Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAFAYETTE, LA - The New Mexico State football team traveled to Lafayette, La. to take on Louisiana at Cajun Field on Saturday. The clash with the former Sun Belt foe saw an offensive outburst for both teams end with the Aggies not able to close the gap as they fell to the Ragin’ Cajuns, 66-38.

Louisiana (3-3) opened the game with the first score on the game’s opening drive. On 3rd & 10 at midfield, the Ragin’ Cajuns found an open receiver over the middle who took off for the 50-yard score that put NM State (2-5) behind 7-0 just 2:10 into the contest.

After a three-and-out on the Aggies first drive, the opposition was able to increase the deficit for NM State on the next series. Another third down, this time on 3rd & 12, the Ragin’ Cajuns saw a 30-yard pass find the end zone to put the Aggies down 14-0.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State football team welcomed fellow independent Liberty to Aggie Memorial Stadium for homecoming on Saturday night in the first of two matchups between the two independents during the 2018 season. An offensive shootout saw the Aggies only trail in the first quarter and have six different players score en route to a 49-41 victory over the Flames.

Liberty (2-3) opened the game with a commanding opening drive. After six plays for the Flames saw the team gain 53-yards, the opposition finished the series off with a 22-yard rush for an early score to put NM State (2-4) behind 7-0 just 2:17 into the contest.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

EL PASO, TX - The New Mexico State football team renewed the 96th meeting with Battle of I-10 rival UTEP on Saturday night at Sun Bowl Stadium. A much-anticipated game did not disappoint with strong play on both sides of the ball and turnovers proved crucial with the Aggies taking down the rival Miners, 27-20.

In a back-and-forth opening half, the first drive of the game set the tone for what turned out to be an eventful first two quarters. NM State (1-4) forced a three-and-out on the opening drive and as UTEP (0-4) elected to punt, the Aggies decided to avoid the return. Christian Gibson shot around the corner to block the punt and Izaiah Lottie recovered the ball that he took back for a 19-yard score to put the Crimson & White ahead 7-0 just 1:55 into the contest.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State football team renewed the 109th meeting of the Battle of I-25 against in-state rival New Mexico on Saturday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium. After going up by a pair of scores in the first five minutes of the game, NM State saw numerous flags and turnovers plague the team for the remainder of the contest as it fell to UNM, 42-25.

The game opened with quick scoring for NM State (0-4) beginning on the first drive of the game. New Mexico (2-1) lined up for a 3rd & 5 when Roy Lopez batted the pass out of the air and Terrill Hanks recorded the interception that he returned 28-yards to the end zone for a 7-0 Aggie lead just 1:02 into the contest.

Then after forcing the Lobos to punt, the Aggies orchestrated a six-play drive that spanned 57-yards. This ended with a two-yard touchdown rush by quarterback Matt Romero to put NM State ahead of UNM, 14-0 at the 10:50 mark.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LOGAN, UT - The New Mexico State football team took on 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl opponent Utah State at Maverik Stadium on Saturday night. A highly anticipated bowl rematch featured the opposition putting a lot of points on the board, most notably from the kicker position, on the way to NM State dropping the road contest, 60-13.

“We just look dysfunctional right now and have a lot of guys hurt on defense which does not help,” said head coach Doug Martin following the loss. “On the offensive side the quarterback is struggling and the offensive line is struggling so those two things together

The scoring in the first quarter came just 6:01 into the contest. After NM State (0-3) elected to punt on its first drive, Utah State (1-1) drove down the field before hitting a 44-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The New Mexico State football team traveled to Minneapolis, Minn. for the first road trip of the season to take on Big Ten opponent Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday night. After a promising opening quarter, the Aggies gave up 41 unanswered points and fell to the Golden Gophers, 48-10.

Following the loss, head coach Doug Martin said, “I think our guys got better in some areas but still struggled in others as we lost to a really good football team. I think offensively our quarterback took a step forward but we had 15 dropped passes which is tough to overcome.”  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State football team opened up the 2018 season taking on Wyoming inside Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. Despite a defense doing all it could to keep the Aggies in the game, offensive woes plagued the team all night with the team falling behind early and never digging out of the hole falling to the Cowboys, 29-7.

Following the disappointing season opener, head coach Doug Martin said, "The defense played outstanding, but just got gassed because they were on the field too much. Our defense did exactly what we asked them to do and at the end, they just finally got worn out. Wyoming is a great football team with a great defense of their own that really challenged us today."  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

.@NMStateFootball wins it in OT!

They capture their first bowl win in 57 years at the @novaAZBOWL! pic.twitter.com/XozLdadeC8

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 30, 2017

Head Coach Doug Martin talks about how much this @novaAZBOWL means for @NMStateFootball. pic.twitter.com/muMwUB4aPG

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 30, 2017

Words can't describe how HAPPY @NMStateFootball is to bring home that @novaAZBOWL trophy. pic.twitter.com/ImpsCV4eUq

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 30, 2017

.@NMStateFootball wins the @novaAZBOWL and their fans storm the field! pic.twitter.com/PO6AZnVOEt

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 30, 2017

INSANE GRAB!

This highlight snag from Jaleel Scott was ruled a @NMStateFootball TD after review. pic.twitter.com/xcsrOdMOok

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 30, 2017

BACK-TO-BACK KICKOFF RETURN TOUCHDOWNS!!

The @novaAZBOWL is off to a RIDICULOUS start... pic.twitter.com/kwFrHYX4KK

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) December 29, 2017

TUCSON, AZ - On Friday, Dec. 29, the New Mexico State football team made history in Arizona Stadium against Utah State. As head coach Doug Martin said, “It was poetic that Larry Rose scored that touchdown.” That touchdown was the game-winner in overtime to take home the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl over Utah State, 26-20, effectively ending the 57-year bowl drought for the Aggies.

The game opened up with early scores for both sides. NM State struck first on its opening drive when Dylan Brown split the uprights on a 23-yard field goal attempt. The lead did not last long, however, as Utah State returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to go up 7-3 just 3:59 into the game.

NM State erased that deficit in a hurry when Jason Huntley answered with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown to give the Aggies a 10-7 advantage with 10:47 left in the opening quarter.

Just two drives later, the NM State defense forced a fourth down and Utah State sent out the punt team. The opposition went for a fake punt but a quick reaction by the Crimson & White saw them force a fumble, which was recovered by Shane Jackson at the USU 35.

Moving down the field NM State was looking to increase the lead but an interception for Utah State gave them the ball back at their own 19. The opponent then successfully moved into the red zone and opened the second quarter with a 35-yard field goal to tie the game back up at 10.

In a game full of early lead changes, NM State came right back on the next possession and Brown came back on the field to nail a 33-yard field goal. This score gave the Aggies from Las Cruces a 13-10 edge at the 11:35 mark.

The quick scoring slowed down with each defense forcing a punt on six of the next seven drives. Utah State hoped to knot the game back up on a 44-yard field goal attempt but the kick went wide and NM State held their lead.

That lead lasted until the closing seconds of the first half when Utah State knocked down a 30-yard field goal to put the score at 13 apiece heading to the locker rooms.

Early in the third quarter, Utah State again lined up for a field goal, this from 49 yards out, looking to take the lead. With the help of a raucous NM State crowd, the team again pressured the kicker and he missed on a 49-yard attempt.

An interception on the next drive for the Crimson & White gave USU the ball back just past midfield. Then on a 41-yard pass, coupled with a defensive pass interference, Utah State sat on the NM State one-yard line.

The opposition sat just three feet away from grabbing a six-point lead. That was until Terrill Hanks made a great play and jumped a pitch to the running back and recovered the fumble to hold the score at 13-13, which stood heading into the fourth quarter.

After a short punt in the fourth, Utah State began their drive at the NM State 24 yard line. They then moved the ball down the field and capped the drive off with a one-yard rushing score to grab a 20-13 advantage with 13:28 remaining.

NM State would remain behind by seven for the next 6:58 of action. Then a great pass from Tyler Rogers to Jaleel Scott saw the receiver haul it in and keep his foot inbounds for the score. This would tie the game up at 20 and the Arizona Bowl did not see a winner in regulation.

After winning the toss and selecting to defend, NM State’s defense stood strong and held Utah State to a fourth-and-goal. Utah State lined up for a 28-yard field goal, but the attempt knocked off the upright and the kick was no good.

This gave NM State the opportunity to take home the trophy. The team did just that when Larry Rose III found the hole and broke off for a 21-yard score to win the 2017 NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl for NM State with a final score of 26-20.

NOTABLE
- NM State’s opening score was the first time this season that the team had hit a field goal on the opening drive.
- Jason Huntley’s 100-yard kickoff return tied for the longest in school history.
- The 40-yard rush by Larry Rose in the second quarter was the 10th 40+ yard play of the year for the Aggies.
- The 40-yard rush also tied a season-long for Rose.
- This was the first bowl since the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl to have both teams return a kickoff for a touchdown.
- The game-winning touchdown also tied Larry Rose III with James “Preacher” Pilot for the most rushing touchdowns in program history with 37.
- NM State remains undefeated at 3-0-1 all-time in bowl games.
- Larry Rose III was named the Arizona Bowl Offensive MVP.
- Leon McQuaker earned the nod as the Arizona Bowl Defensive MVP.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State football team made history on Saturday at Aggie Memorial Stadium. Trailing 17-16 with under a minute left, the Aggies engineered a drive down the field that ended with Tyler Rogers hitting Conner Cramer in the back of the end zone for the final score to take down South Alabama 22-17 and gain bowl eligibility.

Following the monumental victory, head coach Doug Martin said, ““It was a great night and I was really proud of our football team. It’s a big win to beat a talented football team like that. That crowd tonight is what Aggie Memorial Stadium can look like every week. We got something special here and hopefully we have one more game to play. All these guys played a great game tonight. We have a great group of seniors and this is the proper way for them to go out.”  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State football team took on Sun Belt Conference foe Idaho on Saturday afternoon in Aggie Memorial Stadium. After NM State scored on its first two drives, the Aggie defense then protected the team’s lead with constant quarterback pressure and helped the team get their fifth win of the season, 17-10, over the Vandals.

Following the crucial victory, head coach Doug Martin said, “I’m really proud of our defense, they stepped up and we really needed that today. I just couldn’t be happier for this football team because our guys are resilient and they have believed in themselves all year. As I told them, it’s a one game season now.”

Saturday’s contest opened in the Aggies favor when NM State (5-6, 3-4 SBC) linebacker Leon McQuaker intercepted a pass from Idaho (3-8, 2-5 SBC) quarterback Mason Petrino which was brought back to the NM State 45-yard line.  Continue Reading This Post >>