Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ENMU junior running back Ja'Calvin Newsom slips away from New Mexico Highlands junior safety Arick McLawyer and scores a second-quarter touchdown in the Greyhounds' season-opening 28-26 win over the Cowboys on Thursday night at Greyhound Stadium. ENMU faces Sul Ross State on Saturday afternoon in Alpine, Texas.
Sul Ross State's season opener at Western New Mexico last week resembled some basketball contests – a game of runs.
The Lobos scored 21 consecutive points to take a 21-7 lead late in the half, but WNMU finished on a 28-0 surge and posted a 42-28 victory.
When Eastern New Mexico University's football team takes on Sul Ross in an 11 a.m. (MDT) start on Saturday at Alpine, Texas, the Greyhounds will be looking for improvement over their narrow 28-26 season-opening win against New Mexico Highlands on Thursday at Greyhound Stadium.
"I was pleased with our play in most aspects," ENMU coach Kelley Lee said Monday. "We just didn't hold on to the ball in the second half."
Indeed, the Hounds coughed up four second-half fumbles – all resulting in Cowboys scores – and nearly gave away a 21-0 halftime advantage.
On Monday, ENMU senior cornerback Eric Williams was named the Lone Star Conference defensive player of the week after posting a personal-best 12 tackles against Highland, including 2 ½ tackles for loss.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Martinez threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns – each to a different receiver – and added 40 yards rushing last week for Sul Ross. Junior wide receiver Vicente Luevano grabbed six passes for 99 yards and a score.
"They've got a good quarterback and some really talented receivers," Lee said. "They throw the ball around really well. It'll be a good test for our defensive backs."
He added that protecting the ball and keeping it away from the Lobos will be important.
"We're going to have to get some pressure on the quarterback," Lee said. "We have to hold on to the ball and make sure our defense can get rested."
At Silver City, Sul Ross led from early in the second quarter until the Mustangs tied it late in the third period. Then, WNMU sophomore quarterback Devin Larsen put his team over the top with his fifth and sixth scoring passes of the game in the final stanza.
Sul Ross State, currently a Division III member of the American Southwest Conference, is moving up to D-II next season and will join the Lone Star Conference. It's already making a difference, Lee said, in the Lobos' recruiting.
One of the top players on the defensive side of the ball is senior middle linebacker Jade Rios, who was in on a team-high 12 tackles at Western.
"They're recruiting D-II players now," he said. "They've definitely upgraded their talent level."
The teams will be meeting for the first time in 10 years. The Hounds took the last matchup 55-24 on Sept. 13, 2013.
Sul Ross leads 13-9-1 all-time over the Hounds in a series dating to 1946, but ENMU has won the last six since a 6-6 tie at Alpine in 1971.
