New Mexico
Gameday Central: Everything to know for New Mexico State vs Florida International
New Mexico State (2-5, 1-3 Conference USA) plays its third consecutive weekday game and second weekday game of the season against Florida International (2-6, 1-3 CUSA) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Aggies are coming off their first win since their season opener and their first FBS win of 2024 against Louisiana Tech on Oct. 15, defeating the Bulldogs 33-30 in double overtime. Sophomore quarterback Parker Awad started his fourth game of the season and threw a touchdown pass, while senior quarterback Brandon Nunez scored two rushing touchdowns and replaced Awad for NM State’s final three drives in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Aggies blocked a late LA Tech field goal as time expired in regulation and junior running back Mike Washington scored a game-winning four-yard rushing touchdown after being suspended for the first quarter by NM State coach Tony Sanchez for being late to a team meeting.
Senior defensive end Kale Edwards earned four sacks against LA Tech, becoming the first NM State player to record more than 3.5 sacks in a game since Cedric Wilcots II against Idaho in 2017. He became the second Aggie to win a CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honor this season after redshirt sophomore safety Tayden Barnes for his performance.
The Panthers are on a three-game losing streak, recently falling to Sam Houston 10-7 on Oct. 22. Sophomore quarterback Keyone Jenkins was benched for junior Chaydeen Perry during the contest, but FIU coach Mike MacIntyre said Jenkins will start against the Aggies. Jenkins has thrown for 1,438 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a quarterback rating of 27.9 this season. The Panthers’ defense ranks fourth in CUSA in yards allowed per game and fifth in points allowed per game in 2024.
Nunez will start his first game of the season at quarterback.
Here’s everything you need to know for game day:
More: NM State football: Mike Washington scores game-winning touchdown after first quarter suspension
New Mexico State (2-5, 1-3) at FIU (2-6, 1-3)
Location: Pitbull Stadium, Miami, Fla.
Kickoff time: Oct. 29, 5 p.m.
Channel: CBS Sports Network (Commentators: Dave Ryan and Donte Whitner)
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ and Sirius XM 970 (Commentators: Jack Nixon and Cory Lucas)
More: Complete scoring summary of the Louisiana Tech vs New Mexico State game
Things to know
- NM State has a 2-1 record against FIU, with wins in 2004 and 2023. The Aggies defeated the Panthers 34-17 last season in Las Cruces and will play a game in Miami for the first time.
- NM State has the ninth-best red-zone offense in the FBS, having scored on 94.1% of its red-zone trips (11 touchdowns, five field goals). It’ll face an FIU red-zone defense that ranks 27th in the FBS, allowing scores on 76.5% of red-zone possessions.
- Junior running back Monte Watkins will miss a second straight game due to remaining in concussion protocol after leaving the game against Jacksonville State on Oct. 9 in an ambulance.
- Both the Aggies and Panthers rank in the bottom half of CUSA in offensive yards per game and points per game. NM State ranks seventh and ninth in those categories, respectively, while FIU rank seighth and sixth, respectively.
- The Aggies are 0-3 on the road this season, losing all three games by an average of 36.3 points.
Pregame reading
Meet NM State DE Kale Edwards: New Mexico State football’s Kale Edwards hopes 4-sack game is just the start
QB battle continues for Aggies: New Mexico State football: 3 QBs in play to start, Sanchez talks transfer portal changes
Vote for who should be NM State’s QB: The polls are open! Who should be NM State football’s starting quarterback against FIU?
Read more about NMSU’s Brandon Nunez: Who is Brandon Nunez? NM State quarterback leads Aggies to OT victory against Louisiana Tech
Meet Aggies RB Seth McGowan: ‘I’ll never waver’: Seth McGowan enjoys fresh start at NM State three years after OU exit
Meet NM State coach Tony Sanchez: The coach with a chip on his shoulder: NM State’s Tony Sanchez determined to succeed
The Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters in Albuquerque was intentionally set on fire in an act of arson and vandalized with a spray-painted phrase “ICE=KKK.”
Why It Matters
During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump promised mass deportations of undocumented and criminal migrants, a policy that has been shown to be popular among voters across the political spectrum, before and after the election.
However, the administration has faced backlash for invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, allowing the administration to deport noncitizens without the opportunity for a hearing before an immigration or federal court judge, and for revoking visas for students.
Trump empowered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct arrests in or near sensitive locations such as schools and universities to enforce these policies, such as the arrest of a graduate student from the University of Minnesota, the arrest of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, and the arrest of Palestinian activist and legal U.S. resident Mahmoud Khalil.
Republican Party of New Mexico
What To Know
Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to an alarm at the New Mexico office of the Republican Party and quickly got control of the fire, according to a post on Facebook.
The Albuquerque Fire Rescue wrote in its post that it dispatched first responders at around 5:56 a.m. local time, with a fire engine on the scene immediately and taking control of the fire within five minutes. Authorities determined the structure had suffered damage to the entryway and smoke damage throughout the building, but they found no injuries to civilians or firefighters.
“AFR Fire Investigators are currently on scene along with teams from the FBI and ATF,” the post read. “This is an active and ongoing investigation. No additional information available at this time.”
But inside the building, members of the party upon returning found that someone had vandalized a wall with spray paint, writing, “ICE=KKK.”
Republican New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela told Newsweek that the party is working “closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), local law enforcement, and federal investigators” to find who is responsible and hold them “accountable.”
What People Are Saying
Republican New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela told Newsweek in a statement on Sunday: “We are deeply relieved that no one was harmed in what could have been a tragic and deadly attack. Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated.”
“We are working closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), local law enforcement, and federal investigators. We are committed to providing every piece of evidence necessary to bring those responsible to justice and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We will not allow New Mexico’s broken criminal justice system to dilute the seriousness of this attack.”
She continued: “The Republican Party of New Mexico will not be silenced. We will emerge from this stronger, more united, and more determined to fight for the people of New Mexico and the future of our country,” she added. “Let us not forget: it was the Democrat Party that once supported the formation of the KKK, pushed Jim Crow laws, and defended slavery. Today, we see the same dangerous tendencies play out in new forms—attempts to suppress free speech, silence dissent, and use fear to control the political narrative. Our fight is not just for our party—it’s for every New Mexican who wants a safer, freer, and more accountable state. We will never back down.”
What Happens Next?
The Republican Party of New Mexico will work with AFR Fire Investigators and the ATF to determine the responsible parties.
Ishmael Kipkurui of New Mexico broke the NCAA record in the men’s 10,000m Saturday night at Sound Running’s The TEN.
The previous mark was set at the same meet last year by Northern Arizona’s Nico Young who ran 26:52.72.
Kipkurui’s New Mexico teammate Habtom Samuel also ran faster than Young’s mark, finishing second in 26.51.06.
Adrian Wildschutt was the top professional finisher, running 26:51.27 to claim third place overall. The mark was just off his personal best of 26:50.54 set at last year’s Paris Olympics.
Running the 10,000 meters on the track for the first time, Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele took fourth in 26:52.79. American Graham Blanks finished fifth in 26:57.30 in his first professional 10K.
All five athletes achieved the 2025 World Athletics entry standard of 27:00 for the event. The group of five ran as a lead pack for the bulk of the race until Blanks lost contact with one lap to go. Kipkurui, Samuel, and Wildschutt ran three-wide down the final home stretch, but Kipkurrui surged ahead with a blistering final sprint to break the tape. Kipkurui’s ran his final lap in 55.80 seconds.
“I’m so happy for winning this race today and qualifying for Tokyo,” Kipkurui said.
The Kenyan signed with New Mexico in December of last year. He finished second to Samuel in the 3,000m and 5,000m at the 2025 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships and later placed 14th and seventh in the events, respectively, at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
“It’s good to have him (Kipkurui) on the team,” Samuel said. “We work together and push each other.”
The 20-year-old freshman Kipkurui was the 2023 U20 XC World Champion, leading Kenya to a World team title by one point over Ethiopia. Later that year, he placed 10th in the 5000 meters at the World Championships in Budapest.
Tokyo Men’s 10,000 Meter Results
1. Ishmael KIPKURUI – 26:50.21
2. Habtom SAMUEL – 26:51.06
3. Adrian WILDSCHUTT – 26:51.27
4. Telahun HAILE BEKELE – 26:52.79
5. Graham BLANKS – 26:57.30
6. Gulveer SINGH – 27:00.22
7. Ahmed MUHUMED – 27:03.19
8. Casey CLINGER – 27:11.00
9. Denis KIPNGETICH – 27:20.10
10. Sean McGORTY – 27:20.19
11. Drew HUNTER – 27:24.49
12. Efrem GIDEY – 27:26.95
13. Amon KEMBOI – 27:31.41
14. Kieran TUNTIVATE – 27:36.56
15. Jonas RAESS – 27:36.96
16. Brian BARRAZA – 27:37.54
17. Valentin SOCA REYES – 27:37.65
18. Aaron BIENENFELD – 27:39.82
19. Anthony ROTICH – 27:53.64
20. Rory LEONARD – 28:09.20
21. Simon BEDARD – 28:20.99
22. Noah SCHUTTE – 28:21.12
DNF. Joey BERRIATUA – 1
DNF. Kirubel ERASSA – 1
DNF. Dillon MAGGARD – 1
DNF. Scott BEATTIE – 1
DNF. Josh THOMPSON – 1
DNS. Romain LEGENDRE – 1
DNS. Mohamed ISMAIL – 1
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Donovan Dent, who won the Mountain West Player of the Year award with New Mexico this season, is transferring to UCLA.
The 247Sports transfer portal listing confirmed the move on Saturday. He was ranked as the No. 2 player in the portal.
Dent led the Mountain West with an average of 20.4 points and added 6.4 assists. He shot 49 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range.
He announced he was entering the transfer portal after New Mexico’s 71-63 second-round loss in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament to No. 2 seed Michigan State.
It’s a homecoming for Dent, who played in high school at Centennial in Corona, about 65 miles from the UCLA campus. Coming out of high school, 247Sports ranked him as the No. 20 point guard in the nation in the 2022 class.
Dent appeared in 104 games (72 starts) over three seasons with New Mexico, scoring 1,400 total points for an average of 13.5 points per game.
–Field Level Media
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