By Joseph Settle
Tuesday, Oct. 14, the New Mexico State University Aggies traveled into Lynchburg, Va., to play the Liberty Flames in a weekday Conference USA game on CBS Sports Network. New Mexico State came into the game 3-2 while Liberty was 2-4.
The back-and-forth game went down to the last second, with the Aggies missing a potential game-tying field goal as time ran out, leaving Liberty with a 30-27 victory.
The game started out in an uncharacteristic way for NMSU on their first drive. NMSU ranks dead last in the nation when it comes to rushing yards, averaging around 50.6 yards per game. But the Aggies came out with a hot start to their running game with four straight runs accounting for 23 yards – just under half their game average – before even attempting a pass. The next three plays, however, resulted in a total of -1 yard, and NMSU punting to Liberty.
Liberty’s first drive was a mix of rushing and passing as their offense is run-pass option heavy. They were able to account for 54 yards with four passes, the biggest a 15-yard pass from quarterback Ethan Vasko to Jamari Person. That was followed by three runs before Vasko overthrew his receiver and was intercepted by Aggie cornerback Zedekiah Rodriguez-Brown at the NMSU 21.
The Aggies’ second drive then took over, however, they wouldn’t find much success as they ran a quick three-play, six-yard drive, that only took a minute off the clock before punting back to Liberty. Liberty had two big runs of 15 and 14 yards back-to-back to move them to the NMSU 39-yard line. However, the Aggies’ defense tightened up in the red zone, forcing Liberty to kick their first field goal of the game from 28 yards out, to take the lead 3-0 with 2:17 remaining in the quarter.
The Aggies started their second drive at their 23-yard line and went right back to running the ball, with runs for seven and then five yards. Those were followed by a Logan Fife pass to TK King for a gain of eight. The Aggies took this drive into the second quarter, before it would stall at the Liberty 10. The Aggies kicked a field goal to tie the game 3-3. The score wouldn’t stay tied long, however.
On the following kickoff, Liberty’s Julian Gray returned it 96 yards for a touchdown and, more important, the lead, 10-3. The Aggies and Flames exchanged punts before the Flames had a quick, three-play 21-yard drive that ended with an Evan Dickens rushing touchdown to put Liberty ahead 17-3.
The Aggies took over at their own 25, with the run game again showing its head as Kadarius Calloway broke off a 14-yarder. Fife hit King for a gain of 18 and then Fife connected with Donovan Faupel on back-to-back plays for gains of 10 and 21 yards. A sack, however, ended the drive, leading the Aggies to attempt a field goal. NMSU kicker Ryan Hawk hit from 24 yards to cut the Flames’ lead to 17-6.
The Flames got the ball back with 56 seconds left in the half, and an unnecessary roughness call added 15 yards to the Flames’ return, starting them at their own 42. A run and a pass completion, followed by another 15-yard penalty on the Aggies for roughing the passer, moved the Flames from the NMSU 40 to the 25. The drive, and the half, ended with another Jay Billingsley field goal, this one from 43 yards out, to put the Flames ahead 20-6.
The Flames started the second half with momentum and the ball. But as the Flames were moving down the field, Vasko was sacked and fumbled. Aggie defensive end Brad Vislisel recovered the ball at the Liberty 44.
The Aggies then executed a nine-play drive, highlighted by big completions from Fife to Harris and Johnson III, setting the Aggies up at Liberty’s 14.
A 12-yard run from Calloway pushed the offense up in great position at the 2. He finished the job on the next play, with a two-yard run for a touchdown to bring the score to 20-13, Liberty.
The Aggie defense did its job on the following drive, forcing a three and out. The Aggies’ offense then engineered an 11-play, 60-yard drive highlighted by big runs from Calloway to set the Aggies up at Liberty’s 20. Fife fired a pass to Faupel who would bring it in for another Aggie touchdown. Hawk’s extra point kick made it 20-20 going into the fourth quarter.
Liberty opened the fourth quarter running the ball, then completing a pass for 9 yards, then another run for 5 yards. On their next passing attempt, Aggie cornerback Josiah Charles jumped the route for an interception, and return of 17 yards, to set the Aggies up at Liberty’s 38.
The Aggie offense sustained another good drive, finding the end zone when Fife hit Brody Malone-Bradford for a 20-yard touchdown pass to take the lead 27-20.
The Aggie defense then forced a Liberty punt.
However, Aggie returner TK King muffed the punt and it was recovered by Liberty at the Aggies’ 22.
The NMSU defense kept its season-long form by bending but not breaking, forcing the Flames to kick a field goal to make it 27-23.
The Aggie offense was unproductive on the next drive. They punted to leave the game up to the defense.
Liberty responded with a methodical 13-play, 92-yard drive. The drive took 3 minutes and 10 seconds off the clock and was capped with an 8-yard rushing touchdown by Dickens to give Liberty the lead with 36 seconds left.
Fife and the Aggies had 36 seconds to get into field goal range, and an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Flames on the extra point meant Liberty would kick off from its own 20. Two big completions from Fife for 6 and 32 yards put the Aggies at the Liberty 30 and set up Ryan Hawk for a potential game-tying field goal with three seconds left. Hawk lined up the kick, from 47 yards, but it went wide left. No good.
The final result was the Aggies falling to the Flames 30-27 in Lynchburg.
The Aggies will return home to Las Cruces Wednesday, Oct. 22, to take on the Missouri State Bears at 7 p.m. at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
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