Midwestern St. Defeats Eastern N.M. 57-32 for 9Th Win

Midwestern St. defeated Eastern N.M. 57-32 on Saturday in Portales, N.M.

The Mustangs racked up 460 rushing yards and 33 first downs, sealing a 9-2 overall record and an 8-1 conference standing. Eastern N.M. fell to 0-11 overall and 0-9 in conference play following the loss.

Midwestern St. controlled the tempo early, putting up two touchdowns and executing a fourth-down red-zone stop to take a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Joseph Dodds powered the ground game, converting an opening 42-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run at the 11:20 mark. After the defense halted the Greyhounds on fourth-and-5 at the MSU 11, the Mustangs marched 89 yards in 1:09, capped by a 10-yard touchdown reception from Fabian Baez.

The defensive unit continued its strong play into the second quarter, stopping a 94-yard Eastern N.M. drive at the 1-yard line as time expired in the half. Ethan Dishman made the tackle on the final play to keep the halftime score at 14-3, preserving MSU’s lead despite a 21-yard field goal from the Greyhounds earlier in the period.

Midwestern St. controlled much of the third quarter, scoring on both completed possessions and carrying a 28-9 lead into the fourth. Kaden Brown connected with Aanjay Feliciano on a 1-yard touchdown pass at 9:37, and later found Dominic Cox for a 25-yard score at 5:56, effectively putting the game out of reach as the defense repeatedly forced turnovers on downs.

The fourth quarter featured 29 points from the Mustangs without punting. Brown tossed a 5-yard touchdown to Brock Temple, and Kenji Johnson sprinted for a 24-yard score following a fumble recovery by Ronald Manning. Though Eastern N.M. answered with quick scores—including a 74-yard kickoff return—Brown and Sean Jastrab kept the chains moving. Jastrab completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jose Rangel with eight seconds remaining.

Brown finished the day completing 16 of 25 passes for 150 yards and five touchdowns while adding 33 rushing yards. Dodds carried the ball 24 times for 196 yards and a touchdown, and Johnson contributed 126 rushing yards and a score on 14 carries.

Midwestern St. Defeats Eastern N.M. 57-32 for 9Th Win

With those numbers, Brown set new single-season records for passing touchdowns (36) and passing yards (3,338). The Mustangs posted their 7th highest single-game rushing total, the most since 2013.

For Eastern N.M., Clifton Cooper completed 14 of 23 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns while rushed 27 times for 74 yards and a score. Mekhi Norris caught four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, and Matthew Quartieri finished with 14 tackles.

Midwestern St. now waits for its postseason fate to be announced, as the Mustangs hope to hear their name called during NCAA DII Football Selection Show. The online selection show can be seen at NCAA.com at 5 p.m. (CT).

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