PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico football hits the road for the first time during the 2025 season as they prepare to face Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foe Colorado Mesa for just the fourth time in program history. Before the Greyhounds and Mavericks meet on September 6th, please take a look at the 4th and 1 Preview:

First Down – Opening Weekend Recap: The Greyhounds did not come away from the first matchup with an ideal result. The program fell to in-state rival New Mexico Highlands, 34-28, at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium. ENMU got off to a vital start forcing three turnovers and taking a 10-0 advantage. However, a late first half touchdown propelled NMHU to cut the deficit to 10-7. The second half saw the Cowboys take full control with a focus on powering the rushing attack. Eastern stayed within driving distance, but was unable to stop a scoring frenzy by the visiting team. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak the Hounds previously held on New Mexico Highlands.

Second Down – Designed to Run: Eastern posted 228 yards on the ground in last week's loss. Xavier Johnson led the program with 11 carries for 54 yards. Nicholas Harper (49 yards) and Elias Santana (43 yards) followed just behind. The only rushing touchdown of the game came from Chad Ragle who completed the game with 15 carries and 39 yards. Eight different Hounds ended up adding to the rushing total. Last season, ENMU hit the 200+ yard mark as a team in ten of the 11 games.

Third Down – Toss the Rock: ENMU threw for 200 passing yards last week. The Hounds finished 7-of-13 for two scores. Ragle led the passing attack with 168 yards and both touchdown throws. His longest completion of the game went for 65 yards. Eastern's most targeted receiver was Gerry Gomez who caught four passes for 94 yards and was responsible for both touchdown receptions. Dalton Flowers had a lengthy reception for 65 yards in the game. Robert Nora was part of a trick play in the season opener as he caught a 32-yard pass from Logan Howell.

Fourth Down – Needing Responses: Both Eastern New Mexico and Colorado Mesa are coming off losses in the opening week of action. CMU squared off against top-25 ranked Central Washington. The Mavericks lost 41-14 in their matchup. Quarterback Liu Aumavae was a strong part of CMU's offense with 192 passing yards going 18-for-27. He threw for two touchdowns and had an interception. One key stat was that CWU had nine different pass catchers. The most productive receiver was Trek Keyworth with four receptions for 147 yards and a score. Two underclassmen led Colorado Mesa in tackles. Freshman AJ Adams and sophomore George Soppe each had seven tackles. One key highlight for CMU is special teams. They were honored with special teams player of the week in the RMAC after Sullivan Moon averaged a 48.7 yard punt average with three kicks going longer than 50 yards. The Mavericks also feature preseason all-RMAC kick returner Kash Bradley.

&1 – Get Series(ous): This will be the fourth meeting between Eastern New Mexico and Colorado Mesa. CMU currently holds a 2-1 series advantage over ENMU. The first meeting between the programs came in 1983 with the Mavericks earning a 35-9 win in Grand Junction. The second meeting came as part of a home-and-home. CMU earned a 34-21 win in Portales during the 2018 season. Most recently, Eastern New Mexico bested Colorado Mesa, 44-37, in 2019 on the road. The Hounds finished the game with 440 rushing yards and clinched the victory in overtime after the Mavericks climbed back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. The overtime win saw the Hounds score early in the period and force the losing side to go four-and-out on the ensuing possession.