Las Cruz, N.M. — For the first time in 1,498 days, the Aggies won an away game with a 23-13 victory over UMass. It is also the first time since 2019 that the Aggies have won in a row.
The Aggies had to fight back from a 10-0 down in the second quarter to secure the win.
The first turning point in the game came in the second quarter when Syrus Dumas intercepted UMass. On the ensuing offensive drive, Ethan Albertson scored a 41-yard field goal to give the Aggies their first points of the game. Albertson went on to kick two more field goals throughout the game.
The second turning point was their next offensive drive when head coach Jerry Kill traded freshman quarterback Gavin Frakes for JUCO’s Diego Pavia. Pavia had him three out on their first drive, but the second ended with Giamoni’s 39-yard touchdown his pass to Jones to tie the game at 10–10.
In the fourth quarter, Pavia also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Warner who saw the Aggies go up 23–13.
Pavia had two sacks, two touchdowns, and 7-of-12 for 194 yards, a career-high. Also rushing 56 yards.
Frakes, on the other hand, was sacked once, throwing 7-of-13 for 29 yards and rushing for 28 yards.
The defense of the back-to-back game built a platform that allowed for 269 total yards and 1 touchdown.
NMSU is currently 3-5 on the season. The last time he won three in a season was in 2018.
NMSU was unable to reschedule the game on Nov. 5 after having to postpone the game against San Jose State, so NMSU will have another one before hosting Lamar on Nov. 12. Open for the week.