LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Football returned to action at Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, marking their first home game of the season following a Week 0 trip to Tallahassee. The Aggie offense recorded an astounding day on the turn, posting 553 yards of total offense - the most in a single game since Sept. 2, 2023 (vs. Western Illinois, 650 total yards).
After a second-half surge, the Aggies (1-1) came away with their first victory of the 2026 campaign, defeating Mercyhurst (0-2) 51-14 in front of 9,189 fans.
The NM State defense set the tone on the first play of the game as Nick Session came away with his second interception of the season and battled through several attempted tackles to fight his way into the end zone, giving the Aggies an immediate 7-0 lead.
Mercyhurst would respond with a scoring drive of its own, however, the Aggie offense would have the answer as TJ Washington capped off a rapid scoring drive that spanned just two minutes and 45 seconds, retaking the lead near the end of the first quarter.
The Lakers used their next possession to add another score, taking a 14-13 lead over the Aggies. After a pair of three-and-outs, NM State would use a big pass play to TK King to setup a field goal for Ilya Uvaydov that gave the Aggies the lead for good.
Following a fourth-down stop, James Jones broke away for a 46-yard rushing touchdown to record his first rushing touchdown as an Aggie.
Following a back-and-forth first half in which the Aggies outgained the Lakers 218 to 208, NM State came out of the locker room with a different level of aggression. In the second half of the game, the Aggies outgained Mercyhurst by a total of 335 to 29, including limiting the Lakers to just nine rushing yards and two first downs.
After turning the ball over on downs with their first possession, NM State scored a touchdown on every other drive in the final two quarters, not including the final possession, when it ran out the clock.
In the second half, four different Aggies reached the end zone as TJ Washington Jr., James Jones, Terrione Graves and AJ Williams III each tallied scores in the final 30 minutes.
This included an 83-yard touchdown for Terrione Graves who sprinted away from Laker defenders to score his first touchdown in the Crimson and White. AJ Williams III later followed with his first score as an Aggie as he hauled in a pass from Adam Damante in the final five minutes to lift the Aggies beyond the 50–point mark.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Saturday marked the most points scored by the Aggies since scoring 58 points against Western Illinois on Sept. 2, 2023.
- NM State has now won three consecutive home openers to serve as the first time doing so since 2002–04.
- With interceptions from Nick Session and Sone Aupiu, the Aggies have now forced a turnover in 18 straight games, dating back to 2024.
- Terrione Graves' 83-yard touchdown marks the longest passing touchdown by the program since Tyler Rogers connected with Jerrel Brown on Nov. 1, 2014, for an 86-yard touchdown against Texas State.
- James Jones finished with 19 carries for 137 yards to mark the most rushing yards by an Aggie since Mike Washington ran for 153 yards on Nov. 9, 2024 against Western Kentucky. This also served as a new career high in total carries for the first year Aggie.
- Iowa transfer TJ Washington finished with 43 yards on seven carries against Mercyhurst, becoming the first Aggie running back with two rushing touchdowns in a single game since Mike Washington on Nov. 9, 2024 versus Western Kentucky.
- Five different Aggies tallied their first touchdowns in the Crimson & White, and first touchdown at the FBS level - Nick Session, TJ Washington Jr., James Jones, Terrione Graves and AJ Williams III.
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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