Football Preview: New Mexico Military Institute at AWC

Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. today, Veterans Memorial Stadium

Media: AWC TV; 560 KBLU AM; azwestern.edu/athletics.

Last game: AWC fell behind early and lost to No. 12 Phoenix at home 39-25 last Saturday. NMMI lost to Mesa 56-31 last week in Roswell, N.M.

Records: AWC (3-4 overall, 2-3 Western States Football League); NMMI (5-3, 3-2 WSFL)

Players to watch: AWC receiver Anthony Morris caught eight balls for 138 yards and a touchdown in the second half of last week's loss. ... Darinn Crawford is the Broncos' leading receiver with 20 catches, six for touchdowns

AWC coach Tom Minnick's comments: "Defensively (New Mexico Military) like to blitz a lot, so they'll keep you on your toes. Their offense is kind of like ours a little bit with their zone reads. Tomorrow could be a difficult game playing in the day. We're not very healthy this week at positions where we don't have a lot of depth."

The lowdown: Homecoming for the Matadors means an opportunity to get back to .500 on the season and start the final month of play on a good note. This is the second of three straight home games but their first day game at Veterans Memorial Stadium and just their second afternoon game of the season ... Statistically, New Mexico Military's defense is one of the worst in the conference, allowing opponents more than 375 yards and 32 points per game. AWC will have its own problems to deal with without the ball. Jacob Barit is out at inside linebacker with a broken ankle, and defensive end Pauli Latu is out of town for a family funeral. ... Like the Matadors, the Broncos have played with two quarterbacks this season, though largely due to injury. As for the Matadors, Bryan Mann is expected to get the start for the second straight week. ... AWC punt and kick returner Gary Anderson remains among the conference leaders in both categories.