LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Football played host to Tulsa on Saturday in a head-to-head matchup of 1-0 squads. The Aggies came back and took down the Golden Hurricane by a score of 21-14, earning their first 2-0 start in over a decade. Logan Fife led the way with 280 total yards and two passing touchdowns, while the defense came away with crucial turnovers at the end of each half. Jamall Thompson Jr. corralled a late interception that all but sealed the win for the Crimson & White.
 
The NM State defense picked up right where it left off last week, as each of Tulsa's first two offensive possessions ended in a turnover on downs. The two stops included a 4th-and-1 stuff by the Aggie defensive line before Ezra Christensen later got his hand up to break up a pass attempt at the line of scrimmage.
 
Later, the Aggie defense would force a Tulsa punt from its own 10-yard line - setting up the NM State offense at the Golden Hurricane 41-yard line. With this favorable field position, the Aggies were able to cash in for the game's first points as Ryan Hawk continued his strong start to the season by making a 46-yard field goal with 1:34 remaining in the opening frame. This would also be the only points scored across the first two quarters of action.
 
Tulsa did threaten to put points on the board on its final drive of the first half, but Tyler Martinez used a clubbed hand to deflect a pass in the end zone, allowing Bernock Iya to tally the first interception of his Aggie career and keep the Golden Hurricane off the scoreboard. With contributions from a stout Aggie defense, NM State carried a three-point lead into the third quarter despite recording just 97 yards of offense.
 
After a quick 3-and-out for the Aggie offense on the first drive of the second half, Tulsa put together a seven-play, 65-yard drive to score a touchdown and move ahead 7-3 with less than five minutes gone off the clock.
 
Led by the arm of Logan Fife, NM State immediately responded with a scoring drive of its own - using 13 plays to drive down the field and into the end zone. On the drive, Fife connected with his receivers for 63 of the 65 yards amassed of the drive, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Faupel in the back corner of the end zone to give the Aggies a 10-7 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter.
 
The NM State defense then stymied the Tulsa offense to force a three-and-out to bring the Aggie offense back on the field less than two minutes after scoring the touchdown. This time, the Aggies produced another field goal after gobbling up seven minutes and 49 seconds of the clock while running 15 plays and converting a trio of third-down opportunities to set up Ryan Hawk for a 38-yard field goal.
 
With the Aggies ahead 13-7, Tulsa produced a go-ahead touchdown drive before converting on the extra point attempt to move in front 14-13 with seven minutes and 33 seconds remaining on the clock.
 
Once again in need of a point-producing drive, Logan Fife guided the Aggies 75 yards down the field in just over four minutes to regain the lead. NM State ultimately got the drive going by moving the ball 30 yards down the field on the first four plays of the possession as Fife found Donovan Faupel for nine yards and PJ Johnson III for another 10 yards to go along with an 11-yard rush of his own. Later, the Aggies found themselves facing a 3rd-and-goal from the Tulsa 15-yard line when Fife zipped a pass into the hands of tight end Gavin Harris, who reached the ball across the goal line. This touchdown, coupled with a two-point conversion, handed the Aggies a 7-point lead with just 3:23 left on the clock.
 
With one of its final possessions of the game, Tulsa moved the ball into Aggie territory and appeared to be in prime position with the ball on the Aggie 8-yard line after a deep pass up the right sideline; however, an offensive penalty would bring the ball back to the NM State 41-yard line. The ensuing play would essentially be the game-sealing play as the Aggies' Jamall Thompson Jr. intercepted a pass over the middle to give the Aggies possession with 34 seconds left on the clock. After using all three of its timeouts, Tulsa had one last-ditch effort; however, the Aggies would emerge with their second victory of the season.
 
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Logan Fife's 45 passing attempts and 12 rushing attempts were both career highs as the senior amassed 280 total yards in the victory. Additionally, Fife's 28 completions marked the most completions for an Aggie quarterback in a single game since Nov. 6, 2021, when Jonah Johnson had 30 completions at home against Utah State.
• The Aggies have opened the season with two straight performances in which they held their opponents to 14 points or fewer. Before this season, the last Aggie foe to finish at 14 or fewer was Auburn (Nov. 18, 2023).
• The last time NM State allowed 14 points or fewer in back-to-back outings was at Liberty (14) and versus Valparaiso (3) on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, 2022, respectively. 
• Max Dean's 54-yard punt in the second quarter was the longest punt of his young Aggie career
• Donovan Faupel tallied eight receptions for 78 yards on Saturday, including a go-ahead touchdown grab in the third quarter. 
• Armahn Hale tied his personal best with five tackles against the Golden Hurricane, including three solo and one tackle for loss.
• Naeten Mitchell's eight tackles were the second-most among all Aggies, crushing his previous career high of two. 
• Jamall Thompson Jr.'s game-sealing interception was the first of his collegiate career
• Jackson Owens notched two Division I career highs on the night, doing so with four catches and 39 receiving yards.
• Bernock Iya matched his individual high from a week ago with seven tackles versus Tulsa.
• Ezra Christensen racked up five tackles in the win, including a team-high three for loss.
• Donovan Faupel's eight receptions against Tulsa were the most by an Aggie since Jared Wyatt tallied nine versus Hawaii on Sept. 25, 2021.

 
UP NEXT
NM State will take to the road for the first time this season next weekend as they travel to Ruston, La., to take on LA Tech on Saturday, Sept. 13. Kickoff for the game against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MT. Fans can catch all the action on ESPN+.
 
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).