New Mexico State football began the Tony Sanchez coaching era against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at home on Saturday.
The game began as a defensive battle with very little yardage in the first quarter. There was no scoring until the Redhawks’ final drive of the quarter, when quarterback Paxton DeLaurent found receiver Dorian Anderson for 51 yards. The Aggies responded with their own drive downfield and managed to make their way to the red zone before the quarter ended.
With a roaring crowd cheering them on, the Aggie offense pounded the ball into the end zone with a 14-yard touchdown run by Seth McGowan to tie the game. After a blast from the cannons and an appearance from Wave the Wonder Dog, the game became stagnant, with neither side having any massive drives. The problems faced by the Aggies were the result of both pressure from the Redhawks’ pass rush and forced incomplete passes, as well as inconsistent passing from quarterback Parker Awad.
This is where the Aggies suffered most, as the defense also started showing some holes –specifically, multiple third downs conceded to the Redhawks’ offense. Yet, what the Aggie defense did well throughout the night was a “bend-don’t-break” style that allowed third down conversions but held firm in the red zone, keeping Southeast Missouri out of the end zone.
As a result, the Aggies only allowed a 37-yard field goal by Redhawk kicker DC Pippen. In the Aggies’ final drive of the half, the offense made sure to give the defense enough rest as they made their way downfield on a six and a half minute drive, ending with a 24-yard field goal by Abraham Mantano, tying the game before halftime.
The game entered a second defensive battle in the third quarter, with both sides keeping each other out of the end zone. The Redhawks ended the Aggies’ first drive of the quarter by intercepting Awad before capping a drive downfield with a 53-yard field goal to go up 13-10. This would be the only scoring of the quarter, but not without opportunity, as the Redhawks pulled out a trick play late in the quarter for a big fourth down gain but failed to get past the red zone defense of the Aggies and missed a field goal.
The offense throughout the quarter made the defense work a little harder, failing to capitalize on several forced punts with three and out drives putting the defense back on the field. This led to the defense’s third down struggles continuing, and then coming out of the quarter with a three-point deficit. By the final quarter, however, the team seemed to have a second burst of energy.
The final quarter began with another Redhawk field goal before the first Aggie drive drained the clock by stalling at midfield. However, they made the most of it by pinning the Redhawks at the one-yard line before the defense made one of what would be several clutch plays in the fourth quarter that continued the trend of the night — the first being a forced safety after a holding call, forcing a punt by the Redhawks.
The Aggies capitalized when it mattered most, driving down field with the help of a big pass interference call after a couple overthrown balls by Awad. This got the Aggies in field goal range before Mantano made it a one-point game with his 51-yard field goal.
The fourth quarter Aggie defense proved to be different, forcing another punt right away as the Aggies took advantage of the short field and getting to the one-yard line before Zach McGowan ran in his second touchdown of the night; that was before Parker Awad ran in the two-point conversion to complete the comeback and go up 23-16 with their 13th unanswered point of the quarter.
Finishing off the Redhawks wouldn’t be easy, as the Aggies raised the stress levels of every fan in the stadium with their last drive getting further and further downfield, even having an overturned incomplete pass call to get them closer to undoing all their progress. However, the defense stepped up when they needed to the most, as a red zone interception by Tayden Barnes sealed the comeback win, making sure the post-game fireworks weren’t wasted.
While the Aggies started the Sanchez era with a win, the third down defense and passing game struggles proved to be areas of improvement as conference play begins this Saturday with a rematch against the Liberty Flames. This will be the first time the teams face each other following last year’s Conference title match up. Importantly, the Aggies are not the same team that played the Flames last December, with a new squad of players and a new coach giving the team a completely different look.
New Mexico State will have their first real test of the season this Saturday at 8:15 p.m., so any fans that want to see how their team stacks up to the competition are encouraged to come support at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
