LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The NM State football opener will appear live on KVIA ABC-7, while the CW El Paso/Las Cruces plans to air the remaining four contests, the networks and NM State director of athletics Mario Moccia announced Friday.
The agreement was done in collaboration with NM State’s athletics multimedia rightsholder, LEARFIELD.
“With a viewership area that numbers at over 1.5 million people, KVIA and The CW El Paso/Las Cruces have afforded NM State and its football program an excellent opportunity for exposure during the 2021 season,” Moccia said. “Many college football teams around the nation do not have the potential to reach a vast number of fans through traditional linear broadcasts, so this element gives our program a leg up over many.”
In addition to the 2021 opener between the Aggies and Miners appearing on KVIA, the CW El Paso/Las Cruces plans to air the remaining four NM State football home games against South Carolina State (Sept. 18), Hawaii (Sept. 25), Utah State (Nov. 6) and UMass (Nov. 27). Director of broadcasting Adam Young and color commentator Danny Knee will bring Aggie fans coverage, as the duo returns for their fifth season of calling Aggie football together.
Set to kick-off at 7:30 p.m. (MT), the Aggies and Miners will meet for the 98th installment of the storied rivalry. KVIA’s live coverage of the Battle of I-10 begins at 7 p.m. with a special 30-minute “Battle of I-10 Pregame Show” hosted by KVIA’s Adrian Ochoa and Nate Ryan, before the network kicks it to Young and Knee for all the action.
NM State has won the last three matchups over its El Paso based rival, dating back to the 2018 season.