New Mexico State
New Mexico State is 3-6 and No. 121 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 13.8 points below an average FBS team. Last game: lost 30-14 vs Liberty in Week 10.
Week 11: at Missouri State, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why New Mexico State is No. 121
- New Mexico State's rating is −13.8: the machine's estimate that New Mexico State is 13.8 points worse than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 121 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −15.7, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 1.9.
- The biggest weekly moves: +3.6 after Week 5 (W 34-13 vs Western Kentucky) and −3.2 after Week 9 (L 0-24 vs Jacksonville State).
- Its record is 3-6. The 6 losses were to No. 32 Florida State, No. 48 New Mexico, No. 52 Liberty, No. 84 Jacksonville State, No. 104 Hawai'i, No. 108 Florida International, by 18.3 points on average. The 3 wins came by 21.3 points on average; the best was over No. 124 Western Kentucky. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 86 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 120 Rice (−13.6); just below is No. 122 Southern Miss (−14.4).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Tony Sanchez is in his 3rd season at New Mexico State (since 2024). This season: 3-6. At New Mexico State overall: 10-23, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 152-272 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1800 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 11-12 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.6No. 109 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 10.2%No. 74 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 3.9%No. 34 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 287-1295 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.5No. 58 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 13.1%No. 83 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 13.4%No. 14 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 20.7No. 117 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.60No. 94 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 40.9%No. 59 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 54.5%No. 103 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 17No. 133 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 25.8No. 77 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.38No. 51 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.3No. 82 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.8No. 50 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 6.7%No. 43 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 10No. 85 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 41.1%No. 100 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Trey Hedden84-153, 1162 yds, 7 TD, 8 INT
- Adam Damante68-118, 638 yds, 4 TD, 4 INT
Rushing
- James Jones154 carries, 940 yds, 4 TD
- Terrell Washington Jr.64 carries, 280 yds, 3 TD
- Dijon Stanley16 carries, 69 yds, 0 TD
Receiving
- AJ Williams III22 catches, 357 yds, 4 TD
- Tyler King23 catches, 307 yds, 3 TD
- Josiah Thomas17 catches, 214 yds, 0 TD
Tackles
- Nicolas Sessions68
- Tory Gethers65
- Sone Aupiu42
Sacks
- Gabe Peterson5.5
- Sone Aupiu4
- Bradley Vislisel3
Interceptions
- Josiah Charles2
- De'Marcus Peters1
- Javon Gillespie1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Trey HeddenMost passes in the last game6 games153 attempts56%
- Adam Damante6 games118 attempts43%
Carrying
- James Jones9 games154 carries62%
- Terrell Washington Jr.9 games64 carries26%
- Dijon Stanley6 games16 carries6%
- Jalen Brown4 games5 carries2%
Catching
- Tyler King6 games23 catches15%
- AJ Williams III7 games22 catches15%
- Brodrick Malone7 games17 catches11%
- Josiah Thomas7 games17 catches11%
Tackling
- Nicolas Sessions9 games68 tackles12%
- Tory Gethers9 games65 tackles11%
- Sone Aupiu9 games42 tackles7%
- Gabe Peterson9 games33 tackles6%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 L 17–34 at Florida State. The run game struggled: 2.0 yards a carry, 3.2 less than Florida State usually allows.
- Week 1 W 51–14 vs Mercyhurst. Mercyhurst is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 2 L 19–29 at Hawai'i. The run game struggled: 4.0 yards a carry, 1.0 less than Hawai'i usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 4 L 18–42 vs New Mexico. The pass defense gave ground: New Mexico got 10.4 yards an attempt, 2.7 over what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 5 W 34–13 vs Western Kentucky. The run defense was the strength: Western Kentucky got 1.4 yards a carry, 3.2 under what it usually gains. The defense had 6 sacks.
- Week 6 L 3–22 at Florida International. The passing game struggled: 4.1 yards an attempt, 2.9 less than Florida International usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 8 W 30–24 at Sam Houston. The run defense was the strength: Sam Houston got 0.6 yards a carry, 1.7 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 9 L 0–24 vs Jacksonville State. The passing game struggled: 1.5 yards an attempt, 5.3 less than Jacksonville State usually allows. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 10 L 14–30 vs Liberty. The passing game was the strength: 8.8 yards an attempt, 3.0 more than Liberty usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 3.