OPINION: New Mexico State's Improvement Should Not Be Understated

NMSU are a completely different program under Jerry kill

© GABY VELASQUEZ/ EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK

The opinions stated therein are those of the author and not necessarily those of FanNation or Sports Illustrated.

It has also been edited since it's original publishing.

On Wednesday night, New Mexico State turned up the heat in the second half to secure a 28-7 win against UTEP in the Battle of I-10. It was their first win over their closest geographical rival since 2019. 

New Mexico State also beat their in-state rival, the University of New Mexico, earlier this season 27-17. With a few rare exceptions (namely during World War II), the Aggies have played both of their rivals nearly every football season for the last century. The last time that NMSU beat both of their rivals on the road in the same season? 1923. 

The forward pass was only 17 years old at that point. 

That's the difference in the level of play we've seen from NMSU since Jerry Kill took over the program prior to the 2021 season.  The Aggies have won more games in the one and a half seasons that Kill has been the head coach than they did in the previous four seasons combined.

The Aggies are not what you would call a "young" program. They've fielded a varsity team since roughly 1894. That's when their first game on record was, anyway. Yet, they've played postseason football just four times in their history.

The Aggies have five games remaining on their regular season schedule. The next two, theoretically, are very winnable against a 3-5 Louisiana Tech and a 2-5 Middle Tennessee. 

With 13 games this year, the Aggies will need seven wins to be bowl eligible. If they win both pf those games, they'll be bowl eligible for the second consecutive year. 

New Mexico State have not appeared in consecutive bowl games since the 1959 and 1960 Sun Bowls.

In 2023, their first season as a member of Conference USA, the Aggies have put together the league's third-best scoring offense and third-best scoring defense. A huge reason for the former has been the play of junior quarterback Diego Pavia. A former star wrestler and transfer from New Mexico Military Institute, Pavia was the MVP of New Mexico State's 2022 Quick Lane Bowl win - their first postseason appearance/win since 2017.

This season, Pavia is tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns with 16, along with four rushing touchdowns and 527 rushing yards - the most by a quarterback in CUSA. Through eight games, the Aggies have scored 30 touchdowns. At their current pace of 3.75 touchdowns per game, they can break last season's end mark of 44 touchdowns. In 2021 when they earned a 2-10 record under Doug Martin, they scored 31 touchdowns the entire season.

 It's not just the offense that's improving under Kill. The defense has taken huge steps forward as well. From 2021 to now, NMSU went from allowing 64 touchdowns, to 37, to a projected total of 34 based on their current performance. 

Keyshaun Elliot has arguably been the defense's top performer, with six tackles for loss, 54 total tackles, and a sack. Only a sophomore, Elliot's ceiling is still a ways away.

The Aggies have a total of 19 sacks this season, which is third in CUSA.

If you're new to following Conference USA football or to G5 football in general, the continued development of this team and program is a storyline that warrants your attention.

New Mexico State face Louisiana Tech on October 25, looking to take one big step closer to that all-important postseason eligibility on CBS Sports Network.