PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico football concluded its 2026 season Saturday evening, falling to #19 Midwestern State, 57-32, at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium. The Greyhounds finished with 482 yards of total offense, including 324 through the air, while scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Clifton Cooper led the Greyhounds offensively, completing 14 of 23 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns while adding 74 rushing yards and a score. Mekhi Norris led the receiving corps with 104 yards and a touchdown on four receptions, while Trei Kibbles added 91 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Kyler Fossett also contributed four receptions for 56 yards and a score.
Midwestern State (9-2, 8-1 LSC) opened the scoring with a six-yard rushing touchdown from Joseph Dodds before Fabian Baez added a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Mustangs a 14-0 advantage after the opening quarter.
Eastern New Mexico (0-11, 0-9 LSC) responded early in the second quarter with a 21-yard field goal from Clayton Vincent, capping a nine-play, 64-yard drive. The Greyhounds' defense held Midwestern State scoreless throughout the second quarter, keeping the deficit at 14-3 heading into halftime. ENMU nearly added another score before the break, marching 94 yards on 14 plays before time expired with the ball at the Mustangs' one-yard line.
Midwestern State extended its lead to 21-3 early in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown reception by Junior Heimuli. The Greyhounds answered with a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 44-yard touchdown connection between Cooper and Kibbles to cut the deficit to 21-9. The Mustangs responded with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kaden Brown to Dominic Cox, taking a 28-9 lead into the final quarter.
The Mustangs opened the fourth quarter with consecutive touchdowns to extend their advantage to 43-9. Eastern New Mexico responded with a pair of scoring drives, beginning with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Cooper to Norris. Lucas George connected with Cooper on the two-point conversion pass to bring the score to 43-17.
The Greyhounds continued their offensive production later in the quarter as Cooper found Fossett for a two-yard touchdown, completing an eight-play, 70-yard drive to cut the deficit to 43-24 with 5:19 remaining.
After Midwestern State added another touchdown, Eastern New Mexico found the end zone once more. Cooper capped a three-play, 21-yard drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion from Elias Santana. The Mustangs added a final touchdown in the closing seconds to secure the 57-32 victory.
Eastern New Mexico finished with 21 first downs and converted nine of its 16 third-down opportunities. The Greyhounds rushed for 158 yards, with Jose Trevino contributing 55 yards on 10 carries. Darwin Parker added three receptions for 70 yards, while Fossett totaled 74 yards on a kickoff return.
Defensively, Matthew Quartieri led the Greyhounds with a game-high 14 tackles, including one tackle for loss. Julian Williams followed with 13 stops, while Robert Nora recorded nine tackles and a forced fumble. Dylan Quartieri added eight tackles, and Xander Holt registered six tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Zebadiah Thompson provided a defensive highlight with an interception and 20-yard return, while adding four tackles and two pass breakups. Bryce Pobuda also contributed three pass breakups.
Midwestern State finished with 629 yards of total offense, including 460 rushing yards. Dodds led the Mustangs with 196 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Kenji Johnson added 126 yards and a score. Brown threw four touchdown passes in the victory.
The contest marked the conclusion of Eastern New Mexico's 2026 campaign, with the Greyhounds finishing 0-11 overall and 0-9 in Lone Star Conference play.
