NM State football hosts Conference USA leader Liberty at Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT.
The Aggies (3-5, 2-2 CUSA) face a Flames squad (7-1, 4-0 CUSA) riding a seven-game winning streak, according to NM State Athletics. Liberty beat FIU 49-10 in its most recent game, scoring seven offensive touchdowns from five different players, according to the MTSU Sidelines conference roundup. During Liberty's seven-game streak, the Flames have won six of those games by 14 or more points.
The game airs on ESPNU, the seventh nationally televised Aggies game this season. Local radio coverage is on 99.5 FM KXPZ with MJ Newsom on play-by-play and Danny Knee as analyst. Spanish-language coverage airs on 96.7 FM La Equis.
NM State enters the matchup stinging from an Oct. 28 shutout. Jacksonville State blanked the Aggies 24-0 at Aggie Memorial Stadium, the first time NM State failed to score at home since 2010, according to the NMSU Round Up.
Head coach Tony Sanchez did not mince words after that loss.
"That was a terrible offensive and kicking performance tonight," Sanchez said, according to the Round Up.
The passing game was the biggest problem. Quarterback Adam Damante completed six of 19 passes for 29 yards and an interception against Jacksonville State, according to Organ Mountain News.
Running back James Jones was the lone bright spot. Jones rushed for 112 yards on 20 carries against the Gamecocks, his fifth 100-yard game of the season. Through eight games, Jones has totaled 889 rushing yards on 139 carries, averaging 111.1 yards per game, according to NM State Athletics. That leads Conference USA and ranks 11th nationally.
Jones is on pace to become the first Aggie since Larry Rose in 2015 to average more than 100 rushing yards per game for a full season, according to NM State Athletics. In conference play, Jones leads CUSA with 133.5 rushing yards per game, nearly 20 yards ahead of Jacksonville State's Caden Creel.
The turnaround on the ground has been dramatic. NM State finished last in the nation in rushing offense in 2025 at 77.3 yards per game. This season, the Aggies average 4.6 yards per carry against FBS opponents, up from 2.6 last year. NM State Athletics called that 2.0-yard increase the largest among all FBS programs this year.
The Aggie defense brings its own credentials. Defensive end Gabe Peterson leads CUSA with 5.5 sacks through six games, including 4.0 in conference play. Linebacker Sone Aupiu leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss. NM State ranks first in CUSA in sacks during league play with 12 and first in interceptions with eight.
The defense has forced a turnover in 23 of its last 24 games dating to the 2024 season, according to NM State Athletics.
Still, the Aggies sit at 3-5 and need to win at least three of their final four games to reach six victories, the traditional benchmark for bowl eligibility, Organ Mountain News reported. After Liberty, the remaining schedule includes road games at Missouri State and Middle Tennessee, with a home game against Delaware in between.
Saturday's game marks the 10th all-time meeting between the programs and the fourth in Las Cruces. NM State has not beaten Liberty since 2022, though the Aggies held late fourth-quarter leads in each of their last two meetings, according to NM State Athletics.
Homecoming festivities begin at 9 a.m. Saturday with a parade down University Avenue, followed by an alumni tailgate at 3 p.m. in Lot 33 of the Pan American Center, according to an NMSU Board of Regents notice.
