Eastern New Mexico University's football team is preparing to face No. 17-ranked UT Permian Basin this Saturday, following two consecutive victories in the Lone Star Conference.
Last week, Eastern New Mexico secured a 40-34 win over Sul Ross State, highlighted by an impressive 444 rushing yards. Quarterback Jarius Stewart led the ground attack for the second straight week, accumulating 160 yards on 23 carries and scoring two rushing touchdowns as well as one receiving touchdown. Stewart recently set an NCAA record for most rushing yards in a single game by a quarterback with 382 yards against Western New Mexico. Over the past two games, he has scored seven rushing touchdowns.
Full back Demarion Finch has also contributed significantly in recent weeks, recording 92 yards on 21 carries and adding two touchdowns against Sul Ross State. Finch now ranks second on the team with eight rushing scores this season. William Reynolds added 83 yards on 13 carries, while Chad Ragle had 70 yards on nine carries. Wide receiver Gerry Gomez supported the passing game with two catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Eastern New Mexico averages 318.8 rushing yards per game, ranking third nationally and first in their conference. Three players—Stewart (108.6), Finch (75.9), and Ragle (56.1)—are among the top eight rushers in the conference based on average yards per game. The team also maintains strong time of possession at nearly 34 minutes per game, which places them tenth nationally in that category. Their third down conversion rate stands at 43.5%, fifth-best in the conference, while their fourth down conversion rate is third-best at 61.1%.
UT Permian Basin enters Saturday's matchup aiming for another NCAA Division II playoff appearance after winning the conference title last year and making it to postseason play in 2023. With seven overall wins and five within the conference, they are currently ranked ninth regionally—just behind Western Oregon and ahead of Southern Arkansas—and have one of the nation's top defenses, allowing only 16.8 points and about 285 total yards per game while averaging fewer than five penalties called each contest.
Defensively for UT Permian Basin, Tristan Exline was named preseason Lone Star Conference defensive player of the year and leads his team with 74 tackles—including eleven-and-a-half for loss—three sacks, and three quarterback hurries; he recorded nine tackles last week against Western New Mexico.
On defense for Eastern New Mexico, Aaron Warren leads with a total of sixty-eight tackles—forty-five solo—and is among the top five in pass breakups within their conference with seven this season; Matthew Quartieri follows closely with sixty-six tackles including seven-and-a-half for loss.
