Liberty vs NM State college game
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Liberty (7-1, 4-0 CUSA) heads to New Mexico State as a favorite of up to 17.5 points.
The Aggies haven't beaten Liberty since 2022 but kept the last two close.
Background
Liberty and New Mexico State are Conference USA (CUSA) football programs that joined the league together in 2023. Liberty, coached by Jamey Chadwell, has won seven straight since a season-opening loss to James Madison and leads CUSA in rushing offense and rushing defense. New Mexico State is 3-5 and coming off a 24-0 loss to Jacksonville State. The game is the 10th all-time meeting; Liberty leads the series 7-2 and has won four in a row.
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2018First-ever meeting: New Mexico State won 49-41 in Las Cruces.
- 2023Liberty beat New Mexico State 49-35 in the CUSA Championship Game after both teams joined the conference.
- Oct 14, 2025Liberty beat New Mexico State 30-27 in Lynchburg, Va., after Ryan Hawk missed a field goal on the final play.
- Oct 28, 2026New Mexico State lost 24-0 to Jacksonville State; Adam Damante passed for 25 yards on 7-of-20 attempts.
- Oct 31, 2026Liberty won 49-10 over Florida International; Deshawn Purdie threw for 227 yards on 16-of-19 passing.
- Nov 3, 2026Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell, tight end Zeke Wimbush and safety Izaiah Guy previewed the game at a press conference.
- Nov 5, 2026Liberty (7-1, 4-0 CUSA) was listed as a CUSA co-leader heading into the game at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M., on ESPNU.
- Nov 7, 2026Yahoo Sports/Action Network listed Liberty favored by 17.5 points with a moneyline of -1000 and a total of 46.5; kickoff 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPNU.
Key terms
- CUSA
- A U.S. collegiate athletic conference whose member schools compete in NCAA Division I sports, including top-level football.
- total
- A bet that the combined score of both teams will be higher than a number set by the sportsbook.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Caution
- The Las Cruces Sun-News noted New Mexico State has not beaten Liberty since 2022 but held late fourth-quarter leads in each of the last two meetings.
- Bears
- Bleacher Nation (Data Skrive) said the Aggies will need their best effort to pull off an upset as 15.5-point underdogs.