The lights will finally come back on Saturday at Aggie Memorial Stadium for what will be a unique college football opening night.
A New Mexico State team with a slew of first-time performers will host I-10 rival UTEP for the first collegiate game in Las Cruces in 644 days. Oddly enough, the Aggies and Miners met in the last pre-pandemic game at Aggie Memorial (a 44-35 NMSU win to cap 2019), and New Mexico State played its two recent spring games at UTEP’s Sun Bowl.
Still, Saturday night offers a chance for these longtime combatants to get back together after COVID-19 canceled last year’s meeting for just the third time since 1945.