New Mexico State, Fresno State are ready for battle in the NM Bowl

ALBUQUERQUE − The New Mexico State and Fresno State football team held their final press conference before Saturday’s Isleta New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium in Albuquerque. Kickoff will be at 3:45 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

The Aggies are 10-4 on the season and Fresno State is 8-4.

Aggies QB Diego Pavia ready to go

Pavia returned to practice in preparation for the bowl game and said he’s ready to give his best effort in trying to help the Aggies win their 11th game of the season.

“I feel confident in my ability to play the game with the swagger I do and I feel confident,” he said. “I’ll do anything for my teammates.”

Fresno State acting head coach Tim Skipper called Pavia a “magician.”

Pavia injured his throwing shoulder in the second half of the Conference USA title game against Liberty.

Aggies just one of three teams to play 15 games

New Mexico State will finish with 15 games this season and will join the national champion and the runner-up as the only three teams to have that many games this year. New Mexico State got an extra game due to playing at Hawaii and also played in the Conference USA title game against Liberty.

Coach Kill on the importance of the game for NM

Head coach Jerry Kill said this game is not just important for Las Cruces but for the entire state.

“This game is important for everyone and puts a spotlight on New Mexico,” Kill said. “New Mexico has good football and there lots of good players here.”

The first New Mexico Bowl was in 2006. The Aggies are making their first appearance in the game and Fresno State is making its fourth, including a 31-24 win against UTEP in 2021.

Fresno State QB also back in action

Fresno State’s quarterback is also expected to return for the game on Saturday. Mikey Keene threw for 2,596 yards and 21 touchdowns during the regular season and he said Friday, he is ready to go and excited about returning to help the team get back to where it was before a three-game losing streak to end the season.

Skipper comes from coaching family

Skipper, who played at Fresno State and coached on the college level for several years, comes from a family coaching background. His father Jim has coached for four decades, including several NFL years with current Denver Broncos head coach John Fox in Carolina and time in the USFL, XFL and NCAA; he began his second stint as the Carolina Panthers’ running backs coach in 2013. His brother, Kelly, has been in the profession since 1989 and currently coaches running backs for the Buffalo Bills. Kelly was an All-American RB at Fresno State.

Game is important for Fresno State coach Tedford

Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford won’t coach in the game as he deals with health issues but he was on the mind of Skipper, Keene and Levelle Bailey.

All three praised Tedford and what he’s done for them on and off the field and the importance of winning the game in part for Tedford.

Kill talked about Tedford during the NMSU portion of the news conference, saying college football needs the likes of Tedford in the game.

Aggies’ unique bowl history

Entering Saturday, the Aggies hold an all-time record of 4-0-1 in bowl games, making the Aggies the only program at the FBS level with at least one bowl appearance and no losses.

More: NM state football news New Mexico State football earns more postseason accolades

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.cm; @Fchavezeptimes on X (Formerly Twitter)