New Mexico State started slow in both halves of the game, but relied on strong finishes to earn its first win over New Mexico since 2011.
Early in the contest, the Lobos offense was rolling and the defense tightening up any time the Aggies got near the red zone, forcing NMSU to settle for field goals.
After giving up two touchdowns to UNM in as many possessions, NMSU trailed 14-6 when Dalton Herrington forced and recovered a fumble inside the Lobo 20-yard line with 7:10 left in the 2nd quarter.
The Lobo defense again stymied the Aggie offense and limited the damage to a field goal. UNM added a field goal of its own and looked to be in the driver’s seat with 22 seconds left in the half.
NMSU decided not to wait until after halftime to be more aggressive, catching the Lobos off guard with a 49-yard bomb on first down to get into scoring range. The Aggies started finishing drives with touchdowns, and found the end zone for the first time on a Tyler Rogers pass to Jaleel Scott, but missed the PAT and trailed 17-15 at halftime.
Lobos safeties Daniel Henry and Ryan Santos both appeared to be surprised by the first down play call just before the half, allowing Royce Caldwell to get behind them for the long reception.
UNM head coach Bob Davie said giving up that play was “inexcusable,” but emphasized that it did not decide the game. It was just one example of several opportunities the Lobos did not take advantage of when they had chances to seize control of the matchup for good.
Henry said there wasn’t miscommunication between he and Santos. Rather, they ended up in a coverage that wasn’t ideal for that type of play. He said they could’ve played it better, and it is one they wish they could have back.
The Lobos also suffered a big blow when they lost senior linebacker Dakota Cox. Davie said he wasn’t sure when it happened, but Cox took a hit to the head and got dinged up.
Alex Hart went out later in the game with a knee injury, and Santos and Lee Crosby were battling cramps, thinning a defense that was now charged with halting an upstart NMSU offense in its tracks.
Early in the second half, the Aggies could not move the ball but were able to avoid disaster on punts in consecutive drives.
Punter Peyton Theisler made a pair of great plays. A low snap caused the ball to get by the punter and the live ball trickled into the end zone. He was able to gather the ball and get off a clean kick on the run, while evading some Lobos defenders.
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The Lobos took a 24-15 lead on a 5-yard touchdown run with 10:54 left in the 3rd quarter, but strayed from the run game it is usually known for after that drive.
Apodaca was temporarily knocked out of the game after he drew in a defender and made a late option pitch in the first half.
Although he returned to the field later in the drive and ran the ball at times, it seemed New Mexico felt less compelled to put the quarterback in harm’s way and relied more on the pass.
Davie said he was pretty happy with the run-to-pass ratio, but said that drive was a missed opportunity to stretch the lead and potentially put the game out of reach.
The Aggies seemed to find their groove on offense after getting the ball back, tallying six of its nine 3rd down conversions on the game from that point on.
The teams traded touchdowns on the next two drives, and then Davidson added another Aggie field goal to make it a one possession game, with UNM leading 31-25.
Apodaca faced 3rd-and-5 on the ensuing drive, and made a critical mistake that contributed to UNM’s undoing.
The quarterback said he saw the defender and just made a poor throw that ended up in the hands of New Mexico State’s Terrill Hanks.
The Lobos defense, which had held NMSU to a field goal after an earlier turnover, began to wear down. Xavier Hall moved the chains on a 3rd-down run, and Rogers threw a 3rd-down touchdown that proved to be the game winner.
After trailing the entire game, NMSU held a 32-31 lead with 5:46 remaining, needing to make a final stand to preserve the victory.
The Aggies let New Mexico drive near midfield and had a scare when tight end Michael Walsh was wide open down the middle of the field. The ball hit him in the hands, but he was unable to haul in the pass that would’ve put UNM in position for a go-ahead score.
“Obviously that’s a big play, just like my interception was, just like our other turnover,” Apodaca said. “Football never comes down to one play. We had opportunities to make other plays.”
Ultimately the Aggies turned two Lobos turnovers into 10 points and won the battle of third down efficiency.
The Lobos only converted three out of its 10 third down chances on the game, and on the final drive the team turned over the ball on downs.
The Aggies ran for a first down and were able to kneel down to drain the rest of the clock to earn the victory.
The Lobos, who racked up over 400 yards on 49 carries in its first game, were held to a more pedestrian 221 on 45 carries this time around.
Apodaca finished 12 of 23 for 115 yards and the late interception. He was outplayed by Rogers, who completed 21 passes for 205 yards and a pair of TDs.
Although he missed an extra point, Davidson also came up big for New Mexico State, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts.
Henry said the defense did a good job holding the Aggies to field goals early on, but in the second half they weren’t able to get off the field, especially on third down.
The senior safety said the loss was a tough one, but that the team needs to look ahead. He said the team has plenty in front of them and they’ll continue to come out hungry for the rest of the season.
“This was a big game for us,” Henry said, “but this isn’t going to make or break our season.”
The Lobos (1-1) will look to get back on track Saturday, when they travel to New Jersey to take on Rutgers. Rutgers improved to 1-1 after defeating Howard Bison, 52-14.
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.
