ENMU sixth in pre-season grid poll

Eastern New Mexico University is expected to finish sixth among the eight Lone Star Conference football teams. That's according to a preseason poll released this week.

Greyhounds first-year coach Tye Hiatt said it doesn't mean much.

“The last time we played,” he said, “was on Dec. 7, 2019, so it's been 18th months.” Most other teams in the conference are in the same situation, Hiatt noted.

“I think we have good players, including all-Americans,” he said. “We had the training camp, and we get better every day,” he said.

The poll of coaches and team representatives was announced Monday at the LSC Football Media Day in McKinney, Texas.

With the departure of traditional powerhouse Tarleton State, which has moved to the Western Athletic Conference this year, Texas A&M-Commerce is the preseason pick to win the conference

Texas A&M-Commerce received 15 first-place votes and 175 total points, to get the top spot.

Angelo State (152 points) and West Texas A&M (125 points) finished second and third respectively, and University of Texas-Permian Basin and Midwestern State, based in Wichita Falls, Texas, tied for the fourth spot with 112 points each.

Eastern New Mexico received 60 points. Ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, were Texas A&M-Kingsville (59 points) and Western New Mexico (33 points).

In 2019, the Greyhounds finished fifth with a 4-4 conference record. Eastern returns 61 student-athletes in total, with 13 starters coming back.

Several key returners include senior offensive lineman and 2019 Second Team all-LSC selection Vili Fisiiahi as well as 2019 Second Team all-LSC honoree Mazin Richards.

ENMU will face 11 opponents this season, with six home contests, including the first three games of the season.

In addition to squaring off with seven conference foes, the Greyhounds will take on four non-conference opponents in Central Washington University, Adams State University, Lincoln University (Calif.), and North American University.

The season opener is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 2 when the Hounds take on the Wildcats of Central Washington at ENMU's Al Whitehead Field.