LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returned home for its final Weekday CUSA contest of the 2026 season, falling 24-0 to Jax State on Wednesday at Aggie Memorial Stadium. NM State came away with a pair of interceptions, however, a pair of missed field goals and turnovers hurt the Aggies in the Conference USA matchup.
The NM State defense did what it does best on the opening drive as
Josiah Charles skied through the air to intercept a deep pass from Caden Creel at the Aggie 10-yard line. With their first possession of the night, the Aggies went on an 18-play 78-yard drive that included 66 yards on the ground between
James Jones and
TJ Washington Jr. However, NM State was unable to produce any points as the 31-yard field goal attempt missed the uprights.
Jax State would respond with a scoring drive of its own after taking over as it went on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a short rushing touchdown by Creel.
Later, Jax State moved the ball into Aggie territory once again, but the Aggie defense stood tall as
Nick Session and
Gabe Peterson combined to stuff a run on 4th-and-2, giving the ball back to the Aggie offense with just under seven minutes remaining in the half.
In the second half, the Aggies were unable to move the ball on their first drive, eventually punting the ball away to the Gamecocks who turned their first possession of the third period into three points as Garrison Rippa connected on a 49-yard field goal.
After NM State turned the ball over on downs, the Aggie defense came up with what looked to potentially be a game-changing play as
RJ Chapman intercepted a pass on fourth down and returned it deep into Gamecock territory. However, Jax State answered with an interception of their own to take over at the Aggie 15-yard line.
Jax State then scored two plays later as Creel broke away for an 84-yard rush before Jalen Likley rushed into for a touchdown on the next play to push the lead to 17-0.
NM State later drove the ball deep into Jax State territory, but once again missed a field goal. Jax State then extended its lead with a 29-yard passing touchdown with just under five minutes remaining, leaving the score at 24-0 where it would remain for the rest of the contest.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- TJ Washington Jr. finished with 70 yards on the ground against Jax State to mark a new career high for the senior from Wylie, Texas.
- The Aggies are now 8-6 in Weekday CUSA contests, and 2-2 on the season.
- With Josiah Charles' second interception of the season and a first interception with the Crimson & White for RJ Chapman recovery, the NM State defense has now forced a turnover in 23 of their last 24 games.
- James Jones eclipsed 100 yards for the fifth time this season to become the first Aggie with five 100-yard rushing games in a single season since Jason Huntley who did so in 2019. He finished with 112 total yards on 20 carries for 5.6 yards per carry.
- The Aggies' 18-play drive in the first quarter was their longest of the season, surpassing their previous high of 16 plays against New Mexico.
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).
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