New Mexico State football earns more postseason accolades
New Mexico State football coach Jerry Kill and Aggie players Ethan Albertson and Diego Pavia earned more Conference USA honors days after the Aggies earned a trip to the New Mexico Bowl with a 10-4 record.
The Aggies will play Fresno State at 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 16 in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. The game will be televised on ESPN and will be played at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico.
Kill earns CUSA Co-Coach of Year
Kill has instrumented one of the quickest turnarounds in all of college football and is now receiving recognition for his accomplishments with the Aggie program. Kill was named the Conference USA Co-Coach of the Year while also earning AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year honors. The Conference USA Co-Coach of the Year honor is an award voted on by the league's nine head coaches and is shared with Liberty's Jamey Chadwell. This marks the second time in his career that Kill has been awarded conference coach of the year honors after being named the 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year. Additionally, this is the fifth time in his career that Kill has earned AFCA regional coach of the year having done so twice at the FCS level (2003, 2004) and three times at the FBS level (2013, 2014, 2023). This season, the Cheney, Kansas native has led the Aggies to the program's second-ever 10-win season and the first since 1960. With Kill at the helm, the Aggies put together an eight-game win streak to mark their longest since in over 60 years.
Kicker Albertson earns award
After being named to the conference's first team on Tuesday, Aggie kicker Ethan Albertson has been named CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year. Albertson's selection comes on the heels of the kicker's best season of his career as the San Diego native knocked in 18 field goals to pace all Conference USA kickers while also ranking second in field goal percentage at .783. The mark of 18 made field goals is the most in a single season by any Aggie kicker in the history of the program. Albertson also garnered three CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week honors to lead all CUSA specialists this season. As a redshirt senior, Albertson also ranked first in the league in field goals per game (1.29) and total points scored (102) while ranking second in scoring (7.3 points per game). Albertson was also automatic on point-after-touchdown attempts — going 48-of-49 across 14 games this season. Entering bowl season, Albertson has managed at least one made field goal in 12 of the Aggies' 14 games this season, including connecting on two field goals in six contests this season. Albertson's talent proved vital in several games this season, specifically against LA Tech and Jax State as the Aggies went on to win both games by just three points.
Pavia named Offensive Player of Year
Pavia earned the honor based on a vote of the league's nine head coaches. Following an incredible back half of his debut season with the Aggies, Pavia has taken his game to an entirely different level during his junior campaign. Entering the Isleta New Mexico Bowl, the Albuquerque, N.M., native is one of just eight players in all of college football to lead his team in passing and rushing this season. On the year, Pavia is among the best in the conference in nearly every statistical category related to passing while his rushing stats also rank among the best running backs in the league.
With 14 games under his belt, Pavia has thrown for over 200 yards in eight games this season while rushing for over 75 yards in four games. In total, Pavia has led the Aggies in passing in all 14 games while also leading the team in rushing yards in six games this year. In his tremendous career with the Crimson and White, Pavia currently ranks ninth all-time in program history in passing yards with 4,365 to his name. Pavia is also one of just two quarterbacks in the Aggies' history to throw for over 4,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in his career — joining K.C. Enzminger who captained the Aggies from 1998-2001 and compiled 5,416 passing yards and 1,360 rushing yards during his career. In total, Pavia ranks third in rushing yards by an Aggie quarterback with 1,359 across 26 games. This number is also good for 22nd all-time in program history among all players. Pavia is also just 43 rushing yards from moving into the top 20.
More: NMSU football news 11 New Mexico State football players awarded All-Conference USA honors
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X (Formerly Twitter)
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New Mexico State football earns more postseason accolades
