PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico football's final game of the 2023 season is Saturday against Western New Mexico on the road. Before the Greyhounds head to Silver City, please take a look at the 4th & 1:

First Down – The Wheel Stays Home: Eastern New Mexico kept the Wagon Wheel where it belongs with a 35-27 win over West Texas A&M Saturday afternoon. The victory marks two in-a-row for the Hounds and the third for head coach Kelley Lee as the leader of the program. Eastern controls the series advantage, 19-18, and the Wagon Wheel matchup, 18-17. The Hounds have won eight of the last eleven meetings against WT, including a shutout victory in Canyon, Texas in 2018.

Second Down – Trophy In Sight: The Greyhounds will be playing for another trophy this weekend as the Chile Bowl is up for grabs. Western New Mexico won the trophy for the first time in program history in 2022. The game first played for the coveted trophy in 2018. This year, ENMU is looking at finishing the season perfect against teams from the Land of Enchantment. Eastern beat New Mexico Highlands earlier this year and New Mexico Highlands beat Western New Mexico. A win would mark ENMU as the top program record-wise among New Mexico DII schools.

Third Down – Epic Honors: Two Greyhounds earned recognition from the Lone Star Conference this week. Mario Sanchez was named LSC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing 20 times for 118 yards and three scores. He added 5-of-10 through the air for 167 yards and a touchdown. He helped Eastern New Mexico total 500 or more yards for a second-straight game. Punter Francisco Moreno Gonzalez was named LSC Special Teams Player of the Week after his three-punt performance Saturday. He averaged 50.7 yards per attempt, including pinning two inside the 20-yard line. This was the first conference honor for both players.

Fourth Down – Revenge Game: Western New Mexico beat Eastern, 38-24, in 2022. In the game, WNMU threw for 316 yards and ran for 118 yards. Two different receivers managed 100+ yard days and added a touchdown each. Two current Hounds earned offensive stats during the contest. Isaiah Tate ran for 19 yards and Jace Martin caught a touchdown pass. Beau Burns and Kevin McCracken tied for second most tackles among ENMU defenders with six total. Both managed to credit a tackle for loss. Eastern cut the deficit within three points early in the fourth quarter, but Western New Mexico managed to score two more touchdowns before time expired.

&1 – Hounds History: The series between the two in-state foes in slightly lopsided. ENMU holds the overall advantage, 43-16-2. Before the loss in 2022, Eastern held a 16-game winning streak that stretched for 29 years. The last time Eastern New Mexico lost in Silver City came in 1993 when the Mustangs earned a 37-7 victory. The largest margin of victory for Eastern is a 70-7 result in 2001. On the road in the series, the Greyhounds are 19-9-2.