Four games. That is what stands between the Aggies and the team’s ability to go to three bowl games in three years. But in 2024, with now a 2-7 record, it’s not an extreme feeling to say the hopes of December football hang in the balance. All because of the the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
When you go for the king, understand it will not be easy. After all, the Hilltoppers are at the top of Conference USA for a reason. Something they made sure the Aggies understood right away was with quarterback Caden Veltkamp finding receiver Easton Messer for a 54-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game.
And it only got tougher for the Aggies, with Santino Marucci throwing an interception to WKU defensive lineman Dallas Walker. It was rinse and repeat for Veltkamp and the offense, but this time, he called his own number; this time using his legs to get the one-yard touchdown.
Since air travel was not working for the offense, the Aggies relied on the legs of Mike Washington and Santino Marucci to set up a one-yard rushing touchdown for Washington. Unfortunately, backup quarterback for WKU, Dalvin Smith, threw his fourth career touchdown to receiver Kisean Johnson on the first play of the second quarter.
Now was the the time for the Aggies to punch back. Something that defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. quickly put a stop to with an interception.
At this point, scoring for both teams took a break as just before halftime, Abraham Montaño missed a 54-yard field goal attempt. But the NMSU defense and specifically Da’marcus Crosby, got the ball right back with an interception. However, a fumble by Brandon Nunez set up a last second field goal from WKU to go up 24-7 at halftime.
One thing about the Aggies is that they play until there are four zeros on the clock according to Washington.
“On the sideline nobody was really pouting or had their heads down,” he said. “It was just okay, as you know, it’s our turn. And that was just what I said coming out of the locker room.”
That message got the Aggies blood pumping right out of the locker room and onto the field. That invigorated energy gave the Aggies a solid start to the third quarter as they scored a touchdown from [Washington] before getting the ball right back off a punt.
And like a perfect duo, Washington’s big gain on the next possession set up his backfield partner McGowan perfectly to finish the drive off with a seven-yard touchdown run. Before anyone knew it, the 12,000+ fans in the stands were rocking and it was a three-point game between the Hilltoppers and the Aggies.
Momentum is a funny thing though as it can change in only a few seconds and NMSU found out the hard way.
A missed tackle got Western Kentucky all the way to the three-yard line right away before another Veltkamp rushing touchdown created a bigger buffer. Then, a Washington fumble led to a beautiful needle threading touchdown pass for 28-yards for WKU and killed the energy to start traffic early as the stadium exodus began.
The point spread only got larger, making it incredibly tough for the Aggies to catch up. Another fumble led to another WKU field goal from 53-yards before a touchdown from NMSU got the final score of 41-28.
The dreams of a third straight bowl game are severely damaged. The seniors who had gotten used to the taste of winning Jerry Kill gave them will have to settle for sticking it to UTEP one last time in their season finale at home on Nov. 30. But head coach Tony Sanchez summed up the self-inflicted wounds after the game.
“They’re a good team,” he said, “They’re going to get some points yards, they’re going to score some points. But us giving them short fields, turning the ball over the way we did. Those critical moments, it was back breaking.”
But don’t think that a lost season on paper has leaked into the mindset of the team for their last three games.
“Now am I disappointed…knowing we’re not bowl eligible? Absolutely,” Sanchez said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. But what we can do is handle these next three ball games, we have three great opportunities. I tell the guys all the time, don’t look at the scoreboard, play through the finish line. And that’s what we’re gonna do…And I think the way those guys played, the way they finished that game, the resolve they showed, shows there’s a lot of belief in what’s going on.”
The next opportunity for Sanchez and the Aggies is Saturday Nov. 16, at Kyle Field in College Station to take on No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies’ on the SEC Network at 5:45 p.m.
