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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Utah State closed out the regular season with a 38-25 win over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon at Dreamstyle Stadium. The victory assured the Aggies of a winning record for the second straight season.
 
Utah State has claimed three straight and six of the last nine matchups against New Mexico. The overall series between the two rivals is now tied at 13-apiece.
 
The Aggies (7-5, 6-2 Mountain West) have won at least seven games for the sixth time in the past nine years. USU has also won six league games for the fourth time in its seven years in the MW. Overall, it is just the sixth time in school history that Utah State has won six conference games, joining the 1936 (6-0), 2012 (6-0), 2013 (7-1), 2014 (6-2) and 2018 (6-2) teams.
 
Gerold Bright rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries for the Aggies, who gained 368 yards of total offense, including 196 on the ground. The senior running back became the 10th different player in Utah State history to eclipse the 2,000-yard plateau for career rushing yards.
 
Bright now has 2,051 yards rushing in his career, good enough for 10th place in school history. He now has 27 career touchdowns, which is tied for ninth all-time in school history, while his 21 career rushing TDs are tied for eighth all-time.
 
Junior quarterback Jordan Love completed 18-of-35 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Jordan Nathan caught four passes for 31 yards, while Bright added four receptions for 14 yards.
 
Nathan scored on an 11-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to give Utah State a 17-6 advantage.
 
The Aggies jumped out to a 10-0 lead courtesy of a 5-yard touchdown pass from Love to graduate transfer Caleb Repp and a 45-yard field goal from senior placekicker Dominik Eberle.
 
A 1-yard touchdown run by Bright and a 16-yard touchdown catch from junior wide receiver Derek Wright less than a minute apart sent Utah State into the locker room with a 31-6 lead.
 
Redshirt junior defensive end Justus Te'i set up Bright's score when he recovered a fumble at the UNM 13-yard line. Senior defensive tackle Christopher Unga recovered a fumble on the Lobos' very next possession, setting up Wright's TD.
 
Utah State senior cornerback DJ Williams intercepted a pair of passes for Utah State. The last time he stopped on the turf at Dreamstyle Stadium, he had two interceptions against North Texas in the 2018 New Mexico Bowl en route to earning Defensive MVP honors.
 
Junior linebacker Eric Munoz and junior safety Shaq Bond had nine tackles apiece for the Aggies, who held the Lobos to 383 total yards and 4-of-13 on third down.
 
UNM quarterback Trae Hall was 10-of-21 for 107 yards and two touchdowns, to go along with two interceptions. The Lobos ended their season at 2-10, including 0-8 in the Mountain West.
 
The Aggies, bowl eligible for the eighth time in the last nine years, now await their 2019 postseason plans. Bowl game matchups will be officially announced Sunday, Dec. 8.

Fans can follow the Aggie football program at twitter.com/USUFootball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.
 
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