Last season, New Mexico State controlled the first half before blowing a lead in the second. On Saturday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium, New Mexico State returned the favor en route to a 32-21 loss in the Rio Grande Rivalry.
It’s the first time NMSU has beaten UNM since 2011.
The Lobos controlled the action for most of the game, but the Aggies made big plays on offense, defense, and special teams to scrap its way back and score the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Bob Davie said the Aggies deserve a lot of credit for the way they played. The team made timely plays when it needed to, and gave head coach Doug Martin his first win over the Lobos since he took over the team.
“They broke through and they won a big game tonight,” Davie said. “It was a heck of a football game -- I think a well-played game. Congratulations to them.”
Both teams sustained long drives on its first two possessions, but the Lobos finished with touchdowns while the Aggies settled for field goals.
Senior running back Teriyon Gipson found the endzone first on a 13-yard run to put the Lobos up 7-0. Redshirt senior quarterback Austin Apodaca followed that up with a 23-yard gallop, while Aggies kicker Parker Davidson notched a pair of field goals to make it 14-6 in favor of UNM early in the 2nd quarter.
A few series later, Lobos junior Richard McQuarley lost a fumble for the second week in a row. NMSU took over inside the red zone, but the Lobos' defense didn’t give the Aggies an inch, and they settled for another field goal.
Apodaca was knocked out of the game momentarily after taking a big hit on an option pitch on the next drive. He returned several plays later on a fourth down, in which he appeared to try to draw the defense offside.
The Aggies didn’t, and the Lobos took a delay of game penalty before hitting a field goal to end a 13-play drive that gobbled up over six minutes. With only 22 seconds remaining, it looked like the Lobos would go into halftime with an eight point advantage, up 17-9.
But the Aggies didn’t run the clock out as some might have expected. Senior quarterback Tyler Rogers threw a strike down the middle of the field to redshirt sophomore Royce Caldwell, which seemed to catch the Lobos' safeties off guard.
The Aggies cashed in seconds later with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jaleel Scott. Davidson missed the extra point, but the Aggies caught a huge break on the scoring drive and cut the lead to 17-15.
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Following the break, UNM clamped down on defense to prevent the Aggies from gaining any momentum early in the third quarter, with NMSU netting zero yards on its first two drives. But the team got some major help from its punter, Peyton Theisler.
A low snap got past Theisler and the ball found its way into the end zone. The punter avoided some light pressure and not only recovered the ball, but was able to get off the kick to avoid a safety.
The Lobos took advantage of a short field and McQuarley atoned for his earlier fumble, scoring on a 5-yard run to put the Lobos up 24-15.
After going three-and-out, Theisler again found himself in trouble. He appeared to stutter-step and narrowly avoided a blocked punt, uncorking a 59-yard punt that pinned the Lobos deep in their territory.
The Aggies held, but still trailed by nine points and looked to be in trouble after Rogers threw an interception on the ensuing drive.
A defensive pass interference call on UNM's Nias Martin negated the pick, and the Aggies started wearing down the Lobos' defense, scoring a touchdown on a 14-play drive to stay close.
UNM responded with a touchdown after Gipson rattled off a 56-yard kickoff return that included a personal foul penalty to put the Lobos in good shape. He scored several plays later on a pitch to seemingly put the Lobos in control 31-22 with 14:04 left in the fourth quarter.
NMSU drove down the field, but the defense tightened up in the red zone and forced another Davidson field goal that cut the lead to 31-25.
The Aggies then caught another big break. Apodaca made a bad throw on third down right into the hands of NMSU’s Terrill Hanks, allowing New Mexico State to set up shop at the UNM 27-yard line.
Rogers went to work and threw his second touchdown of the night. The 8-yard toss to Gregory Hogan put the Aggies in front for the first time, taking a 32-31 lead with 5:46 left.
The Lobos, needing only a field goal to go back in front, had plenty of time left for a comeback. The team moved the ball near midfield and had a golden opportunity when Apodaca fired a deep pass over the middle.
Michael Walsh looked to have both hands on the ball, but was unable to secure the catch which would’ve put the team well within field goal range.
The Lobos converted one fourth down to keep the drive alive, but came up short when it faced a 4th-and-15 later and turned over the ball on downs.
The Aggies were able to take a knee and run out the rest of the clock to secure the victory, and the bragging rights that come with winning the Rio Grande Rivalry.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, football, tennis and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
