In the 18th annual Isleta New Mexico Bowl, over 30 thousand fans packed into University Stadium to witness the much-anticipated battle between the New Mexico State Aggies and the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Aggies, led by junior quarterback Diego Pavia, struggled offensively being held to just 200 yards by the Bulldogs and fell 37-10. Despite the tough loss marking the end of the season, the Aggies finished 10-5 overall and 7-1 in conference play— the best season in history since 1960.
“It was great to see that much support,” said NMSU junior offensive lineman Canaan Yarro after the game. “We’re going to have the fire to build…it will be a better product on the field, and I can promise that.”
Going into the first quarter, Pavia and his offense went straight to work but had to face new challenges after wide receiver Trent Hudson entered the transfer portal a week prior, making him ineligible for the game. The Aggies pushed 30 yards down field but were forced to punt, giving FSU quarterback Mikey Keene an opportunity to showcase his skills after being out for FSU’s last three games.
Keene handed the ball to Malik Sherrod for the first couple plays before the Aggies’ defense forced a field goal. With five minutes remaining in the quarter, sophomore kicker Dylan Lynch drilled it through the uprights to put the Bulldogs up 3-0.
The Aggies’ next possession was short lived after Pavia’s pass attempt was intercepted by cornerback Dean Clark. Keene and the Bulldogs’ offense capitalized on the turnover and completed a 26-yard touchdown to Josiah Freeman. After the extra point, the Bulldogs grabbed an early 10-0 lead.
“We didn’t play as well as we’ve been playing down the stretch here,” said NMSU head coach Jerry Kill after the contest.
After a rough start in the first quarter, Kill explained how every player on his team played their hearts out and, ultimately, the loss was his fault.
The Aggies shortly saw relief on their second possession of the second quarter when redshirt junior kicker Ethan Albertson drilled a 45-yard field to get his team on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs quickly counterattacked after Keene threw a deep pass to Jaelen Gill for a 23-yard touchdown to take the 17-3 lead.
Pulling out all the stops, the Aggies offense attempted to break through the Bulldogs’ defense but were forced to punt after a three and out. With minutes winding down in the first half, junior nickelback Mehki Miller picked off Keene preventing the Bulldogs from tallying another touchdown, but failed to capitalize on the momentum and went into halftime down 17-3.
“Going back to some of the offensive line stuff, I take the blame on that and do enough to prepare our guys,” said redshirt junior offensive lineman Canaan Yarro in the post-game press conference.
Yarro expressed his frustrations that occurred on the field that led to Pavia being sacked a total of four times in the contest.
As the second half was starting, the Bulldogs’ offense went back to work extending the lead to 17 points after a 25-yard field goal. On their first possession, the Aggies capitalized on multiple short runs and passes from Pavia as he moved the chains up field. After a triple option with sophomore Jamoni Jones and freshman Jonathan Brady, Pavia found an open hole for a 14-yard touchdown run to narrow the Bulldogs’ lead to 10.
The Bulldogs heavily retaliated in the fourth quarter after pushing 75 yards down the field into the endzone followed by field goal cementing their lead. With the Aggies unable to make an offensive push or a defensive stop, the Bulldogs secured their final touchdown for the 37-17 bowl game win.
“We made a lot of mistakes tonight,” Coach Kill said while explaining how such mistakes cost turnovers along with the offense being pushed back a total of 42 yards due to offensive penalties with a few offside jumps.
At the end of the night, Pavia threw for 58 yards in passing while Mikey Keene threw for almost 400 yards. As for the running game, Pavia led the Aggies with 93 yards just short of FSU’s Malik Sherrod’s 97 leading running yards.
“Obviously, we ended up short and this isn’t where we want to be,” sophomore linebacker Keyshaun Elliott said. “As players we just want to win this game, especially for [Coach Kill] next to me.”
With the New Mexico Bowl in the past, the Aggies look forward to taking advantage of the offseason and recuperating after playing 15 games this season. As for Coach Kill, he says tomorrow is never guaranteed as they enjoy the offseason but looking to be prepared for the upcoming season.
