Hounds turn back Sul Ross

In a 36-17 victory over Sul Ross State, where his bulldozing blocks helped Eastern New Mexico get to 2-0, 25-year-old offensive lineman Bailey Adair was reminded why he's still playing.

It's the feeling of knowing he has something left to give, coupled with the overwhelming feeling of knowing his job at ENMU isn't finished.

"I bleed green and silver," said Adair, the only member of the 2019 Greyhound squad that captured the program's first Division II bowl win, after Saturday's Lone Star Conference victory over the league's newest member.

As ENMU hopes to maintain momentum, its triple-option success may hinge on how Adair finishes his seventh – and final – year at ENMU.

"I'm not a team captain, but the team captains respect me. I'm more of the old, wise man," Adair said.

Keeping a strong rushing attack will be imperative considering ENMU still has its toughest opponents ahead. Though Saturday's foe, Angelo State, is 0-2, the No. 24 team in the preseason Division II rankings can't be taken lightly. Same goes for the slew of other Lone Star Conference opponents afterwards like Central Washington and UT-Permian Basin, which are still ranked.

These foes will be more difficult than SRSU, which was picked to finish last in the conference.

Though a 2-0 start puts ENMU just four wins away from a possible bowl appearance, if complacency settles in, the Hounds could find themselves still looking for their first first bowl appearance since 2019.

"We didn't always play smart throughout the game, but we came through when we needed to, and we overcame some positions we put ourselves in," ENMU head coach Kelley Lee said.

ENMU went up 22-3 in the second quarter after rushing touchdowns by running backs Ron Craten (141 rushing yards) and Ja'Calvin Newsom (51 rushing yards), and quarterback Mario Sanchez (66 rushing yards).

But in the second half, SRSU scored two touchdowns, thinning the Hounds' lead to 22-17 at the start of the fourth quarter.

As a result, tensions filled ENMU's sideline.

After one dismal drive, Lee hustled over to the offense and his face grew flush crimson while yelling at sweat-drenched Greyhounds. When Lee left, offensive coordinator Andrew McCraw came in and pantomimed Lee's aggravation and stormed away in frustration, ripping his headset off in the process.

Lee said he yelled because "we were standing up and looking and trying to figure it out instead of getting off the ball, because I didn't think that what they were doing should have been giving us any problems, but it was because we weren't getting off the ball."

But then Adair was switched to center and the Greyhounds' offense went for a dominant 13-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, going up 29-17 with seven minutes left in the fourth. Craten claimed the victory-sealing score with a mad-dash through a scrum of green and red jerseys. Upon reaching paydirt for the second time Saturday, he danced and posed with other Greyhounds.

Before long, ENMU got another stop and the Greyhounds' Jarius Stewart scampered for a touchdown with 30 seconds left to make it 36-17.

As a result, it looks like a vintage ENMU statline – 412 total yards, including 366 on the ground, and 27 first downs.

Nights like these are nothing new for Adair. But part of him feels extra grateful because he knows there was not one, but two chances it wouldn't happen.

For example, Adair didn't play in the 2018 season because a 1.98 GPA left him ineligible. He said that this is worthy for a coach to cut a player because "if you're not contributing to the team, what good are you?"

Instead, Lee kept Adair on the team and he helped that prized 2019 squad. But when Lee left and Tye Hiatt replaced him, Adair quit with two years of eligibility remaining after the 2021 season.

In 2023, when Lee came back to ENMU, Adair called Lee asking if he could get on the staff. Lee then convinced Adair to play instead.

One problem: Adair had ballooned to 390 pounds.

Nonetheless, he joined, lost the weight, and in 2023 became an All-Lone Star Conference honorable mention honoree and member of the conference's academic team, too.

Just two games into the 2024 season, he's hopeful these next few months will bring success he's never enjoyed.

After all, this truly is it.