Today, 6:06 p.m., Maverik Stadium (25,100). Radio: 99.5 FM (Cruces). Online: Facebook.com/Stadium.

Series: Utah State leads 30-8. Last meeting: NMSU 26, Utah State 20 (OT) on Dec. 29, 2017, in Tucson.

NMSU DEPTH CHART

SPECIALISTSK 18 Dylan Brown 6-1 174 Jr.

KO 24 Parker Davidson 5-11 175 Sr.

P 16 Payton Theisler 5-8 145 Jr.

HOLD 24 Sy Slater 6-1 202 Jr.

DS 40 Tim O’Donnell 5-10 241 Jr.

KR 1 Jason Huntley 5-9 188 Jr. 7 Royce Caldwell 5-8 170 Sr.

PR 2 OJ Clark 5-7 165 Jr. 7 Royce Caldwell 5-8 170 Sr.

DEFENSEDE 51 Roy Lopez 6-2 313 Jr. 89 Jackson Solbeck 6-4 283 Sr.

NT 94 DeShawnte Lloyd 6-1 333 Sr. 99 Myles Vigne 6-1 315 So.

DE 46 Donovan King 6-2 224 Fr. 10 Cedric Wilcots III 6-4 245 Jr.

OLB 11 Malik Demby 6-2 227 Sr. 28 Shane Jackson 6-0 232 Jr.

WLB 20 Johnathan Hood 6-0 215 Sr. 43 Billy Nipp 5-11 223 Sr.

SLB 2 Terrill Hanks 6-3 235 Sr. 20 Johnathan Hood 6-0 215 Sr.

MLB 49 Lui Fa’amasino 6-0 227 Sr. 3 Derek Ibekwe 6-0 234 Sr.

CB 4 DeMarcus Owens 5-10 191 Sr. 29 Jared Phipps 5-9 165 Jr.

SS 22 Shamad Lomax 6-0 204 Jr. 19 Austin Perkins 5-9 185 Jr.

FS 23 Ron LaForce 6-1 180 Sr. 12 Tymon Locklin 6-2 210 Sr.

CB 1 Ray Buford Jr. 6-2 202 Jr. 5 Komotay Koffie 6-1 190 Jr.

OFFENSEWR 9 Drew Dan 6-3 190 Jr. 11 Shea Holebrook Jr. 6-5 208 Jr.

LT 76 Sage Doxtater 6-7 327 Jr. 51 Kris’Sean Edwards 6-4 295 Jr.

LG 78 Brian Trujillo 6-4 315 Jr. 51 Isaiah Mursalat 6-4 321 Fr.

C 74 Jamin Smith 6-3 306 Sr. 69 Billy Sharmoug 6-2 330 Sr.

RG 77 Isaac McClain 6-2 320 Sr. 50 Austin Young 6-5 320 Fr.

RT 55 Sebastian Anderson 6-6 305 Jr. 52 Jalen Guerrero 6-6 285 So.

TE 87 Bryce Roberts 6-4 268 So. 88 Xander Yarberough 6-6 252 So.

WR 13 Johnathan Boone 6-3 190 Sr. 8 Tevis Abraham 6-2 200 Fr.

QB 3 Matt Romero 6-2 204 Jr. 12 Nick Jeanty 6-2 203 Sr.

RB 1 Jason Huntley 5-9 188 Jr. 7 Royce Caldwell 5-8 170 Sr.

WR 2 OJ Clark 5-7 165 Jr. 10 Izaiah Lottie 6-0 198 Jr.

NMSU at UTAH STATE

Date Team TimeAug. 25 Wyoming 29, NMSU 7Aug. 30 Minnesota 48, NMSU 10Today at Utah State 6 p.m.Sept. 15 New Mexico 6 p.m.Sept. 22 at UTEP 5:30 p.m.Oct. 6 Liberty 6 p.m.Oct. 13 at Louisiana TBAOct. 20 Georgia Southern 4 p.m.Oct. 27 at Texas State TBANov. 3 Alcorn State 2 p.m.Nov. 17 at BYU TBANov. 24 at Liberty noon

Date Team TimeAug. 31 Michigan State 38, USU 31Today New Mexico State 6 p.m.Sept. 13 Tennessee Tech 6 p.m.Sept. 22 Air Force TBAOct. 5 at BYU 7 p.m.Oct. 13 UNLV 2 p.m.Oct. 20 at Wyoming 12:30 p.m.Oct. 27 New Mexico 2 p.m.Nov. 3 at Hawaii 10 p.m.Nov. 10 San Jose State 2 p.m.Nov. 17 at Colorado State noon Nov. 24 at Boise State TBA

NEW MEXICO STATE (0-2) UTAH STATE (0-1)

USU DEPTH CHART

DEFENSE TFL Int UT AT Total Yds YdsRon LaForce 10 17 27 - -Terrill Hanks 5 15 20 1-1 -Leon McQuaker 2 16 18 1-3 -Javahn Fergurson 1 14 15 - -

OFFENSEPassing

Comp Att Yds TD IntMatt Romero 45 85 373 2 1Nick Jeanty 2 6 4 0 0

Rushing Att Net Avg TDJason Huntley 13 28 2.2 0Matt Romero 21 -7 -0.3 0

Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDJohnathan Boone 11 88 8.0 0Drew Dan 8 121 15.1 1 Jason Huntley 8 36 4.5 0OJ Clark 8 31 3.9 0

NMSU LEADERS

DEFENSE TFL Int UT AT Total Yds YdsDavid Woodward 2 14 16 - -Shaq Bond 5 4 9 - -Chase Christiansen 4 5 9 - -J. Rocquemore 4 5 9 1-8 -

OFFENSEPassing

Comp Att Yds TD IntJordan Love 29 44 319 0 2

Rushing Att Net Avg TDDarwin Thompson 10 28 2.8 2Eltoro Allen 3 8 2.7 0

Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDDax Raymond 7 76 10.9 0Jordan Nathan 4 64 16.0 0Jalen Greene 3 40 13.3 0Aaren Vaughns 3 37 12.3 0Ron’quavion Tarver 3 29 9.7 0

UTAH STATE LEADERS

SPECIALISTSK 62 Dominik Eberle 6-2 195 Jr.

KO 63 Taylor Hintze 6-1 200 Jr.

P 89 Aaron Dalton 6-4 220 Sr.

HOLD 12 DJ Nelson 5-9 200 Sr.

DS 57 Brandon Pada 5-10 205 So.

KR 81 Savon Scarver 5-11 185 So. 8 Gerald Bright 5-9 195 Jr.

PR 16 Jordan Nathan 5-8 180 So. 11 Aaren Vaughns 5-7 185 Sr.

DEFENSEDE 91 Devon Anderson 6-1 280 Jr. 93 Jacoby Wildman 6-2 265 Jr.

NG 96 Christopher ’Unga 6-0 295 Jr. 56 Gasetoto Schuster 6-0 295 Sr.

DE 44 Fua Leilua 6-2 285 Jr. 55 Adewale Adeoye 6-3 275 Sr.

OLB 10 Tipa Galeai 6-5 230 Jr. 47 Logan Lee 6-3 270 So.

ILB 9 David Woodward 6-2 235 So. 51 Justus Te’i 6-3 235 Jr.

ILB 48 Chase Christiansen 6-1 230 Sr. 46 Mason Tobeck 6-2 235 Jr.

OLB 3 Jontrell Rocquemore 6-1 210 Sr. 15 Baron Gajkowski 6-1 205 So.

CB 7 DJ Williams 5-9 180 Jr. 6 Cameron Haney 5-11 180 Jr.

SS 25 Shaq Bond 5-10 185 So. 32 Braxton Gunther 5-10 185 So.

FS 23 Gaje Ferguson 6-0 210 Sr. 4 Aaron Wade 6-1 210 Sr.

CB 2 Ja’Marcus Ingram 6-1 195 So. 27 Deante Fortenberry 5-9 190 Sr.

OFFENSEWR 1 Ron’quavion Tarver 6-3 215 Sr. 13 Devin Heckstall 6-5 205 Jr.

LT 72 Alfred Edwards 6-7 310 Fr. 79 Wade Meacham 6-5 300 Fr.

LG 76 Roman Andrus 6-4 310 Sr. 69 Jake Templeton 6-2 305 Sr.

C 51 Quin Ficklin 6-2 300 Sr. 58 Demytrick Ali’fua 6-3 310 So.

RG 70 Rob Castaneda 6-4 305 Sr. 60 Wyatt Bowles 6-4 280 Fr.

RT 52 Sean Taylor 6-5 300 Sr. 78 Jacob South 6-5 300 Fr.

TE 87 Dax Raymond 6-5 250 Jr. 86 Carson Terrell 6-4 245 So.

WR 16 Jordan Nathan 5-8 180 So. 83 Aaren Vaughns 5-7 185 Sr.

QB 10 Jordan Love 6-4 225 So. 3 Henry Colombi 6-3 205 Fr.

RB 8 Gerald Bright 5-9 195 Jr. 5 Darwin Thompson 5-8 200 Jr.

WR 21 Jalen Greene 6-2 205 Sr. 81 Savon Scarver 5-11 185 So.

2018 SCHEDULES

TodayNew Mexico at Wisconsin, 10 a.m.Liberty at Army, 10 a.m.Air Force at Florida Atlantic, noonBall State at Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m.UMass at Georgia Southern, 5 p.m.Wyoming at Missouri, 5 p.m.Arkansas at Colorado State, 5:30 p.m.New Mexico State at Utah State, 6 p.m.UConn at Boise State, 8:15 p.m.California at BYU, 8:15 p.m.

GAMES THIS WEEK

RANK INDEPENDENTS/FBSOFFENSEPoints per game 8.5 5/119Rushing YPG 14.5 5/123Passing YPG 188.5 4/96First downs 26 2/33Pass yds. per catch 8.02 5/119Completion pct. 51.6 4/103Interceptions 1 3/66Passing efficiency 91.50 5/117Sacks allowed/game 4.0 5/107TFLs allowed/game 8.0 5/98Fumbles lost 0 1/T13rd down pct. 16.7 5/1234th down pct. 50.0 3/52Red zone efficiency 100 1/T1Time of possession 22:22 5/118Off. yards per game 203.0 5/124

DEFENSEPoints per game 38.5 5/107Rushing YPG 303.5 5/121Passing YPG 182.0 1/45First downs allowed 45 5/122Interceptions 0 -Pass def. efficiency 119.96 3/59Sacks/game 0 -TFLs/game 3.5 4/103Fumble recoveries 1 1/253rd down pct. 40.6 3/854th down pct. 100 3/101Red zone efficiency. 100 2/65Def. yards per game 485.5 5/102

SPECIAL TEAMS/OTHERKick returns avg. 13.8 4/101Kick ret. def. /avg. 13.5 1/24Punt returns 7.4 2/58Net punting 32.29 5/102Punt return def. 18.63 5/118XPs made/att. 2/2 -FGs made/att 1/1 1/T1Penalty yds/game 53.5 3/64Turnover margin 0 2/51

NOTE: 129 FBS SCHOOLS, 6 INDEPENDENTS RANKED

New Mexico State’s offense has been stymied in its first two games, but stout opponents have been only part of the problem. Dropped passes have plagued the Aggies, particularly in last week’s loss at Minnesota, consistently putting the offense in long-yardage situations. NMSU coach Doug Martin praised quarterback Matt Romero this week but emphasized that the junior needs more help from the skill players around him. Running back Jason Huntley has had limited opportunities for a rushing attack averaging just 14.5 yards per game.

New Mexico State’s defense missed numerous tackles last week, allowing the game to get out of hand. Injuries have been a problem for the unit, which has remained solid against the pass but has allowed numerous long runs. The Aggies have forced just one turnover in 2018.

ANDRES LEIGHTON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

RANK MWC/FBSOFFENSEPoints per game 31.0 8/70Rushing YPG 25.0 12/121Passing YPG 319.0 6/29First downs 22 8/66Pass yds. per catch 11.0 10/79Completion pct. 65.9 5/46Interceptions 2 10/101Passing efficiency 117.72 9/87Sacks allowed/game 2.0 9/67TFLs allowed/game 4.0 2/30Fumbles lost 0 T1/T13rd down pct. 53.8 3/304th down pct. 0 8/75Red zone efficiency 100 1/T1Time of possession 22:16 12/119Off. yards per game 344.0 11/95

DEFENSEPoints per game 38.0 9/104Rushing YPG 165.0 8/78Passing YPG 287.0 7/98First downs allowed 23 8/89Interceptions 1 2/29Pass def. efficiency 156.69 9/101Sacks/game 3.0 4/27TFLs/game 3.0 12/105Fumble recoveries 1 4/253rd down pct. 64.7 12/1224th down pct. 0 T1/T1Red zone efficiency. 100 9/65Def. yards per game 452.0 7/95

SPECIAL TEAMS/OTHERKick returns avg. 24.0 2/39Kick ret. def. /avg. 22.25 9/84Punt returns 13.0 2/25Net punting 25.67 12/122Punt return def. 0 1/8XPs made/att. 4/4 -FGs made/att 1/1 -Penalty yds/game 49.0 7/51Turnover margin 0 4/51

NOTE: 129 FBS SCHOOLS, 12 MWC SCHOOLS RANKED

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

AGGIE NOTES>>> New Mexico State and Utah State

rank 107th and 104th, respectively, in points allowed per game, but they do fea-ture two of the nation’s leading tacklers. Safety Ron LaForce (NMSU) and line-backer David Woodward (USU) rank 10th and second in tackles per game. LaForce averages 13.5, while Woodward posted 16 in his team’s opener.

>>> New Mexico State remains relatively healthy on offense going into tonight’s contest. Defense is another mat-ter. Coach Doug Martin said linebacker Lui Fa’amasino (concussion) is out this week, while linebackers Javahn Fergurson, Leon McQuaker and lineman Jassavia Reese are doubtful with leg injuries. The Aggies are expected to get lineman Cedric Wil-cotts III (academic issues) back this week. Linebacker Malik Demby also is likely to return after missing last week’s game with an injury.

>>> NFL.com lists Utah State junior running back Darwin Thompson among its most “Freakish Athletes” in college football. Thompson’s qualifying attributes include squatting 560 pounds and a verti-cal leap of 40 inches.

>>> USU coach Matt Wells has some on-field history against NMSU. The former quarterback was 20-of-39 passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns in USU’s 47-20 win over New Mexico State in 1994.

>>> Utah State has an experienced defensive unit with eight returning start-ers and eight of its top nine tacklers back from 2017. The Aggies did suffer a big loss in the secondary as All-American corner-back Jalen Davis exhausted his eligibility. USU also lost running back LaJuan Hunt and wideout Braelon Roberts from the team that faced NMSU in the Arizona Bowl last December.

AGGIE NOTES

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Utah State’s offense looked impressive in last week’s opener against then-No. 11 Michigan State. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Love played well, passing for 319 yards and lifting the Aggies to the brink of a major upset. The wide-open attack was a change from last season, when USU often battered foes with running back LaJuan Hunt. The Aggies figure to pound the ball tonight against a New Mexico State defense that has struggled to stop the run. Still, Love and an upgraded receiving corps will undoubtedly take their shots.

Utah State’s defense had its hands full against Michigan State and was unable to hold a second-half lead. But it’s a veteran group that can create problems by disguising coverages and using mul-tiple blitz packages. The group of linebackers led by seniors Chase Christiansen and Jontrell Roc-quemore is outstanding.

AL GOLDIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION INDEPENDENTS W L PF PABYU 1 0 28 23Liberty 1 0 52 10Notre Dame 1 0 24 17UMass 1 1 84 70Army 0 1 14 34New Mexico State 0 2 17 77

MOUNTAIN WESTMountain Division Conference Overall W L W L PF PAAir Force 0 0 1 0 38 0Boise State 0 0 1 0 56 20New Mexico 0 0 1 0 62 30Wyoming 0 0 1 1 48 48Utah State 0 0 0 1 31 38Colorado State 0 0 0 2 47 88

MATT WELLSWells has a 34-33 record in his sixth season at Utah State. It is the first head coaching job for the former New Mexico assistant.

DOUG MARTINMartin has a 17-45 record in his sixth season at New Mexico State. He is 46-98 overall as a head coach.

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL AGGIE GAME DAY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 B3