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Everything you need to know about Louisiana Tech vs. New Mexico State

Posted on by Kennedy
Everything you need to know about Louisiana Tech vs. New Mexico State

New Mexico State (1-5, 0-3 Conference USA) returns home to face Louisiana Tech (2-3, 1-1 CUSA) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. It will be the Aggies' only weekday home game this season.

The Aggies are coming off their fifth straight loss after losing heavily on the road 54-13 to Jacksonville State last Wednesday. NM State scored its first points on a field goal, but was dominated by 40 or more points the rest of the way en route to its second loss of the season. Junior quarterback Santino Marucci completed three of his 10 passes for 24 yards before exiting with a concussion, while the Aggies' defense allowed the Gamecocks 334 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

The Bulldogs won their first CUSA contest last week, defeating Middle Tennessee at home 48-21, ending their three-game losing streak. LA Tech led the Blue Raiders 20-14 after the first quarter, but outscored MTSU 28-7 by the end. Freshman quarterback Evan Bullock started his second game of the season and completed 18 of 25 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns to win CUSA Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Bulldogs are led by third-year coach Sonny Cumbie, who is 8-21 so far after going 2-3 with a Liberty Bowl victory in the 2021 season as Texas Tech's interim coach.

NM State will play its first game since firing former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tyler Wright following an investigation into more than 150 racist, sexist and homophobic posts on his X account. While the investigation was ongoing, he was suspended for the Aggies' final two games against New Mexico and JSU. The Aggies released him exactly two weeks after the Las Cruces Sun-News reported the nature of the posts on Sept. 27.

Here's everything you need to know for game day:

More: New Mexico State Football: Aggies struggle with injuries, poor defense against Jacksonville State

Louisiana Tech (2-3, 1-1) at New Mexico State (1-5, 0-3)

Location: Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, NM

Kick-off time: Oct. 15, 7 p.m

Network: ESPNU (Commentators: Mike Corey and Forrest Conoly)

Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ (Commentators: Jack Nixon and Cory Lucas)

Spanish radio: 96.7 FM La Equis (Commentators: Abel Rodriguez and Eddie Rubio)

Interesting facts

  • The Aggies will promote mental health awareness to the Bulldogs through a new partnership with Hilinski's Hope, an organization that provides mental health awareness and education for student-athletes. New Mexico State will wear green ribbons on its helmets in support of the cause.
  • Sophomore quarterback Parker Awad will start his fourth game of the season as Marucci remains in the concussion protocol. Awad completed nine of 16 passes for 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception against JSU after replacing Marucci. Junior running back Monte Watkins is also suffering from a concussion and will not play against LA Tech after suffering an injury last week against the Gamecocks.
  • Junior offensive tackle Shiyazh Pete will make his season debut after returning from an ankle injury sustained during fall camp. Pete was a first-team All-CUSA selection last season.
  • The Bulldogs' defense has allowed 306.8 yards per game this season, the fewest among CUSA teams.
  • NM State has a 5-8 all-time record against LA Tech, and last season's 27-24 win ended a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs that dates back to 2007.

More: Complete scorecard from the New Mexico State vs. Jacksonville State football game

Reading before the game

More: NM State to promote mental health awareness, Hilinski's Hope partnership vs. Louisiana Tech

More: NM State Football: Tyler Wright has been fired following an investigation into social media posts

Aggies preview LA Tech matchup: NMSU coach Tony Sanchez comments on firing Tyler Wright and starting Parker Awad at QB

Meet NM State Coach Tony Sanchez: The coach with a chip on his shoulder: NM State's Tony Sanchez is determined to succeed

Meet NM State RB Seth McGowan: 'I'll never waver': Seth McGowan is enjoying a fresh start at NM State, three years after leaving OU

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