Las Vegas, New Mexico - After playing back-to-back home games the New Mexico Highlands football team takes to the road for its longest trip of the year, traveling over 710 miles, to play Black Hills State. Game time in Spearfish is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday. The Cowboys enter Saturday's game at 2-3 overall and 1-2 in RMAC play. The Yellow Jackets are 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference action heading into tomorrow's game with the Cowboys.
The Series: Saturday's game marks the 11th time that New Mexico Highlands and Black Hills State have met on the gridiron. The two teams split the previous meetings 5-5. The Cowboys have won three straight in the series including a 30-28 victory last year in Las Vegas.
Scouting Black Hills State University: Black Hills State is led by Head Coach Josh Breske. Breske, who played for BHSU from 2005-2009, has been at the helm of the Yellow Jackets since 2020.
BHSU is among the NCAA leaders in multiple statistical categories through five games. Offensively, they are 17th in passing offense, 18th in passing efficiency, and 19th in pass completion percentage. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets have blocked three kicks this season which ranks 13th nationally.
"Black Hills will be very motivated on Saturday," said Coach Hudson. "This is a great test for us. Are we going to allow distractions to take us out of our game?"
Hudson File: Head Coach
Ron Hudson is in his second season at the helm of the Cowboys. He was introduced as the Head Coach at NMHU on January 6th, 2022. Hudson is a graduate of Muskingum College (OH) where he was a four-year starting center for the Fighting Muskies football team.
Last Outing: New Mexico Highlands endured a slow start and an extensive weather delay last Saturday afternoon at Sanchez Family Stadium in losing to Adams State 21-14. The Grizzlies jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the halftime break. The two teams then spent nearly four hours in their respective locker rooms as the Las Vegas area was hit with a storm that included hail and lighting. In the second half, NMHU scored the only points of the second half on the opening drive.
"We've got questions to answer," Said Head Coach
Ron Hudson when asked about Saturday's loss to Adams State. "Slow starts in back-to-back games are kicking our butts. It's not a video game, you can't hit the restart button in these games. We don't have the grit we showed earlier in the season," Hudson continued.
The Coney Effect: Devin Coney continues his stellar play for the Cowboys ranking among the RMAC leaders in several defensive categories. The senior from Independence, Louisiana, is 2nd in tackles (8.8/game) and 3rd in tackles for loss (1.1/game).
"Devin is playing really well for us right now," said Coach Hudson. "More than that, he is a phenomenal young man. Every week during the season the team votes on captains and every week since last October the team has selected Devin as their captain."
By The Numbers: Four weeks into the season, the Cowboys are averaging 20.4 points per game on offense while giving up just under 32 points per game. NMHU is 3rd in the RMAC and 34th in NCAA Division II with 184.0 rushing yards per game.
Roster Break Down: This year's edition of the Cowboy's roster features 39 freshmen, 14 sophomores, 24 juniors, and 22 Seniors. 13 different states are represented on this year's roster with California (32), New Mexico (31), and Texas (16) leading the way.
Up Next: The Cowboys return home next Saturday afternoon to face Colorado State University - Pueblo at Sanchez Family Stadium. Kickoff with the ThuderWolves is set for 12:00 pm.
Home Schedule: The Cowboys have three games remaining at Sanchez Family Stadium this fall. Single game tickets are available for purchase now at
NMHU Tickets.
Keep Up With The Cowboys: For all the latest news on NMHU Football, log on to
NMHUAthletics.com and be sure to follow the team on X
@NMHUFootball.
