ALBUQUERUQUE, New Mexico — Utah State football dropped to an even .500 overall and in Mountain West play with a 33-14 loss at New Mexico on Saturday afternoon at University Stadium.
Senior running back
Miles Davis led the Aggies with 110 yards rushing on 10 attempts with one touchdown, adding two catches for three yards. Graduate quarterback
Bryson Barnes threw for 164 yards on 13-of-23 passing with one touchdown and one interception, also rushing seven times for four yards. Junior wide receiver
Braden Pegan led the Aggie receiving room with 108 yards on five catches with one touchdown.
Despite the Aggie defense stopping New Mexico's first possession near midfield, the Lobos pinned USU inside the 5-yard line, ultimately forcing a punt from Utah State's own end zone which UNM's D.J. McKinney returned 49 yards for the game's opening score. The Aggies drove into the red zone on the ensuing possession but were turned away as Barnes' pass into the end zone was intercepted. New Mexico then drove 80 yards to set up a one-yard TD run by McKinney to go up 14-0.
After both teams stalled on their next drives, the Lobos again pinned the Aggies deep, this time at the 1-yard line which led to a safety on the next play to put New Mexico up, 16-0. The Lobos further extended the lead with a 41-yard field goal by Luke Drzewiecki on the ensuing drive.
Davis finally broke through for the Aggie offense, breaking loose on a 64-yard touchdown drive to put Utah State on the board with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. The Lobos, however, responded quickly with a 40-yard TD pass from Jack Layne to Cade Keith. Utah State's final possession of the opening half reached UNM's 41-yard line before the Aggies were forced to punt and enter halftime trailing, 26-7.
The Aggies twice reached midfield in the third quarter but were unable to trim the deficit as neither side scored in the third frame. Barnes capped a seven-play, 87-yard drive with a 13-yard TD pass to Pegan to cut the Lobo lead to 26-14. Utah State then forced New Mexico into a 4th-and-1 situation from UNM's 34-yard line. The Lobos, however, converted via a fake punt before Damon Bankston scored from 41 yards out to re-extend New Mexico's lead to 33-14. After a sack forced the Aggies into a 3-and-out, the Lobos were then able to drain the final 7:22 off the clock to secure the win.
Junior running back
Javen Jacobs added six carries for 31 yards plus another three catches for 13 yards. Senior wide receiver
Brady Boyd added two catches for 27 yards while freshman running back
Noah White added one catch for 13 yards.
Up Next
Following a bye week, Utah State football (4-4, 2-2 MW) returns to Maverik Stadium to host Nevada on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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