The 2023 New Mexico Bowl features the 10-4 New Mexico State Aggies against the 8-4 Fresno State Bulldogs. Here is the 2023 New Mexico Bowl Preview.
The Aggies won 10 games to qualify for their second straight bowl game. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams on the season: Western Kentucky, Auburn and Jacksonville State. Two of their four losses were to Liberty, while the other two were to teams that didn’t make a bowl game: Hawaii and UMass.
New Mexico State scores 28.7 points per game, ranking them 57th. They rush for 203.8 yards (ranked 11th) and pass for 224.9 yards per game (ranked 64th).
Diego Pavia has been great at quarterback for New Mexico State. He has 2,915 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 61.6 percent completion. Six players have over 200 receiving yards on the season. Jonathan Brady and Trent Hudson have been the top two targets with 613 and 551 receiving yards respectively. Hudson leads the team with 10 touchdown catches.
Pavia also leads the team in rushing yards with 851 and six touchdowns. Three running backs have over 300 rushing yards. Star Thomas has the most yards out of that group with 643. Monte Watkins has 563 yards and is averaging 10.1 yards per carry.
The defense allows 21.8 points per game, which ranks them 33rd in the FBS. They give up 145.4 rushing yards (ranked 50th) and 239.3 passing yards per game (ranked 91st). Linebacker Keyshaun Elliott has the team lead by far with tackles at 101. Buddha Peleti and Sterling Webb have tied for the team-high with 4.5 sacks. Reggie Atkins, Keonte Glinton and Andre Seldon each have six passes defended in the secondary.
Fresno State won eight games to make their third straight bowl game. They defeated three teams who made bowl games: Utah State, UNLV and Boise State. One of their four losses on the year was to a team that didn’t win enough games to make a bowl game: New Mexico.
The Bulldogs score 30.1 points per game, ranking them 50th in the country. They pass for 274.1 yards (ranked 29th) and rush for 104.3 yards per game (ranked 120th).
Mikey Keene, the UCF transfer, has led the Bulldogs at quarterback. He has passed for 2,596 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 65.8 percent completion. Six players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Erik Brooks has led the team with 55 catches for 711 yards and five touchdowns. Jalen Moss has also been impressive with 51 receptions for 630 yards and five touchdowns.
Two running backs have done most of the damage on the ground for Fresno State. Malik Sherrod is the top running back with 876 yards and nine touchdowns. Behind him, Elijah Gilliam has rushed for 376 yards and five touchdowns.
The Bulldogs allow 24.6 points per game, ranking them 55th in the nation. They give up 168.2 rushing yards (ranked 95th) and 216.9 passing yards per game (ranked 54th). Linebacker Malachi Langley leads the team with 80 total tackles. Jacob Holmes’s four sacks are good enough to be the team-high. Morice Norris Jr. has been impressive in the secondary with nine passes defended and two interceptions.
Mikey Keene has had a great season for Fresno State. The Bulldogs offense should be able to move the ball decently on New Mexico State. Their own defense can focus on stopping Pavia to help them win the game.
Fresno State Bulldogs 31 New Mexico State Aggies 27
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