HONOLULU – Following a slow start, the Aggies turned the tide and found themselves in a very competitive contest late into the fourth quarter on the road at Hawaii. However, a touchdown on a fourth down with just under six minutes to play ultimately resulted in NM State's second loss of the season.
In total, the Aggies (1-2) outgained Hawaii (1-2) on the ground, rushing for 124 yards while limiting the Rainbow Warriors to just 67 rushing yards. Although, Hawaii won the turnover battle as it came away with two interceptions and a fumble recovery compared to the Aggies' single fumble recovery.
After a couple of chunk plays to start the game, NM State saw its first drive end on a fumble in Rainbow Warrior Territory. With its first possession of the game, the home side would produce points as it used eight plays to span 64 yards and push the ball into the end zone. Hawaii would miss the extra point to leave the score at 6-0 at the midway point of the first quarter.
With two more empty possessions for NM State, Hawaii would add 10 points to its total on its next two drives. In the early goings, the Rainbow Warriors found success through the air as it opened the game with 150 passing yards on its first three possessions.
The Aggie offense eventually got things moving in the right direction as
Trey Hedden found
AJ Williams III, who made an acrobatic catch at the Hawaii 11-yard line. Three plays later,
James Jones used his strength to push his way into the end zone for the first Aggie points of the night. Looking to make it a one-possession game, the Aggies elected to go for two, but were stopped to keep the score at 16-6 with 10:02 remaining in the first half.
Joe Morris' defense was able to build on the momentum created by the offense as it forced Hawaii to punt on each of its next two possessions. NM State then drew even closer as
Trey Hedden found a diving
TK King for a touchdown, capping off a 10-play, 81-yard drive that spanned just two minutes and 51 seconds. This included the 33-yard touchdown pass from Hedden.
Nearing the end of the first 15 minutes, Hawaii methodically moved the ball down the field before kicking a 42-yard field goal to carry a 19-13 advantage into the break.
On the other side of the half, Hawaii used its opening possession to traverse the ball into Aggie territory, however, a violent hit from
Gabe Peterson would knock the ball loose from Micah Alejado. The ball then trickled onto the turf before
De'Marcus Peters scooped it up and took it 84 yards for the game-tying touchdown. Like the Rainbow Warriors did earlier in the game, NM State missed an extra point to leave the game tied at 19 less than two minutes into the second half.
Hawaii would throw the next jab as it came away with three points on its next drive to regain a 22-19 lead thanks to a 33-yard field goal.
In the fourth quarter, the Aggies would fail to convert on a 4th-and-one near midfield, putting the ball back in the hands of the Hawaii offense. On their next drive, Hawaii drove the ball down inside the Aggie 10-yard line, where it would score a touchdown on its own fourth down attempt, sealing the win for the home side.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- With De'Marcus Peters' fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, the Aggies have now forced a turnover in 19 consecutive games, dating back to the 2024 season.
- NM State falls to 1-12 all-time against Hawaii, including an 0-8 record in Honolulu.
- For the second straight game, the Aggies eclipsed 100 yards rushing. This was led by James Jones for the second consecutive contest as he carried the ball 13 times for 78 yards and one touchdown.
- TK King's four catches for 67 yards and one touchdown paced Aggie wideouts in all three categories.
- The Aggies' seven tackles for loss marks the most this season and the most since Oct. 22, 2025, when NM State logged eight against Missouri State. This was led by 1.5 for Henry Davis III, marking a new career high for the senior. Davis III also posted a new career high in tackles with four.
- AJ Williams III recorded career highs in receptions (3) and receiving yards (54). This included a 40-yard reception, which also marked the longest of his career.
- Myles Libman notched a new career high in receiving yards with 25, all coming on one reception.
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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