Parker Awad will make his 4th start at quarterback for New Mexico State on Tuesday night.

Awad, a sophomore from Huntington Beach, California, signed with the Aggies after beginning his collegiate career at Golden West College. In his one season at junior college, Awad threw for 1,223 yards, 12 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and completed 50% of his passes. Entering 2024, Awad surprisingly beat out former Iowa and Kentucky quarterback Deuce Hogan for the starting job.

2024 Statistics

4 GP, 29/70 (41%) for 363 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 91 rushing yards, and 1 rushing TD.

For his efforts, Awad has earned a 42.6 PFF grade through 213 snaps this season.

Let's take a deeper dive into his numbers.

Passing Numbers by Level

At LOS or Behind | 9/13 (69%) for 80 yards, 2 TDs & 0 INTs

0-9 Yards Downfield | 9/17 (53%) for 70 yards, 0 TDs & 1 INT

10-19 Yards Downfield | 8/19 (42%) for 149 yards, 0 TDs & 0 INTs

20+ Yards Downfield | 3/13 (23%) for 64 yards, 1 TDs & 2 INTs

Passing Pressure

Kept Clean | 22/48 (46%) for 270 yards, 3 TDs & 2 INTs

Under Pressure | 7/22 (32%) for 93 yards, 0 TDs & 1 INT

Not Blitzed | 19/44 (43%) for 278 yards, 1 TD & 2 INTs

When Blitzed | 10/26 (39%) for 85 yards, 2 TDs & 1 INT

Parker Awad started the season at quarterback but was benched in the Aggies’ 48-0 loss at Fresno State. Santino Marucci started the next three games for New Mexico State before being injured at Jacksonville State, giving Awad another shot to claim the position. Awad’s best performance of the season was a 158-yard 2-touchdown performance in a 30-24 loss to Liberty. The 6’0 quarterback has had egregious accuracy issues that he will be looking to improve upon versus the Bulldogs.

Through four games this season, Awad has averaged 17.8 pass attempts per game and 7.3 rushes per game for NMSU. The Aggies are certainly a run-first offense and I would expect Awad’s running ability to be utilized on Tuesday night.

Awad’s most productive targets on offense include WR PJ Johnson and WR TJ Pride. Johnson attended high school at Lake Charles College Prep and leads the Aggies with 10 receptions for 168 yards and 1 touchdown. Pride, a true freshman from Texas powerhouse DeSoto High School, is a weapon in the slot and has caught 16 passes for 144 yards.

Louisiana Tech is entering this game following its most impressive outing of the season, while New Mexico State is arguably coming off its worst performance of the season. After Jerry Kill, Diego Pavia, and others bolted east for Vanderbilt, the Aggies have had a tough time retooling its roster. If a bowl appearance is the goal, a loss would surely end any chance of that happening. With a win, the Bulldogs would secure victories in consecutive games for the first time since 2020.

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