Things haven’t gone New Mexico State’s way this season. The Aggies are 3-8 and 2-5 in Conference USA play heading into their final game against rival UTEP (2-9, 2-5 CUSA) at 2 p.m. Saturday at home.
NM State’s preseason goals were reaching the CUSA Championship again and reaching a third consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history — two things that have been unattainable for a few weeks. The Aggies have had a quarterback carousel, with four quarterbacks having thrown 10 or more passes this season, their defense ranks last in both yards allowed and points allowed per game among CUSA teams and they’ve lost five games by 20 or more points.
However, things have been positive lately after defeating Middle Tennessee 36-21 on the road last Saturday — NM State’s first road win and first double-digit win of the season. Despite the disappointment, NM State does have bright spots to be proud of. Here are five of them:
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The rushing attack
This one’s obvious. NM State has been one of the best rushing teams in CUSA this season and currently has two of the conference’s top 10 rushers this season. Junior running back Seth McGowan ranks fourth with 784 rushing yards, and fellow junior running back Mike Washington is 10th with 583 rushing yards. Washington’s seven rushing touchdowns are tied for fourth in CUSA.
The Aggies have heavily leaned on the run this season with 177 rushing yards per game. NM State has rushed for over 200 yards in a game five times this season, including a season-high 331 rushing yards against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9. McGowan and Washington both rushed for over 100 yards against the Hilltoppers that day, the first time the Aggies had two 100-yard rushers in a game since 2016.
NM State has rushed for 1,957 yards this season. McGowan has especially been impressive as he is Pro Football Focus’ third-highest graded running back in CUSA at an 81.4 grade, behind only Liberty’s Quinton Cooley and Jacksonville State’s Tre Stewart.
Martinez’s emergence
NM State has had a few returners step up into key roles this season, and one of them is Tyler Martinez.
The junior linebacker from Albuquerque has played the second-most snaps of any Aggie defender at 719. He’s split them almost equally between coverage snaps and run defense or pass rush snaps, contributing in them all with three pass breakups and a team-high 88 tackles.
Martinez is PFF’s third-highest-graded defensive starter for NM State. If he returns in 2025 for his senior season, Martinez will certainly be a player to watch.
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Yarro remains a stalwart
Only a handful of the Aggies’ contributors from last season’s 10-5 campaign stuck around for 2024. Canaan Yarro was among them.
The senior center earned a first-team All-CUSA honor last season and is in contention for another one this season. He’s allowed just one sack in 10 games played and has allowed just one quarterback hit.
Yarro has been a key player behind the Aggies’ rushing success as their highest-graded run blocker by PFF. He’s also earned the respect of his teammates by being voted a team captain and is excelling off the field with consecutive All-CUSA Academic team selections.
Montaño is money
Kicking matters, right? Senior kicker Abraham Montaño was one of many new transfers for NM State this season, arriving from Fresno State, and has contributed in a big way this season.
Montaño has made all 20 of his extra points this season and is 16-for-19 on field goals. He’s nailed five of his six field goals between 40 and 49 yards and four of his six field goals from 50 yards or more.
A highlight for him came against Florida International on Oct. 29 when he converted a 57-yard field goal. Not only was it his career-long, but it also tied a school record set by Andy Weiler in 1984.
Run of takeaways
The Aggies struggled to earn takeaways with three entering October, but their fortunes have changed.
NM State has recorded two interceptions in their last three games against WKU, Texas A&M and MTSU. Its two interceptions against the Blue Raiders each led to touchdowns, with senior safety Dylan Early returning his for six points on the game’s first drive.
The Aggies are still behind the eight ball in takeaways, with their nine being the lowest in CUSA; however, they’ve made noticeable improvements.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Five positives from NM State football’s disappointing 2024 season
