Tennessee Routs NM State 42-9 at Neyland Stadium as Aggies Turn Focus to UTEP
NM State committed four turnovers and could not slow Tennessee's offense in a 42-9 road loss in Knoxville, setting up a rivalry game against UTEP next Saturday.
By Chinedu Okafor ·
The NM State football team fell 42-9 to nationally ranked Tennessee on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. A crowd of 101,915 watched the Volunteers (7-3, 3-3 SEC) pull away from the Aggies (3-7, 1-5 CUSA), who struggled to contain Tennessee's offense.
NM State made an early defensive play when Jamall Thompson Jr. dropped into coverage and knocked the ball away from a Tennessee receiver, giving the Aggies their 21st forced turnover of the season. The offense could not capitalize, however, and turned the ball over on downs four plays later. Tennessee then scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown, set up by a 45-yard completion to Chris Brazzell II.
The Aggies' next possession ended when a Logan Fife pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and landed in the hands of a Tennessee defender. The Volunteers turned that interception into a second touchdown and led 14-0 with 5:43 left in the first quarter. After NM State punter Max Dean pinned Tennessee at its own 1-yard line, Joey Aguilar threw a touchdown pass to Braylon Staley to finish a 13-play, 99-yard drive and make it 21-0 before the end of the first period.
The Aggie defense answered with its own takeaway. Pressure from Ezra Christensen forced Aguilar to float a pass over the middle, and Bernock Iya intercepted it for his third interception in two games. Late in the second quarter, David Barker kicked a 32-yard field goal, the first field-goal attempt of his collegiate career, to make it 21-3 at halftime.
Tennessee opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 21-yard run from Star Thomas, a former NM State running back, to go ahead 28-3 with 10:46 left in the third quarter. The Volunteers added their fourth rushing touchdown to lead 35-3 with 2:35 remaining in the period. Three plays later, a pass from newly entered quarterback Adam Damante was deflected into the air, and a Tennessee defender intercepted it and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown, making it 42-3.
NM State scored once more in the fourth quarter, as Damante led a six-play, 43-yard drive that ended with a goal-line run by Isaiah Rudison. The extra point was missed, and the score stayed at 42-9.
Despite the result, the Aggies set season highs in pass attempts (53), completions (35) and passing yards (313). Fife completed 23 passes for 166 yards, and Damante completed 12 for 147. TK King had a career-high seven receptions, true freshman Brodie Malone-Bradford had a career-high three catches, and Henry Davis made a career-high three tackles. Rudison scored his second career rushing touchdown, and Thompson recorded his second career interception. Dean's 55-yard punt was the longest of his career, one yard beyond his previous best. The nine points were NM State's lowest total of the season.
NM State now turns to its final road game of 2025, a trip of about 45 minutes to face rival UTEP in the 102nd Battle of I-10. The game is set for Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Sun Bowl, with a 1 p.m. kickoff. It will be the last meeting between the schools as a conference matchup before UTEP joins the Mountain West in 2026. The game will stream on ESPN+ and be broadcast on 99.5 FM KXPZ.
Source: KVIA ABC-7
