NM State
Game 7 Preview: vs NM State
10/20/2026 10:00:00 AM | Football
Game 7 • vs NM StateÂ
Huntsville • Bowers Stadium (14,500)Â
NM State (2-4, 1-1 CUSA) at Sam Houston (1-5, 0-2 CUSA)Â
Wednesday, October 21 • 7:00 PM CT  Â
TV: ESPN2 (Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, Kendra Douglas)Â
RADIO: BSN (Jason Barfield, Brian Adams); KSHU 90.5 FMÂ Â Â
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live Stats • @BearkatsFB on XÂ
GAME NOTES: Sam Houston • NM StateÂ
Series vs the Aggies: NMSU leads 2-1Â Â Â
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston looks to get into the win column in CUSA play on Wednesday night when it hosts NM State at Bowers Stadium.Â
Kickoff for Wednesday's game is set for 7:00 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN2. Jorge Sedano and Rodney McLeod will have the call from Bowers Stadium with Kendra Douglas reporting from the sidelines.Â
The game can also be heard on the Bearkat Sports Network with Jason Barfield and Brian Adams on the call. The BSN broadcast can be heard online on GoBearkats.com, the Bearkat Sports app and locally on KSHU 90.5 FM.Â
KATS CHASE FIRST CUSA WIN AGAINST NM STATEÂ
- Wednesday's matchup features one of the nation's top passing defenses against an NM State offense averaging 230.5 yards through the air. Sam Houston has held five of its first six opponents below 200 passing yards and leads CUSA while ranking fourth nationally with 137.8 passing yards allowed per gameÂ
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- Sam Houston ranks second nationally in year-to-year improvement in total defense, allowing 145.3 fewer yards per game than in 2025. The Kats have limited opponents to 338.2 yards per game after surrendering 483.5 last seasonÂ
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- The Kats held WKU to 276 yards of total offense last week, the fewest allowed by Sam Houston against an FBS opponent since limiting FIU to 199 yards in a 10-7 victory in 2024. The Hilltoppers averaged just 3.7 yards per play and were held out of the end zone for the game's final three quartersÂ
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- Landyn Locke's 11 touchdown passes have averaged 34.5 yards, the second-highest average among FBS quarterbacks with at least 10 TD tosses this season. Locke's six touchdown passes of at least 30 yards are tied for sixth nationally and double the Kats' team total from the entire 2025 seasonÂ
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- Locke is the only CUSA quarterback ranked among the league's top two in both passing yards per game (236.3, second) and touchdown passes (11, tied second)Â
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- True freshmen Myles Joseph and Tr'e Williams have started alongside one another on the offensive line in each of the last two games. According to Stats Perform, Sam Houston is the only FBS team to start two true freshmen on the offensive line in the same game this seasonÂ
SAM HOUSTON vs THE AGGIESÂ
- Wednesday marks the fourth all-time meeting between Sam Houston and NM State, with the Aggies holding a 2-1 edge in a series in which the home team has won all three meetingsÂ
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- The Kats won the last meeting in Huntsville, 31-11, in 2024Â
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- Three members of NM State's defensive staff were together at Sam Houston during the Kats' 10-0 spring 2021 season that culminated in the program's first FCS national championship. Defensive coordinator Joe Morris spent three seasons at Sam Houston from 2021-23, serving as defensive coordinator during his final two, while linebackers coach Jared Hensley spent eight seasons with the Kats and defensive line coach Siddiq Haynes spent sevenÂ
THE LAST TIMEÂ
- NM State claimed a 37-10 victory in the teams' last meeting in 2025 in Las Cruces. The Aggies led 10-3 at halftime before Sam Houston pulled within 13-10 on the final play of the third quarter, but NM State answered with 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarterÂ
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- Naeten Mitchell capped the scoring with a 71-yard interception return for the AggiesÂ
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- NM State quarterback Logan Fife threw for 255 yards, while Hunter Watson passed for 222 yards for the Kats with Landan "Coco" Brown catching seven passes for 53 yardsÂ
PREGAME NOTESÂ
- Opposing quarterbacks have completed exactly 50 percent of their passes against Sam Houston, going 78-for-156 with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. The longest completion allowed by the Kats through six games has covered just 36 yardsÂ
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- Sam Houston is one of 21 FBS teams — and one of only three in CUSA — that has not allowed a 100-yard receiver this season. Texas Tech's Kenny Johnson owns the highest receiving total against the Kats with 60 yardsÂ
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- The Kats have broken up 29 passes through six games, led by Ishmel Atkins with five and Tyler Bailey and Railyn Adams with four apieceÂ
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- Sam Houston has recorded 34 tackles for loss and 12 sacks through six games, its highest totals in both categories through six games since joining the FBS ranks in 2023Â
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- Dean Ford registered a career-high 12 tackles against WKU, the first double-digit tackle performance by a Bearkat this season and the most by a Sam Houston linebacker since Kavian Gaither had 17 against Jax State in 2024. Ford has led the Kats in tackles in each of the last two games and enters Wednesday with a team-high 38 stopsÂ
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- True freshman MJ Dowdy has led Sam Houston in rushing in each of the last two games, totaling 42 yards on 11 carries at Liberty before establishing career highs with 14 carries for 55 yards against WKU. Dowdy is the first Bearkat true freshman running back to lead the team in rushing in consecutive games since Stevie Smith in 2002Â
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- Tim Burns Jr. leads Sam Houston with 393 all-purpose yards, producing 212 as a receiver, 96 on kickoff returns and 85 on punt returns. He is the only Bearkat with yardage as a receiver, kickoff returner and punt returner this season. His 85 punt-return yards on five returns against WKU surpassed the Kats' total of 35 punt-return yards through their first five gamesÂ
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- Grady O'Neill has caught 49 passes over his last nine games dating to Nov. 15, 2025, the most by a CUSA player during that span. O'Neill leads the Kats with 28 catches this seasonÂ
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- Sam Houston's 15 offensive touchdowns have been scored by 10 different players. Seven Bearkats have caught a touchdown passÂ
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- The Kats rank fourth in CUSA in third-down defense, holding opponents to 27 conversions on 84 attempts for a 32.1-percent success rateÂ
