NMSU Football: Aggies drop close contest at Liberty to finish 3-9

New Mexico State already owned one win over Liberty this season, but they couldn’t make it two Saturday on the road.

Liberty defeated NMSU by a final of 28-21 to drop the Aggies to 3-9 for the year.

After falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter, NMSU’s Jason Huntley took a kick-off back 85 yards to breathe life into his team.

The Aggies still trailed 28-14 in the third and had a great drive going until quarterback Josh Adkins was stopped on an option play on fourth and goal short of the end zone. That would come back to haunt the Aggies.

NMSU would make it a 28-21 game with just under two minutes to go in the fourth when Adkins connected with Naveon Mitchell from four yards out.

However, Liberty was able to recover the ensuing onside kick to seal the win.

Adkins finished the game completing 29 of his 54 passes for 313 yards with one touchdown toss and one interception.

The Aggies ended up gaining 396 yards of total offense – 101 more than Liberty amassed. But they were unable to overcome an early 17-0 deficit that included a pick-six from Solomon Ajayi.

NMSU’s 3-9 record could be traced in part to their struggles on the road this season, where they finished with a mark of 1-6.

Liberty improved to 5-6 overall with the victory. They still have one more game to play on Dec. 1 at home against Norfolk State.

NMSU defeated Liberty at Aggie Memorial Stadium back on Oct. 6 by a final of 49-41.