New Mexico
‘We’re not afraid’: New Mexico State football prepares for top-15 Texas A&M team
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.”
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.
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.”
New Orleans Privateers (0-2) at New Mexico Lobos (2-1)
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico takes on New Orleans after Destinee Hooks scored 20 points in New Mexico’s 71-64 victory over the North Carolina A&T Aggies.
New Mexico went 12-8 at home a season ago while going 18-14 overall. The Lobos averaged 70.4 points per game last season, 33.9 in the paint, 14.1 off of turnovers and 10.3 on fast breaks.
New Orleans went 5-24 overall with a 3-15 record on the road a season ago. The Privateers shot 35.1% from the field and 26.8% from 3-point range last season.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
A man is facing murder charges after allegedly admitting to deputies that he fatally shot two people inside a New Mexico home after receiving “an encrypted message in a cockroach” that he “needed to kill,” authorities say.
Alexis Hernandez, 25, was arrested and charged with two open counts of murder in connection with a Friday incident inside a southwest Albuquerque home, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
Hernandez was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday morning, and it is not immediately clear if he has retained a lawyer.
Authorities have not identified the men killed in the incident or the two young children who were also found inside the house at the time.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, deputies responded to reports of gunfire in southwest Albuquerque just before 10:30 p.m. When deputies arrived, they were met at the front door by Hernandez, who “had a firearm on his waistband and a Marine Corps Sabre on his hip,” the arrest warrant said.
Hernandez, who was immediately detained, told deputies he was in the Marines and “had to do what he had to do,” the warrant states. He then allegedly stated there were two dead bodies inside the residence.
Once inside the house, the warrant states, deputies found one dead man “with possible gunshot wounds” in the front of the house and a second man with apparent stab wounds in an attached apartment.
The two children who were found inside were safely removed from the residence, the arrest warrant states.
In an interview with deputies after he was taken into custody, Hernandez said that he knew the two slain men, one of whom was the owner of the property, according to the warrant. He then allegedly said he had believed the property owner was a friend who had been stalking him during the days leading up to the incident.
The warrant states Hernandez alleged the friend had placed cameras in the lights. Hernandez also told deputies that he was allegedly “hearing creepy voices coming from the vents” and “had been getting signs” that he had to end the property owner before he ended him.
Hernandez later allegedly told deputies that he also had received “an encrypted message in a cockroach” that he “needed to kill” the property owner, the warrant says. He added that the property owner allegedly did not like cockroaches.
The warrant states that Hernandez had previously purchased a Glock handgun, which he said he had for “protection.” Hernandez told deputies that on Friday the two men allegedly took him to the back room of the home and that he “was afraid for his life at this point.”
He said he shot the property owner in the head and the other in the kitchen, the warrant says. At one point, Hernandez allegedly told deputies, he had gone to his Honda Pilot to reload his gun before going back to each victim and shooting him again.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the details of the second man’s cause of death.
The warrant states Hernandez admitted that he did not know what to do after the attack, so he “stayed on scene and walked around.” He allegedly added that he knew about the two children at the house and that they saw him shoot the two men.
He added that “he was not going to take the kids or do anything to them,” the warrant says.
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