NMSU's Tony Sanchez keeping 'doable' bowl hopes alive despite 5 losses in 6 games

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At 2-0 and 3-2 earlier this season, New Mexico State’s bowl hopes looked promising.

Now, not so much.

The Aggies (3-5, 1-4 Conference USA) have now lost three consecutive games and five of their last six after falling 35-16 to Western Kentucky (7-2, 5-1) on Saturday, Nov. 1, on the road. Becoming bowl-eligible was a primary goal for NM State this season, but its chances of doing so have slowly slipped away in recent weeks.

But the Aggies only have five losses, so they’re keeping the faith.

“As far as bowl games and things like that, it’s doable,” Aggies coach Tony Sanchez said postgame. “Because mathematically, it is still there, and when I look at our opponents… and you look at the records, and you look at what’s possible, it’s very possible. But you got to go get the next one.”

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NM State’s immediate road ahead is daunting. The Aggies play Kennesaw State (6-2, 4-0) next at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at home. What appeared to be one of NM State’s easier games before the season began has now become one of its most challenging, as the Owls have yet to lose a conference game and are tied for first place in CUSA with Jacksonville State.

No. 14 Tennessee follows on Nov. 15 on the road. Wild outcomes happen weekly in college football, but an Aggies win in Knoxville would be one of the wildest of the decade.

UTEP and Middle Tennessee, two of the three teams at the bottom of CUSA’s standings, end NM State’s regular season. The Aggies have looked better than both this season, at least on paper, but neither is a sure win.

Sanchez isn’t worried about the opponents, though. If NM State fixes its key issues, he thinks six wins will be achieved.

“It’s really not about anybody we play coming up,” Sanchez said. “It’s really about us and finding our way on offense, finding a way to get some rhythm, being able to move the ball, and being able to score more touchdowns rather than kick so many field goals. And then defensively, we’ve just got to be able to sustain and play throughout the course of the game.”

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Those issues primarily lie on offense. The Aggies tallied only 176 total yards against a Hilltoppers defense that was allowing 408.9 yards per game heading into Saturday. WKU has CUSA’s second-worst rushing defense by rushing yards allowed per game, yet the Aggies’ running backs were only able to earn 44 rushing yards (Isaiah Rudison tallied 34 of them). Quarterback Logan Fife had one of his worst games of the season, completing just 33.3% of his passes for 110 yards with a poor interception in the third quarter.

NM State’s defense wasn’t as bad, but still not great. WKU’s offense was contained in the first quarter with 45 total yards and zero points, but ended with 429 total yards and five touchdowns. Hilltoppers backup quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. only had eight incompletions on 38 passes and threw for 301 yards, four touchdowns.

Linebacker Sone Aupiu kept the Aggies’ takeaway streak going with an interception in the second quarter, giving them at least one takeaway in every game so far this season, and cornerback Stilton McKelvey returned Bernock Iya’s forced fumble 71 yards for a touchdown inside the final two minutes. But there weren’t many positive moments other than those two.

“We’re kicking field goals, not doing the things that we need to do on offense to give ourselves a chance to win that game,” Sanchez said. “As the defense wore down, and (the Hilltoppers) kept getting good field position in the second half, they took advantage of it and then put it away.”

Sanchez says the road to a bowl isn’t over yet. Technically, he’s correct. But if the end hasn’t arrived, NM State is certainly teetering on the edge of it.

This story has been updated to correct its headline.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU’s bowl hopes are nearly dead, but Tony Sanchez is keeping faith

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