NM State suffers overtime defeat at Missouri State

NM State held a lead late into the fourth quarter, however, the Aggies were unable to exit with the victory as Missouri State used a late score to send the game into overtime where the Bears eventually defeated the Aggies 27-21.

In the loss, James Jones rushed the ball 25 times for 150 yards to mark his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season. TJ Washington Jr. also eclipsed 100 yards on the ground to mark the first 100-yard game of his collegiate career.

Jones became the first Aggie to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards since Jason Huntley in 2019, while six 100-yard games this season are the most by an Aggie since third team All-American Larry Rose III did so in 2015. 

With both Jones and Washington Jr. going over the 100-yard mark, this marks the first time that a pair of Aggie rushers went over 100 since Mike Washington (152) and Seth McGowan did so on Nov. 9, 2024, against Western Kentucky.

In total, the Aggies outgained the Bears 383 to 292, including rushing to a total of 253 yards to mark the most yards gained on the ground this season. 

The Aggies and Bears got off to slow starts offensively, as the two teams combined for four first-quarter punts. NMSU began its third offensive possession at its own six-yard line, calling on senior running back James Jones for three straight runs – producing 16 yards. Two plays later, TJ Washington Jr. broke off a 16-yard run, setting the Aggies up at the 38-yard line to begin the second frame. 

Later in the drive, Missouri State forced the game’s first turnover as Dylan Brooks intercepted a pass on the Aggies’ 15-yard line and returned it to the end zone, putting the home side in front 7-0 with 13:20 remaining in the first half.

The Aggies quickly responded as Trey Hedden drove the Aggies down the field with the help of a pair of completions to AJ Williams III. Hedden then capped off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Brodie Malone-Bradford, evening the score at 7-7 with just over 10 minutes left in the quarter.

Missouri State then went on a 17-play scoring drive that spanned 90 yards and consumed eight minutes and 47 seconds. The Bears’ quarterback threaded the needle to find Jmariyae Robinson to put the Aggies behind 14-7 heading into the halftime break.

Following a series of unsuccessful drives to start the third quarter, De’Marcus Peters came up with a game-changing play as he intercepted Henry Belin IV and returned it to the Missouri State 21-yard line to set the Aggie offense up with its best field position of the afternoon.

NMSU took full advantage of the opportunity as Trey Hedden found TJ Washington Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown pass just four plays later, drawing the Aggies even at 14-14 with just under five minutes left to play in the third frame.

The score remained 14-14 until the 9:13 mark when James Jones punched in a 1-yard rushing score with 9:09 left on the clock. This touchdown capped off a drive that included a combined 50 rushing yards from Jones and Washington Jr.

Later in the quarter, the Aggies had the opportunity to extend the lead to 10 with just over five minutes left in the contest. However, the kick missed to the right of the uprights, leaving the Aggie advantage at seven points.

This proved significant as the Bears produced an eight-play 80-yard drive that knotted the game at 21 with 56 seconds left, ultimately sending the game into overtime.

In the first extra period, the Aggies converted a long third-and-13, but two plays later, Missouri State’s second pick-six of the game handed the Aggies the road loss.