KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The NM State football team traveled to Neyland Stadium on Saturday night to take on a nationally ranked Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) squad. In front of 101,915, the Aggies (3-7, 1-5 CUSA) were unable to contain the Volunteer offense as they fell 42-9. This marks the Aggies' penultimate road bout as they prepare to travel to El Paso, Texas, next Saturday to take on rival UTEP.
 
Following a promising opening drive for the Aggies that ended in a punt, the NM State defense came up with the first impact play of the evening on the ensuing Tennessee drive. Jamall Thompson Jr. dropped into coverage and fought the ball away from the Tennessee receiver to give the Aggies their 21st forced turnover of the season.
 
However, the Aggies were unable to take advantage of the Volunteer miscue and would turn the ball over on downs just four plays later. The home side would then turn its second drive into points as it recorded a 1-yard rushing touchdown immediately following a 45-yard completion to Chris Brazzell II.
 
The Aggies' next offensive possession would come to an end via an interception as Logan Fife's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and ended up in the hands of a Volunteer defender. This interception would eventually turn into a second Tennessee touchdown, putting the Vols ahead 14-0 with 5:43 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
NM State would move the ball into its opponent's territory on its next drive but would ultimately have to punt. On the punt, Max Dean would pin the Volunteers at their own 1-yard line. Tennessee would then take this possession and add to its total as a touchdown pass from Joey Aguilar to Braylon Staley capped off a 13-play, 99-yard scoring drive, putting the Aggies behind by 21 points in the first period.
 
Eventually, the Aggie defense would get organized and come up with its second interception of the first half on the Volunteers' next drive. This time, Ezra Christensen applied pressure to Aguilar and forced the senior to float a ball over the middle, where Bernock Iya was there to claim his third interception across the last two games.
 
Later in the second quarter, the Aggies would put together their first scoring drive of the contest. The points would come by way of a 32-yard field goal from David Barker on the first field goal attempt of his collegiate career. The Barker field goal would be the final points of the first half, leaving the score at 21-3 in favor of the home side at the break.
 
With the Aggies winning the coin flip and electing to receive to start the game, Tennessee would open the second half on offense, driving 75 yards down the field and into the end zone to make it 28-3 with 10:46 left in the third quarter. Scoring the touchdown was former NM State running back Star Thomas, who scampered 21 yards to the checkered end zone.
 
NM State would see the deficit grow to 32 points late in the third quarter as the Volunteers would record their fourth rushing touchdown of the evening to make the score 35-3 with 2:35 left in the third quarter. Just three plays later, newly entered quarterback Adam Damante would have a pass deflected straight into the air to allow a Tennessee defender to intercept the throw and take it 35 yards to the end zone, making the score 42-3, nearing the end of the third period.
 
The Aggies would remain aggressive in the fourth quarter and were eventually able to punch the ball into the end zone in the fourth quarter as Damante led the Crimson and White on a six-play, 43-yard drive that was capped off by a touchdown run at the goal line by Isaiah Rudison. However, the extra point that followed would be missed to leave the score at 42-9, where it would stay for the remainder of the night.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Henry Davis tallied a career-high three tackles.
• TK King recorded a career-high seven receptions.
• True freshman Brodie Malone-Bradford also hauled in a career-high three catches.
• Isaiah Rudison posted his second career rushing touchdown.
• Jamall Thompson Jr. earned his second career interception.
• As a team, the Aggies finished with season highs in pass attempts (53), completions (35) and passing yards (313). This came from a combination of efforts with Logan Fife totaling 23 completions for 166 yards and Adam Damante finishing with 12 completions and 147 yards.
• Kicker David Barker made his first collegiate appearance as a place kicker and split the uprights from 32 yards out to log his first points as an Aggie.
• Max Dean recorded his longest career punt, booting the ball 55 yards to surpass his previous best by one yard.
• NM State's point total (9) was its lowest to this point in the season.

 
UP NEXT
Following a trip to Knoxville, the Aggies will compete in their final road contest of the 2025 campaign as they travel 45 minutes down the road to take on rival UTEP in the 102nd playing of the Battle of I-10. The battle between the Aggies and Miners will take place in the Sun Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 22, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. 
 
This will also mark the final game between the two programs that will serve as a conference matchup before UTEP makes the move to the Mountain West in 2026. The game will stream live on ESPN+, with additional coverage available via 99.5 FM KXPZ, along with live statistics that can be found at NMStateSports.com/stats.
 
For complete coverage of the NM State football program, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Football), Twitter (@NMStateFootball) and Instagram (@NMStateFB).