Football: Aggies Shine in All Three Phases to Defeat Western Kentucky in CUSA Opener

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State put together a complete team victory as it earned a commanding 34-13 win over Western Kentucky on Thursday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Aggies were fueled by 155 rushing yards from James Jonesin addition to a six-sack performance from the NM State defense.

The visiting Hilltoppers would get on the board first as they drove the ball into field goal range for kicker Karl Campbell who was true from 42 yards. With their next possession, the Aggies used an explosive 46-yard rush to move into WKU territory. The drive would end in three points for the Crimson and White as Ilya Uvaydov split the uprights from 52 yards to even the score at 3-3 with just under eight minutes remaining in the quarter.

Thanks to a couple of costly penalties, WKU saw its next drive result in a three-and-out, forcing the Hilltoppers to punt the ball back to the Aggies. On 3rd-and-7, Adam Damante, who earned his first start of the season, found tight end Josiah Thomas along the seam for a 33-yd gain. This coupled with a roughing the passer put the Aggie offense at the Hilltopper 12-yard-line. Though, the Aggies would be unable to punch the ball into the end zone and had to settle for a 28-yard field goal to give Uvaydov his second field goal of the night.

Midway through the second quarter, the Aggies’ De’Marcus Peterscame up with a game-changing play as he intercepted Rodney Tisdale and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown to give the home side a 13-3 lead.

The NM State defense then forced a three-and-out on the next WKU possession to give the ball back to Damante and the Aggie offense. With their next drive, the Aggies put together a 10-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a walk-in touchdown for Adam Damante who beat the defender to the pylon for his first rushing touchdown of the season.

NM State threatened to add points late in the half, but a tipped pass ended in the hands of a WKU defender. With this, the Hilltoppers were able to generate three points before the end of the half, leaving the score at 20-6 at the break.

New Mexico State Athletics recognized the Las Cruces Fire Department as a hometown Hero at this evening’s game versus the Western Kentucky Hiltoppers. LCFD is dedicated to protecting lives, property, and providing emergency services to our community. LCFD responds to thousands of calls each year, providing fire suppression, emergency medical care, and specialized rescue with courage and professionalism. Congratulations to the City’s Fire Department for being a Hometown Hero! (Photo Courtesy City of Las Cruces)

After a sack for Henry Davis III on third down forced a WKU punt on its first possession of the second half, the Aggies quickly added to their total. On the drive, James Jones broke loose for a 21-yard rush that put him over 100 yards for the night. Later, Damante connected with Josiah Thomas for a big gain before TK King found himself on the receiving end of a Damante touchdown pass. The score handed the Aggies a 27-6 advantage with 11:18 remaining in the period.

WKU then responded with a quick drive of its own as it used just four plays to move the ball 79 yards and into the end zone, drawing back within 14 points less than two minutes after the Aggie touchdown.

The second half would then turn into a defensive battle as the next six drives resulted in four punts and two turnovers on downs. Both fourth down stops were forced by the Aggie unit. NM State also tallied five sacks in the second half.

Finally, the Aggies put the seal on the game as James Joneshurdled a defender on his way into the end zone to give the Crimson and White a 34-13 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the game. NM State would keep the Hilltoppers off the board for the remainder of the night to earn the 21-point victory.

By the Numbers:

1. NM State improved to 2-2 all-time versus WKU. This also marked the Aggies’ first win over the Hilltoppers in Las Cruces.
2. The Aggies improve to 2-1 at home this season and are now tied atop the Conference USA standings with Jax State.
3. With the win, this marks the programs’ first win in a Conference USA opener.
4. The Aggie defense ended the night with six sacks to mark the most in a single game since a seven-sack performance against FIU on Oct. 4, 2023.
5. De’Marcus Peters’ pick-six marked the team’s third defensive touchdown of the season. Entering the night, the Aggies were one of just 17 teams with two defensive scores. This also marked Peters’ first interception as an Aggie.
6. Ilya Uvaydov split the uprights from 52 yards to mark his sixth field goal of 50 or more yards in his collegiate career.
7. As a team, the Aggies rushed for 206 yards to mark the second time this season that the Aggies eclipsed 200 yards. This was fueled by James Jones who had 155 yards on 20 carries. For Jones, this was his second straight game with 100-plus yards, becoming the first Aggie back to do so since Jason Huntley in 2019. Jones’ 20 carries also marked a career high.
8. Brody Richter placed five punts inside the 20-yard line to mark the most this season by the Minnesota transfer.
9. In his first start of the season, Adam Damante finished 15-of-26 for 146 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

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