New Mexico State Pulls Away from Western Kentucky, 34-13
Western Kentucky threw for 314 yards and ran for 43. Yes, 43, on 31 carries. New Mexico State went the other way, 207 yards on the ground and just 146 through the air, and the Aggies won 34-13 by a margin that the two stat lines pretty much explain.
The Hilltoppers did get the first score, a 45-yard field goal by Karl Campbell, and that was the only lead Western Kentucky ever held. Ilya Uvaydov answered with kicks of 52 and 28 yards, and then the game cracked open in the second quarter. De'Marcus Peters returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown, and Adam Damante ran one in from the 1 about six minutes later. It was 20-6 at the half after Campbell hit a late 41-yarder.
TK King made it 27-6 on a 15-yard catch early in the third. Brock Glenn answered from 9 yards out, which was the only touchdown Western Kentucky managed, and James Jones put it away with a 7-yard run with 3:18 to go. Jones carried 20 times for 155 yards, which is a lot of the 207.
Take away the pick-six and it is a 27-13 game, so this was not only a gift. Both quarterbacks threw one interception. But Rodney Tisdale Jr. went 29 of 40 for 314 yards and the offense scored 13 points, which is the sort of thing that makes you stare at a box score for a while.
New Mexico State moves to 2-3. Western Kentucky falls to 1-4.
Fantasy takeaway, quiet and useful: Jonathan Stafford Jr. caught 10 balls for 108 yards in the loss.