SILVER CITY, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico University football put together its highest-scoring performance of the season Saturday afternoon, but fell short in a 61-55 shootout against Western New Mexico in the annual Chile Bowl at Ben Altamirano Field. The Greyhounds totaled 630 yards of offense and eight touchdowns but were unable to overcome the Mustangs, falling to 0-6 overall and 0-4 in Lone Star Conference play.
Quarterback
Clifton Cooper led the Greyhound offense with an impressive performance, accounting for five total touchdowns and 463 yards of offense. Cooper completed 22 of 30 passes for 295 yards and one touchdown while adding 168 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries.
Jose Trevino contributed 59 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while
Emeka Megwa added 36 yards and a score. Through the air,
Darwin Parker led Eastern with six receptions for 103 yards, followed by
Trei Kibbles with four catches for 74 yards.
Eastern opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run from Trevino midway through the first quarter. Western New Mexico responded with two touchdowns to take a 13-7 advantage into the second quarter. The Greyhounds regained the lead early in the second on a five-yard touchdown run from Cooper before the Mustangs answered with a 69-yard touchdown pass. Trevino's second touchdown of the afternoon, a 15-yard rush, put ENMU back in front 21-20 with 8:59 remaining in the half. However, Western New Mexico scored twice before halftime to take a 34-21 lead into the break.
The Greyhounds came out strong in the second half, marching 75 yards on 11 plays to open the third quarter with Cooper's second rushing touchdown. Following another Mustang score, Eastern put together an 86-yard drive capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Cooper to
Dawson Hall, cutting the deficit to 41-35 entering the final quarter.
The fourth quarter featured a combined 40 points as both offenses continued to produce. After Western New Mexico extended its lead to 48-35, Cooper found the end zone on a 20-yard rush to bring Eastern within six. The Mustangs answered with a 78-yard touchdown run before Megwa scored from five yards out to make it 54-48 with 3:54 remaining. Western New Mexico added another touchdown with 1:06 left, but the Greyhounds responded with a quick 55-yard scoring drive, capped by Cooper's fourth rushing touchdown with 59 seconds remaining. The late push was not enough as the Mustangs held on for the six-point victory.
Eastern finished with 335 rushing yards and 295 passing yards, recording 36 first downs and converting 9-of-14 third-down opportunities. The Greyhounds were also perfect in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on all eight trips inside the Western New Mexico 20-yard line. Defensively,
Matthew Quartieri led ENMU with 12 total tackles, including eight solo stops, while
Xander Holt added eight tackles and
Robert Nora finished with seven.
Western New Mexico totaled 661 yards of offense, including 419 on the ground. Devon Nofoa-Masoe led the Mustangs with 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Jase Ashley accounted for five total touchdowns, throwing for 242 yards and rushing for another 156.
Despite the loss, Eastern's offensive production highlighted a competitive afternoon in Silver City, with the two teams combining for 116 points and 1,291 yards of total offense.
The Chile Bowl trophy returns back to the Mustangs for the first time since 2023. Eastern New Mexico still holds the 6-3 lead since the bowl was established and 45-18-2 all time in the two's history.
The Greyhounds will turn ahead to next week's rivalry matchup against West Texas A&M., accompaning the festivities of ENMU Homecoming. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. in Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium on Saturday, October 17
th.
