NMSU Tops Texas State to win second straight
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Bolstered by a solid defensive performance from Jacob Nwangwa, which included a career-high two interceptions, the NM State football team won its second game in as many weeks with a 31-21 victory over Texas State on Saturday.
Nwangwa grabbed interceptions on back-to-back Texas State (2-6, 1-3 SBC) drives in the fourth quarter to secure a win for the Aggies (2-7, 2-3 SBC). With Texas State in the red zone, Nwangwa stepped in front of a Tyler Jones pass and grabbed his second interception of the season with 3:36 left in the game. On the ensuing Bobcat possession, Nwangwa again grabbed an interception, this time on the first snap of the drive, to give NM State the win. Nwangwa also had a team-high 10 tackles.
Larry Rose III led the Aggies on offense with his third 200-yard rushing game this season and his second in a row. The Fairfield, Texas native amassed 207 yards and now has 1,290 on the season to lead the Sun Belt in that category. Rose III had three touchdowns on the night with two rushing and one receiving. The sophomore had a game-high 292 all-purpose yards.
Nick Jeanty completed 24-of-45 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt freshman also had zero interceptions. Tyrian Taylor had six receptions for 81 yards, while Royce Caldwell added five receptions for 55 yards.
The Bobcats were led by Tyler Jones who completed 21-of-36 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown. He threw two interceptions and was sacked once.
The Aggies jumped on the board first as they took a 7-0 advantage on the opening drive of the game. They moved the chains multiple times, first with a pass completion from Jeanty to Jordan Bergstrom and then with a quarterback keeper by Jeanty. Rose III then surpassed his 2014 rushing yards as he ran down the right sideline and into the end zone.
The Bobcats appeared to have scored with just under four minutes left in the first quarter, but a review of the play overturned the call on the field. The NM State defense then forced a fourth-and-nine situation, but the home team missed the field goal and the Aggies maintained a 7-0 advantage.
The Aggies then extended their lead as Parker Davidson kicked a 27-yard field goal at the end of an 87-yard drive. This was his seventh field goal of the season. The Bobcats cut into the lead on the next drive as Jones capped a nine play, 75 yard drive with a seven-yard quarterback keeper. Following this touchdown, the Aggies held a 10-7 lead with 5:53 left in the half.
The Bobcats took the lead with 1:39 left before the break. Jones scored on an 8-yard quarterback keeper to give the home team a 14-10 advantage.
NM State regained the lead with 5:25 left in the third quarter. After a pass interference call in the end zone gave the Aggies a first down on the 2-yard line, Jeanty found Clayton Granch for a one-yard touchdown pass. This touchdown, which gave the Aggies a 17-14 advantage, was Granch’s first touchdown in an Aggie uniform.
Texas State jumped back ahead as Jones connected with Robert Lowe on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The drive took 3:02 off the clock and gave the Bobcats the advantage, but the Aggies responded with a touchdown of their own. After a 76-yard drive, a pass interference call in the end zone gave the visiting team a first down on the two-yard line, and Rose III ran up the middle for the touchdown and a 24-21 lead for the Aggies.
NM State extended the lead to 31-21 with a three-play drive. Jeanty completed a pass to Rose III and the sophomore completed the 77-yard play with a run into the end zone. This proved to be the final score of the game after Nwangwa grabbed his two interceptions on the last two Bobcat drives of the game.
Following a bye week, NM State takes the field again on Nov. 21 as they travel to UL-Lafayette for a 3 p.m. MT contest. The game will air on ESPN3 and will be broadcast on AM 570.
