SILVER CITY, N.M. — Western New Mexico defeated Eastern N.M. 61-55 on Saturday in the Green Chile Bowl, a game that also included homecoming and hall of fame recognition. Western New Mexico ran for 419 yards and six touchdowns, with
Jase Ashley (Phoenix, AZ/Horizon High School) adding a 78-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Western New Mexico paired a 419-yard rushing game with 242 passing yards, six rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns while finishing without a turnover. Ashley supported that production with 242 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 156 rushing yards and two rushing scores, and Western New Mexico also hit explosive touchdowns of 78 and 69 yards. Eastern N.M. matched the pace with 630 yards, 36 first downs and an 8-for-8 red-zone finish, keeping the game high-scoring throughout.
After Eastern N.M.'s opening touchdown, Western New Mexico turned the first quarter around, answering with two rushing scores to finish the quarter ahead 13-7.
Zakkarii Black (Sacramento, CA/Charter Oak High School) capped a 75-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, and
Devon Nofoa-Masoe (Tacoma, WA/Lakes High School) later finished a 97-yard march with a 14-yard touchdown run. Western New Mexico produced 114 rushing yards and converted three of four third downs in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Western New Mexico answered a 21-20 deficit with an 11-play, 63-yard drive, converting fourth-and-10 on
Joshua Gaines' (Chandler, AZ/Basha High School) 10-yard run before Gaines scored from 4 yards and
Nathan Flores' (Albuquerque, NM/La Cueva High School) extra point made it 27-21. Earlier, Ashley hit Black for a 69-yard touchdown that put Western New Mexico ahead 20-14 after the extra point. The defense forced a punt after Gaines' touchdown, and Western New Mexico drove 50 yards in the final 1:14, with Ashley finding
Demarion Postell (Tolleson, AZ/Tolleson Union High School) for a 4-yard touchdown at 0:00 to close the second quarter ahead 34-21.
Eastern N.M. put Western New Mexico under pressure in the third quarter, scoring on a 75-yard opening drive and later an 86-yard march to make it 41-35. Western New Mexico's answer came in between, when Ashley completed passes of 32 yards to
Kohen Matus (Clovis, NM/Clovis High School) and 26 yards to
Joshua Gaines (Chandler, AZ/Basha High School) before scoring on a 6-yard run, with
Nathan Flores' (Albuquerque, NM/La Cueva High School) extra point making it 41-28. Western New Mexico moved from its 46 to the Eastern N.M. 30 on its final possession before the third quarter expired with a 41-35 lead.
Western New Mexico's biggest fourth-quarter responses came on the ground, as Ashley broke a 78-yard touchdown run to make it 54-42 with 7:13 left and Nofoa-Masoe finished a 75-yard drive with a 24-yard score for a 61-48 lead with 1:06 remaining. Earlier, Ashley threw a 25-yard touchdown to
Dennis Ionica (Surprise, AZ/Sandra Day O'Connor High School), and
Tyvel Calloway's (Peoria, AZ/Liberty High School) fourth-down tackle helped turn Eastern N.M. over on downs at the Western New Mexico 39. Eastern N.M. scored with 59 seconds left, but Western New Mexico took over at the ENM45 after the onside kick and knelt out a 61-55 win.
Ashley completed 12 of 19 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 13 times for 156 yards and two more scores. Nofoa-Masoe carried 26 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Black caught four passes for 105 yards and a touchdown and added a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
Anthony Coleman (Destrehan, LA) recorded seven tackles, half a sack and an interception.
Clifton Cooper completed 22 of 30 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown and rushed 21 times for 168 yards and four touchdowns. Darwin Parker caught six passes for a team-high 103 yards, while Jose Trevino rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Matthew Quartieri recorded a team-high 12 tackles.
Western New Mexico is 2-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play. Eastern N.M. is 0-6 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
Up next, the Western New Mexico football team travels to Alpine, Texas, to face Sul Ross State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m.
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Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (X, TikTok & Instagram).
