Beat writers break down New Mexico State football’s matchup vs Liberty
Nick Coppola previews Liberty football with the Lynchburg News & Advance’s Bryson Gordon ahead of NMSU’s game against the Flames on Oct. 14.
Are you ready for some Tuesday night football?
New Mexico State (3-2, 1-1 Conference USA) is traveling east to take on Liberty (2-4, 1-1) at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 14. The Aggies will search for their first road win of the season and an end to their current three-game losing streak against the Flames.
Liberty, tabbed by many as one of the favorites to win CUSA, has had an underwhelming season so far. An opening win against Maine was followed by four straight losses of 10 or more points. The Flames did put an end to their losing streak last Wednesday with a 19-8 win at UTEP, their first FBS win of the season. Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell is in his third season with the program, and is CUSA’s highest-paid coach at a nearly $6 million salary.
NM State is coming off a 37-10 win over Sam Houston on Oct. 2, marking just the seventh time it’s had a record of 3-2 or better since 1975.
Here’s everything you need to know for game day:
New Mexico State (3-2, 1-1) at Liberty (2-4, 1-1)
Location: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
Kickoff time: Oct. 14, 5 p.m.
Channel: CBS Sports Network (Commentators: Jordan Kent and Adam Breneman)
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ (Commentators: Adam Young and Cory Lucas)
Pregame reading
Things to know
- The Aggies will be without center Kai Wheeler, cornerback Dakerric Hobbs and linebacker Tyler Martinez once again. Wheeler is still in concussion protocol, while Hobbs and Martinez are nursing injuries. Cornerback Zedekiah Rodriguez-Brown and linebacker Tory Gethers will start in place of Hobbs and Martinez, respectively.
- BJ Tolo will remain the starting center in Wheeler’s place after switching from right guard against Sam Houston. Florian Staehler and Mateo Rodriguez will retain their starting spots at left guard and right guard, respectively, after Staehler made his first start of the season against the Bearkats while Rodriguez moved over from left to right guard.
- NM State will be up against one of CUSA’s best defenses so far this season, as the Flames rank second and third, respectively, among conference teams with 351 yards allowed per game and 20.7 points allowed per game.
- The Aggies are looking for their seventh midweek conference win as members of CUSA. The six midweek wins they already have rank second in the conference since CUSA began its “Weekday CUSA” scheduling.
- Most betting outlets put Liberty as a 10.5-point favorite, as of Monday afternoon.
Leave a Reply