NOW ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS FOR UTEP IS WHO IS GOING TO START AT QUARTERBACK AGAINST NEBRASKA. WHEN ASKED ABOUT IT TODAY...COACH WALDEN SAYS THE BATTLE BETWEEN CADE MCCONNELL AND SKYLER LOCKLEAR IS STILL SUPER CLOSE AND HE'LL PICK A STARTER ON WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. UP AT NEW MEXICO STATE...THERE'S STILL THE SAME QUESTION...WHO TODAY WE GOT AN ANSWER. NEW MEXICO STATE IS GOING WITH PARKER AWAD...THE GOLDEN WEST COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER. LAS CRUCES SUN NEWS FIRST TO REPORT THE NEWS...NMSU HEAD COACH TONY SANCHEZ LATER ANNOUNCED IT IN HIS WEEKLY PRESSER. A MAJORITY OF THE FALL CAMP...THE QB BATTLE WAS BETWEEN AWAD AND KETUCKY TRANSFER DEUCE HOGAN....AWAD WINS OUT THIS WEEK AND HERE'S COACH SANCHEZ ON HIS DECISION TO START HIM IN THE AGGIES' SEASON OPENER AGAINST FCS PROGRAM SOUTH EAST 0━06 TONY SANCHEZ: "WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE BIG PICTURE OF THE OFFENSIVE STAFF AND WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE WE GOING TO BE? AND, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO RUN THIS OFFENSE? PARKER'S GOING TO GET THE NOD COMING OFF. WE FELT LIKE PARKER GAVE US A LITTLE BIT OF AN ADVANTAGE. YOU KNOW, IN SOME OF THE THINGS WE LIKE TO DO, SOME OF OUR DNA KIND OF ADDS THAT DUAL THREAT ELEMENT THAT WE'VE HAD THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. DEUCE IS NOT FAR BEHIND AT ALL. SOME POINT, AND WE EXPECT EARLY IN THAT GAME TO GET HIM IN." SO AWAD GETS THE NOD BUT SANCHEZ ISN'T RULING OUT USING HOGAN AT QUARTERBACK AS WELL IN WEEK ONE. AGGIES KICK OFF THE 2024 SEASON AGAINST SEMO ON