morgan led the way for the Aggies in their season opener against Cal Poly on Aug. 28, where he recorded six receptions for 51 yards and caught the first touchdown of the season for the Aggies on the initial drive of the game. Redshirt freshman, Gregory Hogan served as the full-time punt returner and kick returner for the Aggies in the first game, which appears to be his role going forward.
The receiving core is continuing to play a major role in the Aggie offense, averaging 253.56-yards a game and 10.14-yards a catch. NM State has 1,775 passing yards on the season, compared to their opponents 922 yards. Morgan leads all NM State receivers with 53 catches for 675 yards and five touchdowns. Joseph Matthews is second on the team with 24 catches for 270 yards and three touchdowns.
Quick Hits
No. 18 Tyler Rogers, QB
• Rogers has thrown for 1,743 yards through six games
• Rogers has gone 167-269 in passing with 11 touchdowns
• Efficiency rating of 121.08 with a 62.1 completion percentage
• Currently averaging 249 passing yards per game
• Season-long pass completion of 57 yards on the season
No. 12 Larry Rose III, RB
• Rose leads the Aggies in attempt and rushing yards
• Single game season-high rushing yards of 149 against Cal Poly (Aug. 28)
• Rose is tied for third on the team in rushing touchdowns scored with one on the season
• Rose has 375 rushing yards and three rushing touchdown with 85 attempts
• Rose did not play in the loss against New Mexico (Sept. 20) LSU (Sept. 27)
• Season-long rush of 53 yards came against Troy (Oct. 11)
No. 21 Brandon Betancourt, RB
• Finished second on the team last year with 415 rushing yards
• He scored his first touchdowns of the season against Georgia Southern (Oct. 4)
• Has recorded 290 yards on the season and two touchdowns (both against Georgia Southern, Oct. 4)
• Has a season long rush of 32 yards on the season and a career long rush of 36 yards
No. 22 Xavier Hall, RB
• Leads the team with four rushing touchdowns
• Has six rushing touchdowns for his career
• Season-long rush of 17 yards and career long rush of 24 yards
• Led the team a year ago with 5.1 yards per carry among players with 20 or more attempts
• Recorded 257 yards on 70 carries
No. 17 Jerrel Brown, WR
• Leading returning receiver from last year with 935 career receiving yards
• Was second on the team last year with 484 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns
• Currently has four receiving touchdowns for his career
• Has appeared in every game this season
• Brown has recorded 22 receptions for 256 yards with 11.6average yards per catch
No. 6 Joshua Bowen, WR
• Bowen has appeared in five games this year for the Aggies
• His first touchdown of this season came against New Mexico (Sept. 20)
• Last year Bowen finished second on the team with 39 receptions
• He also caught two touchdowns last year
• He has recorded 216 yards on 21 catches
No. 5 Joseph Matthews, WR
• Second on the team in receptions (24), receiving yards (24670) and receiving touchdowns (3) this season
• Has played in all six games this season
• Recorded his first touchdown reception against Georgia State (Sept. 6)
• Currently averaging 11.2 yards per catch this season
No. 19 Teldrick Morgan, WR
• Morgan has 53 catches for 675 yards and five touchdowns, with a long catch of 57 yards
• He is the leading receiver for the Aggies in every receiving category
• Morgan is averaging 96.4 receiving yards per game this season
• Season-high of 202 yards on eight receptions against UTEP (Sept. 13)
• Redshirted last year, this is Morgan’s first year on the field for the Aggies
• Ranks No. 1 in the SBC in All purpose yards with 150.6 a game.
No. 7 Adam Shapiro, WR
• Has recorded 16 receptions for 135 yards, with a long of 23 yards.
• Played in all 12 games in 2013, averaging 12.3 yards a catch.
• He recorded 35 receptions for 331 yards and two touchdowns in 2013, ranking second on the team.
• Lead the team in all-purpose yards as the Aggies No. 1 kick returner, with 975 all-purpose yards.
No. 89 Andrew Dean, TE
• Dean had 11 receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown during the 2013 season.
• Played in all 12 games last season and has started at tight end every game this season.
• Career-high receptions against No. 15 Texas (Aug. 31) and 33 receiving yards against Louisiana (Nov. 2) in 2013.
• Has 2 receptions on the season.
No. 52 Jay Eakins, DE
• 37 total tackles on the year, 14 solo and 23 assisted.
• Has recorded 3.5 tackles for a loss of 16 yards.
• Recorded 29 tackles and one sack last year
• Has recorded one sack on the season
No. 48 Kalei Auelau, DT
• Has recorded 31 tackles on the year, five solo and 26 assisted
• Has recorded 1.5 tackles for a loss of four yards.
• 0.5 sacks for a loss of three yards.
No. 95 Stody Bradley, DT
• Has recorded 10 tackles on the season, one unassisted and nine assisted.
• Has appeared in all six games this season
No. 13 Clint Barnard, DE
• Currently has a total of 12 tackles on the year
• Leading returning tackler from a season ago
• Was fourth on the team with 67 tackles as a Junior
No. 53 Rodney Butler, LB
• Currently ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference with 80 tackles so far this season
• Has an average of 11.4 tackles per game
• Recorded one interception and returned it for a 40-yard touchdown against Georgia State (Sept.6)
No. 3 Derek Ibekwe, LB
• 74 tackles on the season
• Has 3.5 tackles for a loss of six yards
• Has recorded 34 unassisted tackles and 42 assisted tackles
• Season-high 14 tackles against Cal Poly (Aug. 28)
• Leads the team in solo tackles and is No. 4 in SBC with 10.4 tackles a game
No. 31 Dalton Herrington, LB
• Has a total of 49 tackles on the season
• Season high of 14 tackles against Georgia Southern (Oct. 4)
• Has one forced fumble on the season
• Recorded one interception this season and one broken up pass
No. 29 Lewis Hill, DB
• Hill has played a total of 18 games with the Aggies on defense
• Hill recorded his first interception of the year against UTEP (Sept.13)
• Hill has a total of 21 unassisted and six assisted tackles
• Leads the team in pass break ups with three
No. 16 Kawe Johnson, DB
• With seven games played in the season, Johnson has a total of 66 tackles
• Johnson has two tackles for loss, totaling four yards
• Career-high of 17 tackles against UTEP (Sept. 13)
• Currently tied No. 10 in the nation with three forced fumbles, highlighted by a career-high two forced fumbles against LSU (Sept. 27)
• Averaging 9.4 tackles per game this season, No. 5 in SBC
No. 4 Winston Rose, DB
• One of the five Aggies with an interception of the year
• Leads the team with three interceptions
• Has recorded 13 tackles so far this season
• Only played in two games last year as an Aggie
• Tied No. 36 in nation with three interceptions
No. 14 Jaden Wright, DB
• Recorded a career high five tackles against Cal Poly (Aug. 28)
• Total of 14 tackles so far in his freshman year as an Aggie
No. 7 King Davis III, DB
• Has recorded a total of 21 tackles on the year
• Davis passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns as a quarterback last year for the Aggies before making the move to defensive back