New Mexico State
1-2Conference USA · Tony Sanchez, year 3 (8-19) · Aggie Memorial Stadium · 28,853 · 9,189 avg in 2026
LastL 19–29 at Hawai'i · Sat Sep 12 · James Jones 78 rush yds, 1 TD, 14 rec yds
Nextvs New Mexico · Sat Sep 26 · 3:30 pm ET · Aggie Memorial Stadium · series 24-65-2, lost the last 2 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2
All 93 stats
FBS rankings · 2026 season · all stats vs 136 FBS programs
| Player | # | G | Cmp/Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | INT | Rate | ZPR | QBR | Adj ANY/A | Sack% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Passer · +0.11 EPA/play | 3 | 3 | 56 / 97 | 57.7 | 781 #6 FBS | 8.1 | 5 #22 FBS | 3 | 136.2 | 45 | 59.6 | 7.1 | 4.0 | |
Yards by week → Pocket PasserBalanced passer who operates within the system, without one standout number carrying the profile. 7 of 13 QBs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Yards / attempt7.8 63th percentile · FBS QBs, min. 80 attempts INT rate3.1% bottom 10th percentile · FBS QBs, min. 80 attempts Trait fingerprint Plays like View Trey Hedden's full player page | ||||||||||||||
| Player | # | G | Car | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Stuff% | 10+% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced Back · +0.04 EPA/play | 2 | 3 | 43 | 243 #9 FBS | 5.7 | 2 #43 FBS | 46 | — | — | |
Yards by week → Balanced BackPlays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension. The most common profile in its group this season — 6 of 15 classified this way. Played in 3 of 3 games this season · senior View James Jones's full player page | ||||||||||
| Player | # | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Threat · +0.33 EPA/play | 1 | 3 | 14 | 239 #11 FBS | 17.1 | 2 #24 FBS | 46 | |
Yards by week → Deep ThreatStretches the field vertically. Every snap is a potential big play. 11 of 58 WRs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Yards / reception16.8 79th percentile · FBS WRs, min. 12 receptions Plays like View Tyler King's full player page | ||||||||
| +0.36 EPA/play | 6 | 2 | 7 | 104 | 14.9 | 1 | 33 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| +0.72 EPA/play | 11 | 2 | 5 | 83 | 16.6 | 0 | 40 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| +0.70 EPA/play | 15 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 8.4 | 0 | 14 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| +0.31 EPA/play | 7 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 11 | |
Yards by week → | ||||||||
| Player | # | G | Tot | Solo | TFL | Sack | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versatile End | 16 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1.5 #68 FBS | 3 |
Versatile EndNo single standout number, but nothing missing either — competent across the board. The most common profile in its group this season — 9 of 12 classified this way. Played in 3 of 3 games this season · senior · 3-star, 2022 class View Gabe Peterson's full player page | |||||||
| 25 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 97 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 98 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 99 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 44 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | # | G | Tot | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sack | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced Linebacker | 6 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Balanced LinebackerSolid in every phase without a signature dimension. 46 of 84 LBs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Tackle volume15 bottom 14th percentile · FBS linebackers, min. 15 tackles PD rate0.0% bottom 25th percentile · FBS linebackers, min. 15 tackles Trait fingerprint Plays like View Tory Gethers's full player page | |||||||||
| 14 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 2.5 #68 FBS | 1.5 #68 FBS | 1 | 1 #22 FBS | |
| 34 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | # | G | Tot | PD | INT | TFL | Sack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box Safety | 5 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 1 #22 FBS | 1 | 0 |
Box SafetyLives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker. 13 of 46 Ss we've classified this way this season. Season receipt Tackle volume21 87th percentile · FBS safeties, min. 15 tackles Plays like View Nicolas Sessions's full player page | |||||||
| Cover Corner | 4 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cover CornerSteady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. 13 of 24 CBs we've classified this way this season. Season receipt PD rate9.1% 51th percentile · FBS corners, min. 10 tackles Plays like View De'Marcus Peters's full player page | |||||||
| 1 | 3 | 9 | 2 #43 FBS | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 26 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | |
| — | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | # | G | FG M/A | FG% | XP M/A | Pts | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 3 | 2/4 | 50 | 8/10 | 14 | 39 |
| Player | # | G | No | Yds | Avg | Long | In20 | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | 3 | 9 | 359 | 39.9 | 50 | 1 | 0 |
Net average is unavailable — CFBD's punting feed carries gross yards only, with no return-yardage or touchback deduction.
2026 stat leaders · New Mexico State
through 3 games
2026 stat leaders · New Mexico StateNicolas Sessions leads New Mexico State with 21 tackles through 3 games.
How They Play · 2026New Mexico State fields a strong pass-first offense behind a solid, bend-don't-break defense.
Percentile vs all FBS, based on this season's per-game production. Bar = where this team ranks — right is better.
New Mexico State reads strongest in explosive plays (top 15%) and rushing epa (top 15%); the crux lives in red-zone defense, where New Mexico State sits at the 15th percentile.
offense · strengths lead
defense · higher bar = harder to play against
hidden math · special situations
Home-field advantage · New Mexico State · 2018–present · FBS opponents
New Mexico State is worth +7.1 points more at home than on the road.
Top tenth of FBS, 92nd percentile of 133 programs
39% at home, 21% away against FBS opponents since 2018 (12–19 home, 10–38 away). Interval ±4.0.
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge — per-team modelling was tested and did not survive scrutiny (why) — and the books use about 3. Against the closing line, New Mexico State has beaten the number by +3.5 more at home than away over 76 games — inside the ±6.7 that many games can resolve. Results here cannot tell the flat number apart from the building, and that is the honest reading of nearly every FBS stadium.
Aggie Memorial Stadium seats 28,853 and has averaged 43% full (12,345, 21 games reported). Visitors face the 2nd-longest trip of 135 FBS venues: a median 1,055 miles since 2018. Some of what the band above measures is the map, not the crowd. For the home side it is a home crowd more than a home town: only 7% of the 2026 roster (7 of 104 located players) grew up inside 100 miles of the stadium.
Edge = half the gap between average home margin and average road margin, FBS opponents only, non-neutral games since 2018; the interval is 95%. Market line: closing spread, seasons with lines on file. Trip length is straight-line miles from the visiting team's campus to the venue, measured across all 40 home games since 2018.
More in this tab
Scheme claims
Fourth-quarter reliability, corrected
New Mexico State's 4th-quarter offense, before and after garbage time
Raw Q4 EPA/play ranks 91st percentile in FBS. Strip out snaps taken with a blowout margin and it drops to the 53rd — the correction is the finding, not a footnote.
Standard downs vs. passing downs
Does New Mexico State hold up once the down-and-distance turns against them?
45th percentile success on standard downs, 75th on passing downs — a 30-point gap between the two.
View all FBS teams as a table
| Team | Standard-downs percentile | Passing-downs percentile |
|---|---|---|
| App State | 44th | 90th |
| Arizona | 92nd | 86th |
| Arkansas | 60th | 80th |
| Auburn | 75th | 55th |
| Ball State | 12th | 24th |
| Baylor | 40th | 96th |
| Boise State | 58th | 46th |
| Boston College | 27th | 56th |
| Buffalo | 7th | 14th |
| California | 9th | 25th |
| Central Michigan | 16th | 6th |
| Charlotte | 73rd | 83rd |
| Clemson | 1st | 19th |
| Coastal Carolina | 61st | 52nd |
| Colorado | 35th | 77th |
| Colorado State | 82nd | 91st |
| Delaware | 70th | 31st |
| Duke | 20th | 29th |
| Eastern Michigan | 52nd | 10th |
| Florida Atlantic | 43rd | 87th |
| Florida International | 46th | 43rd |
| Florida State | 28th | 65th |
| Georgia Southern | 24th | 45th |
| Georgia Tech | 58th | 44th |
| Hawai'i | 18th | 41st |
| Iowa State | 4th | 23rd |
| Jacksonville State | 65th | 82nd |
| Kansas | 70th | 35th |
| LSU | 33rd | 98th |
| Liberty | 14th | 59th |
| Louisiana | 19th | 92nd |
| Louisville | 96th | 70th |
| Memphis | 69th | 65th |
| Michigan | 2nd | 62nd |
| Michigan State | 62nd | 29th |
| Middle Tennessee | 87th | 68th |
| Missouri | 36th | 85th |
| Navy | 98th | 59th |
| Nevada | 77th | 52nd |
| New Mexico State | 45th | 75th |
| Norfolk State | 16th | 9th |
| North Dakota State | 86th | 27th |
| North Texas | 49th | 68th |
| Ohio | 38th | 17th |
| Ohio State | 90th | 40th |
| Oklahoma State | 41st | 49th |
| Ole Miss | 94th | 50th |
| Oregon | 35th | 33rd |
| Oregon State | 10th | 38th |
| Pittsburgh | 30th | 76th |
| Purdue | 83rd | 88th |
| Rutgers | 30th | 71st |
| Sacramento State | 23rd | 14th |
| Sam Houston | 78th | 61st |
| San Diego State | 4th | 40th |
| San José State | 54th | 22nd |
| South Alabama | 50th | 73rd |
| South Florida | 91st | 52nd |
| Stanford | 76th | 15th |
| Syracuse | 48th | 64th |
| TCU | 93rd | 8th |
| Tennessee | 65th | 78th |
| Texas | 72nd | 94th |
| Texas A&M | 85th | 72nd |
| Texas Tech | 88th | 48th |
| Troy | 22nd | 59th |
| Tulane | 31st | 2nd |
| Tulsa | 56th | 1st |
| UAB | 65th | 81st |
| UNLV | 51st | 7th |
| USC | 97th | 99th |
| UTSA | 99th | 29th |
| Utah State | 4th | 93rd |
| Vanderbilt | 80th | 12th |
| Wake Forest | 56th | 97th |
| Washington | 81st | 4th |
| Washington State | 8th | 3rd |
| Western Kentucky | 25th | 34th |
| Western Michigan | 39th | 20th |
| Wisconsin | 13th | 18th |
| Wyoming | 65th | 36th |
Halftime identity
New Mexico State by half
1st-half offense ranks 33rd percentile in FBS; 2nd-half, 45th — competitive snaps only, garbage time excluded from both halves.
Tendency drift
Season by season
How New Mexico State’s current staff calls plays, year over year
Pass defense by zone
Pass-depth identity
What this team throws, and gives up, by depth.
On short throws (≤19 air yards), New Mexico State’s passing game completes a completion rate below the FBS mean (66.4% vs 68.3% league-wide, shrunk toward the mean for its 70-play sample) — mid-pack, 14 of 41 qualifying offenses.
On short throws (≤19 air yards), New Mexico State’s defense allows a completion rate above the FBS mean (66.5% vs 65.2% league-wide, shrunk toward the mean for its 68-play sample) — mid-pack, 13 of 18 qualifying defenses.
We won’t show a deep-ball (20+ air yards) leaderboard here, on either side of the ball: even a full season of charted plays gives most teams well under 30 deep attempts — too thin to tell a real tendency from noise, so we won’t guess. Same refusal for yards-after-catch allowed and where a team’s attempts land by zone: both measured and both came back statistically indistinguishable from season-to-season noise.
Havoc & trenches
Havoc & trenches
Disruption, run-blocking, and down-and-distance efficiency.
Ratings
Comparable teams
Most similar programs · New Mexico State
Most similar programs · New Mexico StateReads like
Matched on how the programs are built — tier, prestige band, kind of fanbase, conference, voice and roster size — not on this season's stats. A calibration, not a prediction.
Conditions
76°F average kickoff temp; 5% of games had measurable precipitation; 8 mph average wind.
Based on 61 home games with weather data.