Southeast Missouri State vs New Mexico State Picks and Prediction – 9/1/2024

On August 31st, Tom Matukewicz and the South East Missouri State Redhawks will head to Aggie Memorial Stadium to take on Tony Sanchez and the New Mexico State Aggies. Get our free College Football Picks all season long!

The South East Missouri State Redhawks 2023 season was plagued with injuries and defined by missed opportunities for the Redhawks, as SEMO lost four games by five points or less. Over the past five seasons, the Redhawks have won two conference championships and made three appearances in the FCS Playoffs, but they have lacked the consistency needed to become a yearly contender. This season the Redhawks are returning 13 starters, 7 on offense and 6 on defense. Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent returns after being limited to six games due to injury last season. DeLaurent exploded on the scene in 2022, throwing for 2,684 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Redhawks lost their top running back and top two receivers from last years team. SEMO struggled defensively last season, ranking last in the Big South-OVC in total defense. The Redhawks struggled in the secondary last season, allowing over 300 yards per game, which ranked last in the conference. Linebacker Bryce Norman will lead the defensive unit after earning first-team All-Conference honors in back-to-back seasons, and Defensive tackle Steven Lewis enters this season with over 30 career starts, including an All-Conference season in 2022.

For New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill retired, assistant coach and former UNLV head man Tony Sanchez is taking over, and gone are 19 players from last years team to other teams. Out is star QB Diego Pavia who transfered to Vanderbilt and taking over is Kentucky transfer Deuce Hogan won’t run like Pavia, but he has the passing skills to keep things moving on offense. The offensive line might be the best in Conference USA as it did not get destroyed by the transfer portal. The Aggies have a solid RB in Monte Watkins but have a paper thin receiving corps. The defense took a major hit as seven of the top ten tacklers were defensive backs, and a slew of them are gone. The key to this years Aggie season is for the defense to come up with more takeaways, the running game has to find a groove right away, and the main men have to emerge at several spots, but more than anything else, the starting 22 needs time to grow.

New Mexico State has 10 players starting on offense returning from last season including the whole offensive line which will help control the line of scrimmage against SEMO. The Redhawks offense will struggle versus the New Mexico State defense that improved with transfers. SEMO lost talent on offense as well and will struggle to mount sustained drives. Final Score Prediction, New Mexico State Aggies win and cover ATS 31-14.