LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Aggie fans were met with disappointment at the annual football homecoming game Saturday, Nov. 9, as the Aggies lost 41-28 against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who are currently first in the Conference USA standings.
Going into the game, the Aggies were eager to get a win to keep their chances at a bowl game alive but those chances are now over. With this loss, they fell to 2-7 on the season including a 1-5 conference record. The Hilltoppers improved to 7-2 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in conference play.
The Aggies lost their previous game on the road to Florida International University 34-13. The Hilltoppers won their previous three games by double-digits, and winning was a priority to have a chance at a 10-win season.
The Aggies had quarterback struggles all season long and it showed again Saturday night. Santino Marucci started his fourth game of the season and went 10-for-20, passing for 129 yards. He also threw a passing touchdown and two interceptions. His first interception came on the Aggies first play of the night which put them in a tough spot. He also rushed for just 20 yards. Brandon Nunez saw the field as well, rushing for 34 yards.
Despite being down 24-7 at halftime, the Aggies responded well at the beginning of the second half, scoring two touchdowns in ten minutes to cut the deficit to three. However, the Hilltoppers followed up with a 17-0 run to build up a 20-point lead. A late Aggie touchdown is what made the final score 41-28. The Aggies put up the best fight of all CUSA teams against the Hilltoppers, who beat every other conference opponent by 17 points or more.
The player of the night for the Aggies was Mike Washington, who accounted for the first two touchdowns of the game for the team—both rushing touchdowns. He managed to rush for a season-high 152 yards on 19 carries. He also rushed for 47 yards mid-way through the third quarter, which is a season-long for the Aggies.
Washington was not the only player to make things happen for the Aggies. Seth McGowan accounted for his first touchdown—a rushing touchdown—since early in the season against Liberty. He managed to rush for 113 yards on 15 carries. His longest rush for the game was 19 yards.
The final touchdown of the night came from Donovan Faupel who scored a receiving touchdown. This was his first touchdown as an Aggie. He had his first two catches as an Aggie on the final play of the game to finish off with 36 yards.
The Aggies put together one of their best rushing performances of the season as they rushed for a total of 331 yards which is the highest they have had since Sept. 24, 2022, when they crushed Hawaii at Aggie Memorial Stadium 45-26.
Even with the good things the Aggies showed, it was not enough to escape the game with a win, and Head Coach Tony Sanchez was not pleased with the team’s overall performance.
“We made some critical mistakes early in the game on defense,” Sanchez said in the postgame conference. “Then offensively, just turning the ball over. You turn the ball over five times, it’s going to be hard to win a football game.”
With it being the homecoming game, there were many fans in attendance including students who had mixed emotions on how the game played out. One of these students was Christian Barreto, a cross country runner for NMSU.
“The defense blew coverage on that first drive and then the turnover right after the touchdown was just killer,” Barreto said. “The Aggies definitely hung around until the third quarter, but just started to fall off and that’s when I left.”
Homecoming festivities
The homecoming game was not just about the game itself, there were other festivities throughout the weekend. The day kicked off with the annual homecoming parade on University Avenue, which had a large turnout. It included performances from the NMSU Pride of New Mexico band, mariachi, cheerleaders and more.
The Aggies will look to use the upcoming week to fix both the offensive and defensive issues going forward as they face a difficult schedule. They play the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies on the road at Kyle Field Saturday, Nov. 16. Kickoff is set for 5:45 p.m. MDT.
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