The first Wednesday night football game in Las Cruces, NM was a celebration for the home team. New Mexico State (3-3, 1-1 CUSA), which transitioned from independent status this offseason, earned its first-ever CUSA victory in weeknight action, pushing past FIU (3-3, 0-3 CUSA), 34-17.
It was a revenge game of sorts for head coach Jerry Kill and the Aggies, which fell 21-7 to the Panthers in last year’s non-conference meeting in Las Cruces. The star of this year’s grudge match was dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia, who contributed three total touchdowns in the victory. Pavia threw for 256 yards and added 46 as a rusher, helping New Mexico State outpace FIU, 439-397, in the battle of offensive production.