LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Football gets ready for its penultimate road contest of the 2026 season as it travels to take on Missouri State. The meeting will be just the second all-time game between the Aggies and Bears and is the first time the Aggies will venture to Springfield, Mo. The Aggies are seeking their second road victory of the year as they take one of the league's top ranked rushing offenses to take on a Missouri State defense which ranks near the bottom of the conference in stopping the run. This weekend's game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
 
GAME TEN
Who: NM State (3-6, 2-3 CUSA) at Missouri State (3-6, 2-3 CUSA)
Where: Springfield, Mo. – Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500)
When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 – Noon MT
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Don West
Analyst: Tom Mast
Sideline: Sierra Clark
 
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ / TuneIn App
Play-by-Play: MJ Newsom
Color Analyst: Danny Knee
 
Live Stats: NMStateSports.com/Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT: LIBERTY 30, NM STATE 14
NM State battled Conference USA leader Liberty toe-to-toe for much of its Homecoming matchup before falling 30-14 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. Making his first start since Sept. 26, Trey Hedden threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Aggies stay within one possession of the undefeated Flames entering the fourth quarter.
 
The Aggies struck first on a touchdown connection between Hedden and AJ Williams III, who turned in one of the top receiving performances of the season with eight catches for 150 yards and two scores. Williams became the first Aggie receiver to eclipse 150 yards in a game since 2025, while Hedden recorded his fourth 250-yard passing game of the year.
 
Defensively, NM State continued its strong pass-rushing trend with two sacks and recorded at least one sack for the 11th consecutive game. Nick Session and Tory Gethers paced the defense with 10 tackles each, but late Liberty scores ultimately allowed the Flames to pull away after the Aggies had trimmed the deficit to 16-14 early in the fourth quarter.
 
HAVE A DAY (AGAIN), AJ                            
Senior wideout AJ Williams III put together another big day on Saturday against Liberty, finishing the night with eight catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. With this performance, it marked the second time in the last three games that Williams III hauled in two touchdown passes in the same game after also doing so against Sam Houston on Oct. 21.
 
In Saturday's game, Williams surpassed his career high in receiving yards during the first drive as he amassed 64 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches to help the Aggies take an early lead.
 
His 150 receiving yards are the sixth-most in a single game by a CUSA player this season and is the fourth-most in a game during CUSA play this year.
 
With this performance, he is now the Aggies' leading receiver with 409 total receiving yards.
 
NM STATE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
Despite not recording an interception in their last outing, the NM State defense has still recorded more interceptions (8) than passing touchdowns it has allowed (7) this season. With this, they are one of just three teams in Conference USA to fall in this category, joined by Liberty (10 interceptions, eight passing touchdowns allowed) and FIU (seven interceptions, six passing touchdowns allowed).
 
CONTROLLING THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE     
In 2026, the NM State offense is averaging 4.3 yards per carry against FBS opponents after averaging 2.6 last season. The 1.7-yard increase is tied for the largest among all FBS programs this year.
 
RESTRICTING THE RUSH                           
Entering Saturday, the Aggie defense ranks third among all Conference USA teams in rushing yards allowed per game at 137.2 per contest.
 
Additionally, the Aggies rank third in rushing yards allowed during CUSA play, giving up 125.6 yards per game across their first five league matchups.
 
Earlier this season, the Aggies limited Sam Houston to just 11 rushing yards to mark one of four times this season that the Aggies allowed fewer than 75 rushing yards. This serves as the first time since at least 1994 that the Aggies have kept their opponents under 75 rushing yards four times in a single season.
 
LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD                       
Entering Saturday's game, the Aggies have recorded 6.0 tackles for loss per game. This is good for first in the conference and 38th in the nation.
 
Individually, the Aggies are led in this department by Sone Aupiu (9.5) and Gabe Peterson (8.0) who rank second and seventh, respectively, in the conference in tackles for loss this season.
 
In conference play alone, Aupiu has logged 7.0 tackles for loss to pace all CUSA tacklers. Fellow linebacker Tory Gethers ranks fourth in this category with 6.0 tackles for loss since the start of league action.
 
PRESSURING THE PASSER                        
The Aggie defense has now recorded multiple sacks in five of its last six games and have notched 14 sacks in CUSA play to lead the conference. This charge is led by defensive end Gabe Peterson as he paces the Aggies and ranks second among all CUSA defenders with a career-best 5.5 sacks. This includes a league-best 4.0 sacks in conference action.
 
In the Aggies' CUSA opener against WKU, the Aggie defense recorded six total sacks to mark the program's most sacks in a single game since a seven-sack performance against FIU on Oct. 4, 2023.
 
The Aggies will look to continue this trend on Saturday as only Sam Houston has allowed more sacks (15) in CUSA play than Missouri State (13).
 
In total, seven different Aggies have at least one sack this season, including six players with multiple sacks.
 
LEADERS IN THE MIDDLE                         
The tone of the NM State defense is set by linebackers Tory Gethers and Sone Aupiu who currently rank second and third, respectively, in tackles among the Aggie defense.
 
Aupiu is in his fifth year with the program and fourth as a starter. In total, Aupiu has now made 45 starts to lead all Aggies and currently ranks third among NM State defenders in tackles with 42. He also leads all Aggies with 9.5 tackles for loss and ranks second on the team in sacks with 4.0. Aupiu also has one interception and one forced fumble this season.
 
After a breakout season in 2025, Tory Gethers is alongside Aupiu once again. Currently, Gethers ranks second on the team in tackles with 66, including two sacks, seven tackles for loss and five quarterback hurries. Against Liberty, Gethers was on pace to have a career game as he had 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack before a targeting penalty took him out of the game with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter.
 
KEEPING UP WITH JAMES JONES                          
Despite a quiet game by his standards, James Jones continues to prove why he is appearing on more and more NFL draft boards and is one the top running backs in Conference USA and in the nation. Against Jax State, Jones rushed for 112 yards to record his fifth 100-yard game of the season, one week after posting a career-high 178 yards against Sam Houston, the most by an Aggie in a game since 2019.
 
Through nine games, Jones has totaled 940 rushing yards on 154 carries while averaging 104.4 yards per game. He leads Conference USA and ranks 12th nationally in rushing yards per game, and sits 12th in the country in total rushing yards. His 6.1 yards per carry also ranks second in the league and 22nd nationally.
 
With three games remaining, Jones is on pace to become the first Aggie since Larry Rose in 2015 to average more than 100 rushing yards per game for a season. In conference play, he has been even better, leading CUSA with 117.0 rushing yards per game.
 
Jones' production extends beyond this season. Dating back to his time at Delaware State, he has surpassed the 100-yard mark in eight of his last 13 games and has recorded 15 career 100-yard rushing performances. His five 100-yard games this season are the most by an Aggie since Jason Huntley accomplished the feat five times during the 2019 season.
 
CUSA ON THE ROAD                                       
This season, CUSA teams have struggled to win on the road as the Aggies' win over Sam Houston marked NM State's first road win of the season and just the seventh road victory for all CUSA teams as the league now holds a record of 11-35 in road games. On the other hand, the Aggies are 2-3 at Aggie Memorial Stadium this year, while CUSA teams are a combined 30-14 at home during the 2026 campaign.
 
CONSISTENCY IS KEY                   
This season, the NM State defense has seen consistency throughout the year as nine Aggies have started all nine games this year. This includes Brad Vislisel, Henry Davis III, Gabe Peterson, Tory Gethers, Sone Aupiu, Josiah Charles, De'Marcus Peters, Lorenzo Smith and Nick Session.
 
CLASS IS IN SESSION                     
One of the biggest plays in the Aggies' win over Mercyhurst earlier this season came from safety Nick Session who intercepted a pass on the first play of the game and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.
 
Prior to his interception in the season opener, Session had just one interception in his collegiate career with his first coming as a member of the Oklahoma State defense in 2021.
 
Session has also been flying around on the back end this season as he currently leads the Aggies in total tackles with 68, including 46 solo tackles. With his total, he has already surpassed his season total from last year.
 
Additionally, his 5.11 solo tackles per game ranks 11th in the nation.
 
WHERE TO WATCH THE AGGIES         
After just three of the Aggies' 12 games were featured on national networks in 2025, the Aggies will find themselves in the national spotlight at least seven times this season. This year, NM State is slated to play four games on ESPN2, two games on CBS Sports Network and one game on The CW.
 
Week 10 marks the first time since the their third game that the Aggies will not play on national television as they return to ESPN+ where Don West (play-by-play), Tom Mast (analyst) and Sierra Clark (sideline) will be on the call.
 
WHERE TO LISTEN TO THE AGGIES  
Once again, all games this season will air live on 99.5 FM KXPZ for those in Las Cruces and the surrounding areas. Radio broadcasts for all Aggie games will also be available to listen to nationwide via the TuneIn App. Radio play-by-play for Wednesday's game will be provided by MJ Newsom, with analysis provided by Danny Knee.
 
Additionally, all home games will be available in Spanish on 96.7 FM La Equis with the call provided by Darien Salayandia (play-by-play) and Jose Aragon (analyst).