New Mexico
Key Takeaways From Arizona’s Dominant Week 1 Victory Against New Mexico
Starting off the year with a win is the goal of every program around the country, but it especially feels good for Arizona after they joined a new conference in the offseason and are led by a new coaching staff.
Because the expectations are so high surrounding this team since many of their star players returned instead of transferring, leaving Week 1 with a comfortable win is a great way to get this campaign underway.
But, even amid all the excitement that came from their offense putting up 61 points that was powered by their star quarterback Noah Fifita and the record-breakout output by Tetairoa McMillan, there are still plenty of things that need to be cleaned up before they face some of the best opponents on their schedule in the next few weeks.
So, here are the key takeaways after the Wildcats opened up their season with a dominant victory.
Superstar Duo Isn’t Slowing Down
While New Mexico isn’t exactly the best team to gauge the results of anything offensively, it’s clear the chemistry between Fifita and McMillan continues to drive this unit, and could take them to their first ever College Football Playoff.
One could only wonder what numbers these two would have put up last year if Fifita had been the starter from the beginning, but after a historic 300-plus yard receiving performance by McMillan in Week 1, there’s a chance the superstar wide receiver puts up the most prolific single-season numbers in program history.
Defense Has Issues
Coming into the year, there were some question marks about how the Wildcats might look on defense with a new coordinator in charge. Despite some high-end talent back in the mix, the pass rushing threat was viewed as the weakest link on this team.
Well, the entire defense has some improvements to make after they gave up 39 points and 471 total yards of offense that included 211 on the ground.
They struggled at the point of attack, getting gashed for 5.6 yards per carry as the Lobos quarterback ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Arizona has to come up with answers or else they are going to have a hard time contending in the Big 12, let alone for a College Football Playoff spot.
Running Game is Loaded
Much of the attention surrounding Arizona’s offensive attack was centered around what Fifita and McMillan were going to do this season. While they certainly turned heads with their performance on Saturday, another area of the offense flew under the radar.
The Wildcats rushed for 205 yards on 26 carries with four touchdowns, averaging 7.9 yards per carry as their top two running backs of Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Quali Conley were gashing New Mexico’s defense for almost a first down every attempt.
There was some thought throughout camp this could be a major strength of the team, providing them with a balance between their potent passing attack and effective running.
Even though this output came against an inferior opponent, seeing how well this running game looked in live action was huge for this team going forward.
Leapfrog released its 2026 spring hospital safety grades.
Grades are assigned based on overall performance, including patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group’s goal is to publicly report patient safety and quality information for the benefit of consumers, purchasers, and referring physicians as they make decisions about where to seek care and where to direct patients,” the company stated on its website.
Here’s how your local hospitals performed.
MountainView Regional Medical Center – A
Leapfrog gave MountainView an “A.”
“Being the only hospital in Doña Ana County to earn an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group speaks to the high standards our team sets – and meets – every day,” said MountainView CEO Patrick Shannon. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and employees to deliver the safest care possible for our community.”
“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that MountainView is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction.”
The hospital performed better than average in several areas including low infection rates, addressing safety problems, and ICU care. The hospital received below average performances ratings in surgical site infections post colon surgery, communication about medicine and discharge, communication with doctors and nurses and nursing and bedside care for patients.
Memorial Medical Center – B
Memorial Medical Center received a “B” grade from Leapfrog.
The hospital performed well in effective leadership, reduction and prevention of infections and addressing safety problems.
The hospital received below average ratings for kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problems, harmful events, communication about medicine and discharge, and communication with doctors and nurses.
Not rated by Leapfrog were Three Crosses Regional Hospital.
Nearby top rated hospitals
Leapfrog gave an A to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso received a B.
How did other New Mexico hospitals perform?
A recipients were:
- CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo
B recipients were:
- Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque
C recipients were:
- Carlsbad Medical Center in Carlsbad
- CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa FE
- Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell
- Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown in Albuquerque
- Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell
- Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque
- University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque
D recipients were:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington
- UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho
Explore the full survey results at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
Jessica Onsurez is editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Reach her by email at jonsurez@usatodayco.com.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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KRQE NEWS 13 is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
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