The New Mexico State Aggies started the 2023 campaign in a head-scratching fashion. They dropped their Week 0 home opener to UMass, who now sits at 3-7. The Aggies next lost games to Liberty and Hawaii and sat at 2-3 overall. It was all a bit surprising for a team that had went 7-6 the year prior and returned starting QB Diego Pavia. However, it would all change after that as the Aggies have now won six straight games and clinched a spot in the CUSA championship game.

How They Got Here

As mentioned previously, it was not the start head coach Jerry Kill and the Aggies were looking for. The biggest turning point seemed to be the defense stepping it up. Since losing 33-17 to Liberty on September 9th, the defense has not allowed another team to score 30 points on them. Western Kentucky came close last week with 29, but that is a good Hilltoppers offense. Additionally, the Aggies picked off Austin Reed and took it to the house to ice the game late. The other part of the Aggies game that has improved drastically is their ability to run the football. Their 204.3 yards per game on the ground ranks 11th in the country. The three-headed attack of Pavia (703 yards rushing), RB Monte Watkins (531 yards rushing), and Star Thomas (515 yards rushing) have lead the way.

What’s Next?

On Saturday, New Mexico State took down Western Kentucky 38-29 to clinch a spot in the new-look CUSA championship game. There they will meet the currently undefeated Liberty Flames, a team that beat them by 16 earlier in the year. However, before that is a very intriguing challenge. The Aggies will travel to Alabama to face Auburn. The Tigers sit at 6-4 and will certainly be looking ahead to their biggest game of the season next week against Alabama. Auburn is 23.5 point favorites and I honestly may sprinkle some money on New Mexico State to cover. If they can run the ball well and chew some clock, I have a feeling Auburn won’t be keeping the foot on their throats too hard. Auburn ranks 71st in the country against the run, so I’d imagine some holes will be open. This Aggies program was an embarrassment for years, but Jerry Kill has taken them to two bowl games to begin his tenure. New Mexico State truly earned this week’s G5 Five shoutout of the week.