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You could say the Wednesday, Oct. 18, NM State game against Texas-El Paso is special because it’s the 100th meeting of the longtime rivals.
You could say the game is special because it’s the teams’ first meeting since they are both members of Conference USA, and the results now have even more implications.
Or you could just say two words: Aggies, Miners.
Game time is at 7 p.m. in the Sun Bowl in El Paso. It will be broadcast on 99.5 FM with Jack Nixon on the call. And it will also be televised on ESPN2.
NM State beat Sam Houston Oct. 11 27-13 to improve to 4-3 on the season, and 2-1 in C-USA.
The Miners defeated Florida International 27-14 Oct. 11 on the road to improve their overall record to 2-5 and 1-2 in C-USA.
FIU is the only common opponent so far for NMSU and UTEP, and both teams beat the Panthers. The Aggies defeated FIU 34-17 Oct. 4.
This marks the second straight season the Aggies face the Miners in El Paso. In last year’s contest, UTEP won 20-13, giving the Miners a 59-38-2 edge in the series that began in 1914.
And while this is the first year the two teams are playing in Conference USA, they squared off as conference foes in the Border Conference from 1932-1961, when the Aggies were known as New Mexico A&M and UTEP was the Texas College of Mines.
The last time NM State defeated UTEP was 44-35 in 2019, one of only two victories the Aggies had that season.
This year’s Miners have a fairly balanced attack, with 1,092 yards gained on the ground through the first seven games, and 1,428 in the air.
The Aggies have gained 1,364 yards rushing and 1,714 passing.
After putting up 401 total yards last week, including a 22-yard touchdown run and touchdown passes of 78 and 12 yards as the Aggies defeated Sam Houston 27-13, NM State quarterback Diego Pavia was name C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.
Pavia was also named one of the Manning Award's Stars of the Week for the second time in his career. Each week, the Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, names eight quarterbacks as its "Stars of the Week." From there, college football fans are invited to vote on which of the eight performances is the best of the week.
To vote for Pavia to be named the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week, visit this link.
