PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico football will take the lengthy trip to Ellensburg, Wash. for a Saturday night matchup against No. 16 Central Washington. Before the conference battle between the Greyhounds and Wildcats, please read the 4th and 1 Preview:

First Down – Dub Secured: Eastern New Mexico totaled 638 yards in a dominating 56-31 win over Midwestern State two weeks ago. ENMU set a stadium record in Wichita Falls, Texas as they ran for 453 rushing yards. The Hounds had ten different rushers in the contest. Kyler Fossett led the program with 96 yards on just six carries. Five different players posted rushing scores in the victory. Another key performer was Demarion Finch who went for 93 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Elias Santana had a productive outing with 88 yards on six carries and a 42-yard rushing score. Eastern saw great production from J.J. Silver and Aaron Warren on the defensive side of the ball. Silver had nine tackles and Warren had eight tackles and an interception early in the second quarter.

Second Down – Hounds Can Pass: ENMU and CWU both rank in the top five in the nation in rushing yards per game. Eastern New Mexico also has shown the ability to spread the offense with the pass game. The Greyhounds are averaging 130.3 passing yards per game and have thrown five touchdown passes in 2025. Two weeks ago, starting quarterback Chad Ragle went a perfect 4-for-4 for 185 yards and two scores. Ragle is nearing 600 career passing yards as he currently sits with 596 total over 15 appearances with ENMU. The top receiving threat for Eastern is Gerry Gomez who has ten catches for 166 yards and three scores. Another player to watch down the field is Dalton Flowers who has posted five catches for 164 yards this season.

Third Down – Leaders On Defense: Four Greyhound have at least 25 tackles this year. Newcomer Aaron Warren has been a bright spot for the program with 33 tackles and four pass breakups. In the last game, Warren earned his first interception as a Hound to help Eastern establish the go-ahead scoring drive. Matthew Quartieri is coming off a 2024 season that saw him rack up 103 total tackles. He is continuing to be a leader on the field with 29 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. He also has provided great pressure for the program with three quarterback hurries. J.J. Silver also has 29 total tackles and earned his lone interception of the season in the team's home opener against New Mexico Highlands back in August. Lastly, Cyrus Moore has 25 tackles and a pass breakup. His best game came against Angelo State as he earned 11 tackles, including one for loss.



Fourth Down – Nothing Wild Here: No. 16 Central Washington is one of the most fine-tuned programs in NCAA DII. They come into Saturday's conference contest with a 3-1 record and have outscored DII opponents, 184-51. CWU is coming off a 91-31 win over Western New Mexico. In the contest, they scored seven touchdowns on the ground. The team's leading rusher was Justice Taylor who darted for 169 yards on 17 attempts. Taylor finished the night with a team-high, three touchdowns. CWU did not need to establish the passing game, but still managed to garner 165 passing yards and three passing scores. Central Washington boasts one of the best defenses in the country as the rank in the top 20 nationally in passes interception (8), rushing defense (83.5 yards per game), and red zone defense (61.5% opponent success rate). Another strong part is their special teams unit who was responsible for two kickoff returns for scores in the win over WNMU.

&1 - Looking For A First: Central Washington leads the overall series against Eastern New Mexico, 4-0. CWU has scored 38+ points in each game against ENMU. The two teams began competing annually in 2021 with the Wildcats earning their most decisive affair with a 66-24 result in Portales. The one time the programs met in Ellensburg saw Central Washington secure victory by just a singular possession. The 38-35 contest in 2023 saw the two teams trade scores until ENMU took a 28-24 lead late in the third quarter. However, CWU was able to score 14-straight points and give themselves a large enough cushion to close out the game with a three point win. CWU defensive lineman Chase Loidhamer had a career-most eight tackles against Eastern in 2023. Kennedy McGill has also posted strong numbers against the Hounds as he boasted 165 passing yards and 114 rushing yards in the win from 2024. Eastern New Mexico is looking for the first win in program history over Central Washington. In fact, CWU is the only institution in the league who Kelley Lee has not earned a coaching victory against. Saturday's game will be available through radio on 105.9FM KSEL Country and on streaming via FloCollege.