LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Aggie fans were met with disappointment at the Battle of I-25 rivalry game against the University of New Mexico Lobos, as the Aggies lost 50-40 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Lobos now lead the all-time series 74-35-5. Going into the game, the rivals were both eager to get a win since they both had rough starts to the season.
Entering the game, the Aggies were on a three-game losing streak after starting the season Aug. 31 with a 23-16 win against Southeast Missouri State University. The Lobos lost their first four games to start the year, and winning was their priority since they faced a difficult schedule going forward.
The Aggies had quarterback struggles all year long, but they seemed to find their guy in Santino Marucci. He went 13-for-29 passing for 189 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He also ran in for a rushing touchdown late in the game, which impressed many fans. He was the only quarterback to see the field for the Aggies.
The player of the night for the Aggies was Mike Washington, who had three total touchdowns, with two of them being rushing touchdowns and the other being a receiving touchdown. Washington rushed for 54 yards on 13 carries, and one catch for 25 yards.
Despite Washington being the player of the game for the Aggies, Larenzo McMillan had the play of the night, scoring an 84-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game 7-7 immediately after the Lobos got the first touchdown of the game.
NMSU was without their first-year offensive coordinator Tyler Wright, who was under investigation for more than 150 social media posts containing derogatory language about African Americans, Hispanics, women and the LGBTQ+ community that he made over 10 years ago. The news broke the night of Friday, Sept. 27, right before the rivalry game. Offensive Line and run game coordinator Andrew Mitchell took over for Wright as the play caller.
The defense has looked good for the Aggies throughout the season while the offense has not been as effective, but this game looked completely different. Despite scoring a season-high 40 points, they also allowed a season-high 50 points. This game combined for the most points out of all the college football games that went on that day. Of the 90 total points, 43 were scored in the fourth quarter with the Aggies outscoring the Lobos 23-20.
The Aggie defense could not get a stop. They allowed 579 total yards and gave up seven rushing touchdowns. Lobo quarterback Devon Dampier and running back NaQuari Rogers accounted for six of the seven rushing touchdowns, each having three of their own.
To make matters worse for the Aggies, the team was still not fully healthy. Offensive lineman Shiyazh Pete, who was named to the Lombardi Award watch list, has yet to see action on the field this season due to an ankle injury. He was one of the Aggies’ best offensive linemen last season. Even without Pete, the Aggies were still able to record a season-high in both rushing yards and yards per rush.
Many former NMSU athletes made an appearance at the game. Fans were excited to see former NMSU quarterback Diego Pavia back in Las Cruces for the game. Pavia, who transferred to Vanderbilt after the 2023 season, was one of the best quarterbacks in school history and lead the Aggies to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since the early 1960s.
Former defensive lineman Izaiah Reed, an outstanding player for multiple seasons, also made an appearance at the game. Former Aggie basketball star Sir’ Jabari Rice returned to Las Cruces to watch the game as well.
In addition to the former Aggie athletes, many fans made it out to the game with 21,062 fans in attendance at Aggie Memorial Stadium Saturday night—the most fans at a home game this season.
Players said the rivalry game is a great experience for all them and the coaches, and that it means so much to them and the state. Running back Isaiah Rudison said he loved getting the chance to compete in the game.
“It was a great experience to see all the fans out of New Mexico there,” Rudison said. “It was a real rivalry experience.”
Sophomore Micah Onyango, who described himself as a big Aggie football fan, said the game brough mixed emotions for fans.
“It was pretty hectic and chill at the same time,” Onyango said. “Moral of the story, we lost unfortunately.”
The Aggies will look to use the bye week to fix the defensive issues and capitalize on the offense’s momentum going forward. The Aggies next game will be played on the road at AmFirst Stadium against Conference USA opponent Jacksonville State University on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MDT.
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