Jim McElwain and the Chippewas did just that with a commanding 42-16 win over the Eagles and move their record to 3-3 and 2-1 in Mid-American Conference play.

"I was really happy for our guys, for our program," McElwain said. "I don't think we put everything on film yet on game day, we're getting there."

Now, CMU welcomes New Mexico State to Mount Pleasant for its homecoming game and the last of a two-game homestand.

However, quarterback David Moore will not play as he was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. Senior graduate transfer Quinten Dormady is slated to start for CMU after returning from a knee injury suffered against Wisconsin.

The Aggies have struggled mightily this season as they are 0-6 on the season. They opened the season with road losses to Washington State and Alabama before playing at home against San Diego State, another loss. NMSU lost to rival New Mexico on the road before losing home games to Fresno State and Liberty.

In the rankings from The Athletic, NMSU ranks 130th out of 130 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Aggies score 18.17 points per game and allow a staggering a 42.67 points per game.

For comparison, Central Michigan checks in at No. 89 in the same rankings.

Running back Jason Huntley averages just 62.50 yards per game for NMSU and has three touchdowns on the year in his six appearances.

Josh Adkins carries the offense under center. He could be considered a dual threat quarterback as he is 149 of 236 passing for 1,475 yards and six touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He averages 245.83 yards per game through the air. On the ground, Adkins has gained just 19 yards but has scored four times.

Wide receiver Tony Nicholson has caught 35 passes for 380 yards and has three of Adkins' touchdowns. However, he only averages 63.33 yards per game.

The Aggies struggle on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they rank 122nd in the FBS in yards allowed with 489.3 per game. Their scoring defense ranks 129th in the FBS, tied with Massachusetts. CMU ranks 101 with an average allowance of 30.80 points per game.

"You have to look at them as another team and you have to prepare for them the best you can," senior center Steve Eipper said about not looking past anyone on the schedule. "You can't get caught up in their record, they've played some tough opponents."

The key for the Chippewas will be to piece together two strong performances following their huge win over the Eagles last week.

CMU totaled 587 yards offensively last week and had a number of explosive plays, three of which went for touchdowns over 60 yards in length.

They have not won back-to-back games since the 2017 season when they won five in a row to close out the regular season.

"We haven't done a good job of that (in the past)," McElwain said. "It's important for us to not look down the road, we know what we can do and now let's go execute it — that's the important piece."

CMU has lost its homecoming game the last two seasons, a 30-10 setback against Toledo in 2017 and a 34-24 loss to Buffalo last season.

Overall, CMU is 58-17-1 on homecoming, which dates back to 1924, a 10-0 win over Alma.

Coaches and players normally say that playing a nonconference game in October does not matter. It is the next game up, and they would play whoever is on the other sideline.

But given how the Chippewas' schedule lays out, they have a nonconference game against a lowly opponent in the middle of their Mid-American Conference schedule.

While no game ever comes easy, some could see that CMU's next game might be a deep breath before the brunt of conference play.

"It's a home game and we have to defend the crib," senior linebacker Michael Oliver said. "We don't take anyone lightly. Seeing they're 0-6, they could easily come in here and play better than us. We have to be prepared for what they bring to Kelly/Shorts Stadium."

The Chippewas and Aggies have never met. In fact, New Mexico State has never played a game in Michigan but have played one team from the state, Detroit Mercy in 1962, a 21-14 win.

NMSU has faced three MAC teams - Akron, Northern Illinois and Ohio - and is 2-4 against the conference.

The Aggies lost to Akron, 52-7, on the road in 1988. NIU and NMSU have faced off three times dating back to 1968. The Aggies own a 2-1 record over the Huskies. As for the Bobcats have defeated New Mexico State both times the teams played in 2011 and 2012.

Central Michigan (3-3, 2-1) vs. New Mexico State (0-6)

Time: 3 p.m.

Date: Oct. 12, 2019

Stadium: Kelly/Shorts Stadium

Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Odds: CMU -10.5

Over/Under: 57.5

TV: ESPN3 (Shawn Kenney, Marcus Ray)

Radio: 98.5 WUPS (Don Chiodo, Brock Gutierrez and Adam Jaksa)