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Auburn’s Game Against New Mexico Means Reunion for Defensive Lineman

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Auburn’s Game Against New Mexico Means Reunion for Defensive Lineman


The Auburn Tigers host the New Mexico Lobos this weekend for their second to last non-conference game of the regular season.

Auburn will be looking to earn another convincing win and iron some things out ahead of conference play. On the field, games like this often get overshadowed by what’s next, but for one Auburn player, it has been circled on the calendar for a while.

Philip Blidi, a veteran defensive lineman who joined the Tigers via the transfer portal this offseason, went to high school in New Mexico and has numerous connections to the Lobos football team.

“The head coach there (Bronco Mendenhall), he’s real good friends with my head coach from high school,” Blidi said. “A lot of the players there, I played against in high school too. I was one of the top players in the state so I know a lot of people from that area and I still have a lot of relationships in that area. It’s going to be really cool seeing some familiar faces.”

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New Mexico, a state with the 15th smallest population in the country, is a place that many people in the southeastern region of the country do not know much about. Blidi likes New Mexico and enjoyed his time there.

“There’s a lot of space and really friendly people,” Blidi said. “Great Mexican food, it has a lot of land, a lot of people go hunting there. It has great scenery, a lot of great mountains there. We used to go up to the mountains and spend weekends there.”

Blidi moved to Auburn along with his wife Emma and two children, Amara and Brooks. The family has settled in nicely and it did not take long for the Blidi family to feel at home on the Plains.

“They have loved it,” Blidi said. “This experience here, there is no other place like Jordan-Hare Stadium. When we got to experience Tiger Walk, it was breathtaking. They really love the gameday experience. They love the stadium and how hectic it was. That was something they really loved and they enjoyed that experience.”

Blidi and the Tigers will take on New Mexico on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT. ESPN2 will carry the broadcast.

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New Mexico

4 Investigates: NM attorney general files suit against Santa Fe Spa Center

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4 Investigates: NM attorney general files suit against Santa Fe Spa Center


The state is cracking down on a Santa Fe spa accused of scamming customers out of more than $100,000.

SANTA FE, N.M. – The state is cracking down on a Santa Fe spa accused of scamming customers out of more than $100,000. 

It’s a story 4 investigates exposed in 2023. On Thursday, New Mexico’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Santa Fe Spa Center by Voupre. They’re accused of misleading and overcharging customers.

The complaint filed Thursday alleges violations of our state’s Unfair Practices Act. It says this business not only pressured customers to buy products they didn’t want, but also charged them thousands of dollars for beauty products they didn’t agree to.

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It’s right near the center of Santa Fe’s busiest shopping stretch.

The Santa Fe Spa Center By Voupre turned Kamea promises age-defying beauty products. While the spa name continues to change, its business tactics stay the same. 

“I agreed to pay what was quoted to me, absolutely. I didn’t agree to what was charged to me,” said Jana McKinney. 

4 Investigates first told you Jana McKinney’s story in 2023. She’s a part-time Santa Fe resident who says she was pulled into the west San Francisco street shop. She first agreed to an eye cream, then several products she was told would cost her $2,800. She was actually charged $28,000.

“I could have had a tummy tuck and a face lift for $30,000,” said McKinny.

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It’s a pattern of aggressive sales tactics, along with charging customers for things they never agreed to buy.

It’s all outlined in a new civil complaint filed by New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torres.

“It was the reporting that KOB did in this respect. I know we had a few complaints, but then we got a lot more information from additional people who had been victimized by this business. That enabled us to start gathering information,” said Torrez. 

Torrez says with that information they discovered potential fraud, and credible complaints that the store misrepresented products.

Like McKinney told us, Torrez says many consumers thought they were buying one thing, only to be charged for another. 

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He believes it is a clear violation of the state’s Unfair Practices Act.

“I think a preliminary estimate of what we’re looking at is $125-150,000 in violations of the UPA and potentially fraudulent activity. We don’t know yet,” said Torrez. 

Torrez says they intend to find out. The lawsuit was filed in Santa Fe District Court Wednesday. 

The New Mexico Department of Justice encourages customers by Voupre Spa to file a complaint online, click here for help.

The state is cracking down on a Santa Fe spa accused of scamming customers out of more than $100,000.

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New Mexico

Scouting report: What to know about New Mexico ahead of matchup with Auburn

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Scouting report: What to know about New Mexico ahead of matchup with Auburn


Auburn football is looking to bounce back in Week 3 after an ugly loss to Cal in Week 2.

The Tigers will face New Mexico, and despite being a heavy favorite, will look to avoid a result similar to when they faced a different team from New Mexico in 2023.

While New Mexico is an 0-2 team from the Mountain West, that doesn’t mean it can’t cause problems. The Lobos scored 39 points in its Week 1 loss to ranked Arizona and are capable of hanging around with Power 5 opposition.

Here’s a closer look at what New Mexico brings:

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Dynamic threat Devon Dampier

Everything New Mexico does offensively starts and ends with sophomore quarterback Devon Dampier.

While that’s obviously the case for most offenses and their quarterbacks, Dampier’s versatile skillset makes him unique. A true dual threat, much of what New Mexico does offensively involves getting Dampier on the move whether it be through RPOs, bootlegs or designed quarterback runs.

Dampier was especially effective against Arizona, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another two touchdowns and 130 yards on the ground.

He’s averaging 9.1 yards per rush through two games this season and is the team’s leading rusher despite having 15 less carries than the next leading rusher.

Dampier to Wysong connection

Through two games, Dampier’s favorite target has undoubtedly been junior wide receiver Luke Wysong.

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Wysong leads the team in receptions and yards with 14 and 224, respectively. Against Arizona, he was consistently effective, catching eight passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.

He’s also the second-highest graded player on the team by Pro Football Focus (only trailing Dampier). Wysong isn’t a particularly big target at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, but still has an impressive ability to make contested catches, highlighted by a play he made in double coverage to set up New Mexico’s first touchdown against Arizona.

The defense

New Mexico’s defense is where the team fell short in its early season losses.

Through two games, the Lobos are giving up an average of 597 yards and 48 points per game. Those numbers rank New Mexico dead last in total defense and 131st out of 133 FBS teams in scoring defense.

Despite the overall poor showings, New Mexico has already scored two defensive touchdowns, both coming on fumble returns in Week 0 against Montana State.

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The downside to the Montana State performance was that the Lobos still gave up 567 total yards in the loss, with 362 yards coming on the ground.

Both Montana State and Arizona averaged just under eight yards per rush against New Mexico. With Hugh Freeze voicing his satisfaction with Auburn’s run game against Cal, that may be the place for Auburn’s offense to start against New Mexico.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com



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Buttermilk spice cake takes home ‘Best of Show’ at 2024 New Mexico State Fair

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Buttermilk spice cake takes home ‘Best of Show’ at 2024 New Mexico State Fair


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A winner has been named for the best cake made by an amateur baker in the state. The state fair cake contest judged the desserts on appearance, texture, taste, richness, and the use of fresh, quality ingredients. From devil’s food cake to a simple carrot cake, Wednesday’s contest saw all variations of […]



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