Meeting for only the third time in series history and kicking off the first game of Weekday CUSA football, the New Mexico State Aggies faced off against the Sam Houston University Bearkats on Thursday, Oct. 2.
With NMSU coming off a two-game loss streak, and Sam Houston sitting 0-5 for game losses this year, both teams came out tonight with a mutual need to break their unfavorable game streaks.
A slow first quarter, initiated halfway through by a 56-yard, no-good field goal by SHSU kicker RJ Lopez set out the game, with not a lot of action from either team to score beforehand. A 72-yard unsuccessful punt by Sam Houston’s Curtis Gerrand, breaking his season best of 54 yards, stirred up commotion on the field for the Bearkats.
Although NMSU was starting to get in the swing of things with a few good rushes, neither team had much else to show in the first quarter.
Starting off the second quarter, New Mexico State was hot on SHSU’s heels, with a shocking 15 play, 87-yard-long drive to take NMSU all the way back down the field – and Aggie kicker Ryan Hawk unlocked the scoreboard with a 28– yard field goal with seven minutes left in the second quarter, adding the first points on the board at 3-0.
After SHSU received a roughing the passer penalty, NMSU picked up the pace; quarterback Logan Fife passed a 26-yard dart to wide receiver Shawn Brown for a touchdown, yet with Brown being pushed out of bounds during the catch, the play sat under review.
With no clear shot of the ball, it was replaced at the 1-yard line, allowing NMSU to restrike with a touchdown, racking up the score 10-0.
With less than a minute left before halftime, Sam Houston’s Christian Pavon sank a 51-yard field goal, catching SHSU up to 10-3.
Starting the third quarter, both teams fought for dominance, yet nearly back-to-back penalties of delay of game and a face mask penalty on Sam Houston, knocked back the Bearkats substantially, giving NMSU an opportunity to advance further ahead.
Immediately after, Fife threw an impressive 54-yard pass to NMSU season debut wide receiver TK King, taking them nearly all the way down the field. Sitting right next to the end zone, a touchdown attempt by NMSU was made, yet the ball popped out the other side, losing the sliver of yardage they needed to score.
“It’s a good feeling,” King said post-game. “I wouldn’t say I was the missing piece, it comes down to us having energy and us coming together.” The Aggies took advantage of the opportunity to attempt a field goal; Hawk’s field goal compensated a bit for the lost touchdown and added onto their lead at 13-3.
After an extensive drive by Sam Houston, a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bearkat quarterback Hunter Watson to running back Alton McCaskill resulted in the Bearkats first touchdown of the game, creeping up on New Mexico State’s lead, with a score of 13-10, and shaking up the pressure riding on a win.
With the score dangerously close at the start of the final quarter, another pass by NMSU quarterback and running back duo, Fife and Calloway, brought the Aggies closer to scoring yet again sitting right next to the end of the red zone for the third time.
This time, with a small but mighty rushing 3-yard touchdown, Calloway advanced the Aggies further, pushing their lead to 20-10.
Jolting the game once more, a fumbled ball by SHSU, scooped up by Aggie cornerback Josiah Charles, turned over the ball and allowed the Aggies a wide-open touchdown to make the score 27-10.
“There were multiple things we could have done to extend the lead early on, but the great thing is [that] the guys stuck with it, just kept their head down, working the task at hand,” Head Coach Tony Sanchez said.
An offsides penalty knocked NMSU back a bit, yet a sack on SHSU’s quarterback kept them in a sharp mindset – a 45-yard field goal by Hawk boosted their lead up to 30-10.
After some back and forth, both defenses resisting much movement– an interception and lengthy run down the field by NMSU’s Naeten Mitchell granted NMSU yet another touchdown, pulling them away further from the Bearkats, 37-10, and freezing the score at 37-10 for an electric Aggie win.
“As the week progressed, [and] as we kept having conversations and I watched the way they work, I knew they would show up,” Sanchez said. “They heard the message, and they handled the week well. [I’m] really proud of what they accomplished.”
