PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico is coming off two-straight victories and will head to play No. 17 UT Permian Basin on the road this Saturday. Before the Lone Star Conference foes go to battle, please take a look at the 4th and 1 Preview:

First Down – Beat The Lobos: Eastern New Mexico earned a 40-34 win over Sul Ross State last week. The effort was aided by an impressive 444 rushing yards by the Greyhounds. Jarius Stewart led ENMU in the ground game for a second week in-a-row as he totaled 160 yards over 23 carries. He added two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. Stewart was coming off an NCAA record performance as he holds the top rushing total in a single game by a quarterback with 382 yards in a win over Western New Mexico. The Port Lavaca, Texas native has combined for seven rushing scores over the last two games.

Second Down – Key Options Offensively: Not only did Stewart play an important role in Saturday's win, but several other Hounds made a difference offensively. Full back Demarion Finch has made a major impact over the last three weeks for ENMU and the matchup with SRSU was another strong outing for the freshman. Finch put up 92 yards on 21 carries while adding two touchdowns. He now is second on the team with eight rushing scores. Another key weapon for ENMU is William Reynolds who had 83 yards on 13 carries. Chad Ragle continues to be one of the best rushers for Eastern with 70 yards on nine carries. The passing game was supported by wideout Gerry Gomez who caught two passes for 46 yards and a score.

Third Down – Keeping Up: Eastern New Mexico is averaging 318.8 rushing yards per game which ranks third nationally and first in the conference. Three players rank in the top eight in rushing yards per game. Jarius Stewart leads the LSC with 108.6 per game. Demarion Finch has the fourth highest total with 75.9 per contest. Chad Ragle is eighth in the LSC with 56.1 yards per outing. Another area where Eastern succeeds is averaging 33:48 in time of possession this season. The Hounds are tenth nationally in that category. ENMU also converts opportunities to lengthen drives at a fairly high rate. Eastern is fifth in the LSC with a 43.5% third down conversion rate and third in the conference with a 61.1% fourth down conversion rate.

Fourth Down – Falcons Forecast: No. 17 UT Permian Basin is on the hunt for a trip to the NCAA DII playoffs. They made the field in 2023 after winning the conference title and are seeking a second appearance in a span of three years. With seven wins overall and five conference wins, UTPB is ninth in the most recent regional rankings. They sit one spot behind Western Oregon and one spot ahead of Southern Arkansas. UT Permian Basin has one of the best defenses in the nation as they limit offenses to 16.8 points per game and just 284.8 yards per game. They are also great at limiting penalties as they only have 4.78 called per game. Just like the Hounds, they do a great job at converting on third and fourth down. The third down rate sits at 46.5% and their fourth down rate is 70%.

&1 – Defensive Notes: UT Permian Basin's Tristan Exline was named the preseason Lone Star Conference defensive player of the year. He has lived up to those expectations by leading the team with 74 tackles (11.5 for loss). He has three sacks and three quarterback hurries. Last week in a win over Western New Mexico he had nine total tackles. Eastern New Mexico's defensive core is led by Aaron Warren and Matthew Quartieri. Warren has 68 tackles with 45 solo tackles in that bunch. Another area Warren excels in is his seven pass breakups which is in the top five in the Lone Star Conference. Quartieri has 66 tackles with 7.5 for loss.