Pavia keys NMSU to victory over UTEP in 100th Battle of I-10

Oct. 18—EL PASO — The formula to a coveted rivalry win?

"You win with defense and you win with a good quarterback," New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill said. "And if you don't turn it over, you're gonna win most of the time. So football is pretty simple."

On Wednesday, the Aggies had both. And then some.

New Mexico State authored a stifling third quarter and rattled off three consecutive second-half touchdowns to win the 100th Battle of I-10 matchup, a 28-7 victory over UTEP on Wednesday in El Paso.

The Aggies' (5-3, 3-1) triumph marked their first over the Miners (2-6, 1-3) since 2019, and a season sweep of their primary rivals. In their first year back together in a conference, NMSU beat UTEP by more than two scores at the Sun Bowl for the first time since 1961 — the last time the universities separated by fewer than 60 miles shared a conference affiliation as members of the Border Conference.

But for his part, Kill was focused on another rarity. While scheduling usually allowed for NMSU to play one home and one away rivalry game each year, this was the first year the Aggies beat both New Mexico and UTEP on the road since 1923.

"At least I can say I wasn't around during that time. I'm not 100," Kill joked. "But that's a huge thing for us."

Last month, the Aggies beat the Lobos 27-17 in Albuquerque for their second straight Rio Grande Rivalry win.

On Wednesday, a year after putting up just 100 yards passing on seven completions in a 20-13 loss to the Miners, quarterback Diego Pavia reintroduced himself to the Battle of I-10 in style, completing 15 of 25 passes for 186 yards and rushing for 96 yards while accounting for four total touchdowns.

With the win, Pavia joined K.C. Enzminger as the only Aggie quarterbacks to surpass 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in their NMSU careers. Pavia was not made available to the media for the third straight week.

"He's a special competitor, a special player, all those things," Kill said of his quarterback, a Volcano Vista graduate. "The biggest thing is he's tough. And you leader, he's got to be tough ... When you have somebody that's tough playing that position, it gives you a chance to win."

Tight end Thomaz Whitford picked up his first multi-catch game of the season by hauling in both of Pavia's passing touchdowns while running back Ahmonte Watkins led the Aggies on the ground with 109 yards on 10 carries — marking his season-high in rushing yards and touches as well. Backup quarterback Eli Stowers continued to shine in his expanded offensive role, hauling in five receptions for 80 yards.

Jordan Vincent led NMSU with eight tackles in an overpowering defensive performance that reached its nadir in the third quarter. The Aggies held UTEP to just 24 total yards and 0.6 yards per play coming out of the half, putting them in position to run the Miners off the field.

And a week after dazzling in his first career start against FIU, UTEP quarterback Cade McConnell fell back to earth, completing 15 of 32 passes for 179 yards and no scores. Running back Deion Hankins led the Miners on the ground with 120 yards on 16 carries.

"I thought his performance was solid, but not good enough for us to win," UTEP head coach Dana Dimel said when asked about McConnell. "But it's definitely not on him why we didn't win by any means."

NMSU struck first with Pavia's 10-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter before UTEP's Hankins popped one for 54 yards to set up backup quarterback Kevin Hurley's 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Tied 7-7 and with a little over 90 seconds left in the first half, the Miners opted to punt on 4th and 1 from the 50-yard line. On the ensuing possession, the Aggies drove deep into UTEP territory before Pavia was brought down on a run to set up 4th and 3.

Then defensive end Praise Amaewhule tore through the protection and emphatically blocked Ethan Albertson's kick. Safety Trejon Hugue recovered and the Sun Bowl was the loudest it was all night as the clock ran out on the first half.

"We went in at halftime and said, 'hey, it's 0-0,'" Kill recalled. "'Now we're gonna go out and play the way we're supposed to.'"

Whatever momentum the Miners gained from Amewhule's block, it hardly translated into the second half. The Aggies wasted little time in the third quarter, driving 69 yards in just five plays to pull ahead 14-7 on Whitford's 6-yard receiving touchdown.

Then, after holding UTEP to a five-and-out, Pavia pulled the ball on 2nd and 15 and raced down the sideline for a 41-yard rushing TD, his second of the game.

As UTEP started a dismal stretch of four straight turnovers on downs to close the game, NMSU kept its foot on the gas. Pavia threw for the final score, a 16-yard Whitford reception, to make it 28-7 with 13 minutes left.

When it was all said and done, NMSU had outscored the Miners by 21 points in the second half. NMSU kneeled out the clock on a 28-7 victory with 30 seconds to go, taking the Mayor's Cup (Brass Spittoon) and Silver Spade trophy back to Las Cruces.