“Weekday CUSA” returned Thursday night in Las Cruces, NM.
In a standalone college football game, the New Mexico State Aggies (3-2, 1-1 CUSA) successfully defended its home venue and notched their first conference victory of the year, upending Sam Houston (0-5, 0-2 CUSA) in 37-10 fashion.
New Mexico State controlled the game from wire-to-wire in front of a Thursday night crowd, overcoming a slow offensive start to concoct a 24-0 finishing run in the fourth quarter. The offensive effort was led by wide
receiver TK King, who made his Aggie debut after missing the first four games with a hamstring injury. The former Texas Tech and Wyoming transfer proved to be an immediate star in the offense, securing six receptions for 132 yards in the most prosperous performance of his college career.
While King didn’t reach the end zone, his catches set up several scoring opportunities — notably flying down the field for receptions of 40 and 54 yards in the win. Enjoying the newfound connection with King, quarterback Logan Fife also enjoyed a strong outing with 255 passing yards and a touchdown without an interception.
New Mexico State’s first points would have arrived sooner if not for a first quarter fumble five yards short of the goal line. The Aggies rebounded from their lone turnover of the night, producing 10 second quarter points to jump to a double-digit lead. Sam Houston concluded the first half on a 51-yard Christian Pavon field goal, keeping the winless Bearkats within striking distance heading into the break.
New Mexico State’s only first half touchdown occurred on a Fife QB sneak. Assisted by a Sam Houston red zone fumble, the Aggies appeared on their way to produce a two-touchdown advantage in the third quarter on another QB sneak, but the “tush push” went awry and Fife coughed up the ball. Sam Houston nearly recovered for a 90+ yard touchdown but was unable to scoop the ball cleanly. Instead, New Mexico State running back Kadarius Calloway dove on the loose pigskin for an 8-yard loss — a critical recovery which allowed the Aggies to escape with a field goal instead of a second goal line turnover.
Sam Houston sliced the deficit to 13-10 thanks to the effort of Alton McCaskill. McCaskill, who rushed for 961 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman at Houston, enjoyed his first game back from injury since Week 0. He contributed a team-high 38 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards as the recipient of the Bearkats’ only touchdown Thursday night.
Although McCaskill made things close, the fourth quarter was all Aggies. New Mexico State dropped 24 unanswered in the final frame to get back into plus-.500 territory. Early in the frame, Calloway punched in a short rushing touchdown and somersaulted into the end zone for a 20-10 lead. Before another snap even occurred, Calloway helped change the game’s outlook again. The ensuing kickoff was muffed by Sam Houston, and New Mexico State’s lead running back — who contributed 110 yards from scrimmage — recovered the fumble at the 2-yard line. Calloway’s recovery allowed Fife to find wide receiver PJ Johnson III in the end zone, providing substantial cushion for the Aggies. The lead then ballooned even further thanks to the second New Mexico State defensive touchdown of the season. Redshirt sophomore safety Naeten Mitchell logged his first career interception, icing the game with a 71-yard runback to the end zone.
By notching win No. 3, New Mexico State already matched its win total from Tony Sanchez’s first year at the helm in 2024. The 27-point win marked the program’s largest since Sept. 2, 2023 (58-21 over FCS Western Illinois) and largest over an FBS opponent since Nov. 26, 2022 (49-14 over Liberty). The Aggies remain unbeaten in Las Cruces this season after the Weekday CUSA victory, and they’ll look to keep the success alive next Tuesday at Liberty.
Sam Houston remains one of four winless FBS teams this season, sharing the designation with Oregon State (which appears on its November schedule), UCLA, and UMass. After four road trips in five games, the Bearkats return “home” next week to their temporary setup at Shell Energy Stadium in downtown Houston to battle reigning CUSA champion Jacksonville State.
