The homecoming theme might have been Las Vegas, but the NMSU Aggies didn’t hit the jackpot at the game against the Kennesaw State Owls, falling 24-21.
After the homecoming game, Kennesaw State is at the top of the conference with an overall standing of 7-2. Meanwhile, the Aggies were put to the test with the sixth-ranked defense in the nation in turnovers forced.
In the first quarter, the Owls started strong. Gabriel Benyard’s 34-yard pass from quarterback Amari Odom made a 0-7 lead for the Owls.
Later, after KSU’s Odom completed a short pass to Gerard Bullock Jr. at NMSU’s 44-yard line, Bullock advanced four yards before fumbling. The Owls made a quick recovery when Odom’s pass was completed to Benyard for a 23-yard touchdown. Increasing the lead 0-17 for the Owls.
In the second quarter, KSU’s Coleman Bennett rushed down the middle for 23yards into Aggie territory, earning another first down for the Owls.
The Aggies tried to recover, but NMSU’s quarterback Logan Fife’s pass fell incomplete when pressured by KSU’s Kody Jones. This made NMSU receiving a penalty for intentional grounding.
The Owls maintained the upper hand asOdom completed a pass to Tykeem Wallace, which turned into a 22-yard gain to the NMSU 40-yard line, securing another first down.
The Aggies finally answered when Dijon Stanley rushed left for a 28-yard gain on KSU, leading to a crowd-booming touchdown for the Aggies. The box score before halftime was 24-7 with the Owls in the lead.
“They ran the ball on us.” Head Coach Tony Sanchez said. “We knew they were going to go fast. They probably played at a faster pace than we’ve seen all year.”
After halftime, the Aggies tried to make a comeback, with Kadarius Calloway rushing for an 11-yard gain toward a first down for the Aggies. But quickly, the Owls made sure the Aggies didn’t get any more yards. Tywon Christopher gained 31 yards for Kennesaw State.
“[At the beginning of the game,] us getting a little bit of a hole and showing a lot of grit and fighting back and giving ourselves a chance to go win one at the end,” Sanchez said.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the comeback for NMSU came alive. The Aggies were able to make a touchdown when Fifecompleted a short pass to Donovan Faupel for another touchdown.
Ryan Hawk then made a field goal kick that gave the Aggies an advantage, allowing the players to gain 14 points for the Aggies’ score.
With 32 seconds left of the fourth quarter, NMSU’s last field goal attempt by Hawk missed the winning mark. Ending the game with a win for KSU Owls, 24-21.
A devastating loss for the Aggies as they finished the night with a record of 3-6 and standing third to last in the conference.
“All those people in there that work so hard and are so gritty, and you know, love this place so much, you want them to experience success. So yeah, I’m down. I’m hurt,” Sanchez said.
For coach Sanchez, it was another disappointing game, as Sanchez was on NMSU’s football staff under former coach Jerry Kill during both the 2022 and 2023 bowl games.
“[I’m] really proud of those guys in that locker room right now, and they’re all hurting. We’re all hurting,” Sanchez said.
The Aggies will look ahead to the first of two consecutive road contests, starting with the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, Tennessee, Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m.
“[We need a] win next week. We’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Sanchez said.
