New Mexico State football is preparing for its toughest challenge this season.

The Aggies plays at another set of Aggies ― No. 14 Texas A&M ― at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. NM State earned a 31-10 win last season over Auburn in its latest SEC trip, but College Football Playoff-contending A&M presents a significantly tougher challenge.

Few coaches show fear though, and Aggies coach Tony Sanchez certainly isn’t one of them.

“They’re fighting to get into the playoffs. It’s a big deal for them,” Sanchez said on Monday. “We know it’s a challenge, but at the same time, we’re not afraid of the challenge. Our guys are ready to go. We’re ready to go scrap and we’ll see what happens on Saturday.”

Sanchez was complementary of A&M’s first-year coach Mike Elko, calling him a great hire and praising his decision to change from Conner Weigman to Marcel Reed at quarterback. He’s also doing everything he can to beat Elko’s team, from letting his players see Kyle Field on Friday for adjusting to the 102,733-capacity stadium, to emphasizing takeaways.

NM State (2-7, 1-5 Conference USA) believe the latter is something they can’t beat A&M (7-2, 5-1 SEC) without. NM State earned two takeaways in a 41-28 defeat to Western Kentucky last Saturday after going all of October without one, and hopes its defense plays “as one” in College Station.

“We just need to communicate better,” said senior safety Da’Marcus Crosby. We gotta be on the same page and trust one another. I feel like we are really starting to understand each other better and start to understand the scheme… we just got to start running our feet on tackles, on contact, punching at the ball, and being physical at the point of attack.”

Bet MGM has NM State as a 39.5-point underdog as of Monday afternoon, which would make a victory the third-largest point-spread upset in college football history. However, the Aggies are doing their best to make things business as usual.

“You don’t change your process based on your opponent,” Sanchez said. “It’s kind of your core, who you are. We had our regular practice last night, did our film session and got fired up… tomorrow’s practice will be no different than it was eight weeks ago.”

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What’s the quarterback situation for NM State?

Junior Santino Marucci made his fourth start of the season against WKU, but split reps with senior Brandon Nunez in a two-quarterback system. Marucci threw for all of NM State’s 129 passing yards against the Hilltoppers, while Nunez was primarily used for running plays in a three-back formation and earned 34 rushing yards on eight carries.

Sanchez says he’ll continue splitting reps against Texas A&M, and likely for the rest of the season.

“They each bring something different to the table,” Sanchez said. “It’s a pain in the butt when you’re another team and you’re trying to prepare for both guys and two different types of offenses. It probably gives us the best chance to win. We’ll see how practice goes this week, but you’ll probably see both of those guys.”

Marucci is expected to earn his fifth start, which would become the most among Aggie quarterbacks in 2024. NM State is one of two FBS teams to have four quarterbacks throw five or more passes this season.

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McGowan seeing continued growth

One of the Aggies’ best players this season has been Seth McGowan.

The running back has formed a dynamic duo with fellow junior Mike Washington, as NM State had two 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since 2016. McGowan is currently the Aggies’ leading rusher at 636 yards in addition to four total touchdowns.

McGowan’s had to overcome off-field mistakes. Once at Oklahoma, he was dismissed after committing a drug-related crime with two other teammates and cycled through multiple junior colleges before earning a chance in Las Cruces. The Mesquite, Texas, native feels brand-new though, and believes he’s matured with the Aggies.

Even on a 2-7 team, he’s grateful to be playing FBS football again.

“Just reintroducing myself back to this game … and rolling with these guys, that’s what’s made it enjoyable,” McGowan said. “There’s so many things that I sacrificed to be here … I’m not a man that sees obstacles. I’m a man who sees opportunity.”