PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico football continues its road schedule with a trip to play UT Permian Basin Saturday night at 5 p.m. MT. Before the Greyhounds battle the Falcons, please read the 4th & 1:
First Down – Road Trip Recap: A brief second half lead for the Hounds was not enough to get past Central Washington Saturday night in Ellensburg, Washington. The two LSC foes traded offensive possessions quite equally. The largest lead for either team came in the fourth quarter when CWU controlled the contest, 38-28. The Hounds had a chance late in the fourth quarter to post a stop on a third down play, but the Wildcats successfully managed to gain the first down and wind down the clock.
Second Down – Tough Slate: For a third-straight week, ENMU will face a conference opponent receiving votes in the national poll. This week, the Greyhounds will challenge themselves with a Falcon squad with 20 votes in the top 25 ranking system. Three teams in the LSC are receiving votes – Texas A&M-Kingsville (24), UTPB (20), and Central Washington (2). Angelo State is the only team in the league ranked as they sit as the No. 20 program. This is the first season since 2019 with ENMU facing three or more opponents receiving votes in the poll.
Third Down – Youthful Contributions: One of the neat aspects of
Kelley Lee's squad is the fact that 18 freshmen are contributing to the program midway through the season. Five of those players have appeared in all six games. True freshmen
Elijah Zeh,
Micah Lewis, and
Kaden Bell have made major impacts early in the season. Zeh is the team's leading rusher with 496 total yards on the ground. Lewis is second on the team with three pass breakups and has one interception in 2023. Bell has been the only kicker to play this year as he is nearly perfect from his PAT's (24-25) and is 3-for-5 from field goal attempts.
Fourth Down – Breaking the History: ENMU and UTPB are meeting for the seventh time in program history. The overall series is tied after the Falcons have won three-straight, including a close 24-21 win in Portales a year ago. Current Hound,
Isaiah Tate rushed for 93 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards in the three-point loss.
Beau Burns and
Talon Sanders earned pass breakups. The only win for Eastern in Odessa came in 2016 when they beat the conference foe, 34-3.
&1 – Offensive Showdown: UTPB has shifted its program offensively in major ways during the 2023 season. The Falcons scored 265 points a season ago and have already eclipsed that mark as they have 300 pints through the first six games of the campaign. UTPB averages 273.5 passing yards per game. Only one team has posted more than 225 yards through the air versus ENMU. Sul Ross State finished with 267 yards passing in a blow-out win for Eastern at the beginning of the season. The Falcons have scored a whopping 40 touchdowns.
