New Mexico Holds Off North Dakota State 21-16 on a Pick-six
Take away the pick-six and North Dakota State wins this game. New Mexico's 21-16 victory included Austin Brawley's 56-yard interception return in the fourth quarter, a play that was worth seven points and turned a 14-9 lead into 21-9. Without it, the Lobos finish with 14 and the Bison win 16-14. Flip that one throw and everything changes.
New Mexico was ahead the whole way, which is a sentence you do not expect after looking at the stat sheet. Kiefer Sibley ran 29 yards for a touchdown with 11:51 left in the first quarter, Drew Klein answered with a 27-yard field goal, and Scottre Humphrey scored from 2 yards out with 10 seconds left in the half for 14-3. Nathan Hayes found Reis Kessel from 15 yards in the third quarter to make it 14-9 (the extra point was blocked, and that was a point North Dakota State could have used). Then came Brawley's return, and a 4-yard Hayes touchdown pass to Mekhi Collins with 6:42 left got it to 21-16. Nobody scored after that.
Both offenses were rough. New Mexico threw for 92 yards and ran for 190 on 41 carries, finishing with 282 total yards and one interception. North Dakota State threw for 198 and ran for 55 on 27 carries, for 253 total yards, and Hayes threw two interceptions, one of which went the other way for six. That is how you lose a game with a 253-to-282 yardage deficit by only five.
New Mexico moves to 6-1 and North Dakota State drops to 6-2. For fantasy, Hayes led the field at 20.9 points despite the two picks, Sibley added 15.8 on 91 rushing yards and a score, and Kessel had 15.7 on four catches and a touchdown.