PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico football team left no doubt in a 55-9 victory over rival Western New Mexico on homecoming weekend to take home the inaugural Chile Bowl on Saturday evening.

Eastern (2-5, 2-3 LSC) totaled a season high 457 yards rushing on the evening and scored seven rushing touchdowns to dominate their in-state rivals in front of alumni and fans inside Greyhound Stadium. The Hounds jumped out to a 28-3 halftime advantage and never looked back, finishing off the contest with 27 unanswered points to capture their first home victory of 2018.

Quarterback Wyatt Strand led the way on the ground for the Hounds with 98 yards rushing on just eight attempts and a touchdown on a night in which the Hounds averaged 6.4 yards per rush. Junior Paul Terry scored two touchdowns on the ground with 80 yards on 20 carries as Eastern had five players record rushing touchdowns.

Eastern found pay dirt on four of their first six drives and never gave up control of the game the rest of the way in. Western (0-6, 0-3 LSC) put their lone touchdown of the game on the board following their opening drive of the second half to narrow the advantage down to 28-9, but a 41-yard pass from wide receiver Russell Montoya to tailback Johnny Smith at the 1:08 mark of the third quarter effectively ended any chance of a Mustang comeback as the Hounds used Terry, Cambry Gilbert, and Matthew Askew-Betts rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tally a season-high 55 points.

Gilbert found the end zone on two of his three carries for the night while totaling 31 yards. Freshman Kazyan Martin was the final Hound to record a rushing touchdown and finished the night with 70 yards on nine carries.

Smith continued to produce in multiple categories for the Hounds with 71 yards on seven carries and two receptions for 83 yards and a score. Strand added 72 yards through the air, completing 3-of-6 passing attempts.

Sophomore Noah Sweitzer had a career night for a Hounds defense that stood strong when it counted and held the Mustangs to just 8-of-17 conversions on third down for the night. Sweitzer recorded 11 total tackles, four of which were for a loss.

Eastern New Mexico will now turn their attention to their second consecutive rival and will travel over to Canyon, Texas for the annual Wagon Wheel game against West Texas A&M next Saturday at 5 p.m.