New Mexico State football is a grind. It always has been. If you’ve followed the Aggies for more than a minute, you know the deal: nothing comes easy in Las Cruces. After the Jerry Kill era brought some rare sunshine to Aggie Memorial Stadium, the 2025 season felt like a cold splash of desert rain.
The final tally? A 4-8 record.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a gut punch considering where the program sat a year ago. Tony Sanchez, in his second year at the helm, had to navigate a roster that looked like a revolving door thanks to the transfer portal. Losing a playmaker like Diego Pavia to Vanderbilt was always going to hurt, but 2025 showed exactly how deep those bruises went.
Why New Mexico State Football Results Felt Like a Rollercoaster
The season started with a glimmer of hope. People were actually optimistic after the Aggies took down Bryant 19-3 and then followed it up with a gritty 21-14 win over Tulsa. For a second there, the faithful in Las Cruces thought maybe, just maybe, they’d found a rhythm.
Then came the road trips.
Playing at Louisiana Tech was a disaster. A 49-14 blowout that exposed every crack in the secondary. It didn't get much better when the team headed north to Albuquerque for the Rio Grande Rivalry. Usually, that’s the game where you throw the records out the window, but the Lobos clearly didn't get that memo. They stormed past the Aggies 38-20, outscoring NM State 24-3 in the second half alone. It was a tough watch. The defense actually scored on a 42-yard fumble return by Bernock Iya, and for a while, the Aggies led 17-7. But the wheels didn't just fall off; they exploded.
Breaking Down the Mid-Season Slump
The middle of the schedule was brutal. Conference USA is a weird league. One week you look like a contender, and the next you’re struggling to find a first down.
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- The Sam Houston High: A 37-10 win on a Thursday night that made everyone think the season was saved.
- The Liberty Heartbreak: A 30-27 loss in Lynchburg where Logan Fife played out of his mind but couldn't quite seal the deal.
- The Overtime Curse: Losing 24-17 to Missouri State in overtime was probably the lowest point.
That Missouri State game was knd of a microcosm of the whole year. Mistakes at the worst times. A missed block here, a dropped pass there. It’s the kind of stuff that keeps coaches up until 3:00 AM staring at game film.
The Stats That Defined the 2025 Campaign
If you look at the raw numbers, the story is pretty clear. The Aggies averaged 21.6 points per game while giving up 27.6. You aren't going to win many games with a negative six-point scoring margin.
Logan Fife handled the bulk of the snaps at quarterback, throwing for 2,240 yards and 11 touchdowns. But the 12 interceptions? Those were killers. You can’t turn the ball over that much and expect to survive in C-USA. On the ground, Kadarius Calloway was the workhorse, racking up 438 yards. It’s not exactly "Heisman numbers," but he ran hard.
The real bright spot was Donovan Faupel. He caught 61 passes for 661 yards and seven scores. The kid is a player. Unfortunately for the Aggie faithful, he entered the transfer portal almost as soon as the season ended. That’s the modern game, though. You develop talent, and the bigger schools come calling with NIL checks. It sucks for a program like NMSU.
The Defense and the Transfer Portal Exodus
Defensively, Tory Gethers was everywhere. 88 tackles. He stepped in for an injured Tyler Martinez and basically became the heart of that unit. Ezra Christensen was also a monster on the line with six sacks.
But here is the kicker: both of those guys, along with Faupel and tight end Gavin Harris, are gone. The portal took seven of the team's best players in one week.
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It leaves Tony Sanchez in a tough spot heading into 2026. He’s 7-17 over his first two seasons. In the old days, that might buy you some patience. Nowadays? People want results yesterday.
What Most People Get Wrong About NMSU Football
A lot of national pundits look at the 4-8 record and think the program is back in the basement. That's a lazy take.
They won the "Battle of I-10" against UTEP. That matters. Winning 34-31 in El Paso is a massive deal for the boosters and the fans. It keeps the lights on. They also played SEC powerhouse Tennessee and, while they lost 42-9, they didn't look completely overwhelmed in the first half.
The problem isn't talent; it’s consistency.
The Aggies lost three games by a touchdown or less. If a couple of plays go the other way—a made field goal against Liberty or a better overtime possession against Missouri State—this is a 6-6 team going to a bowl game. That’s how thin the margin is in Las Cruces.
Real Talk: Can Sanchez Turn It Around?
Tony Sanchez knows this school. He played there. He coached receivers there. He’s not some mercenary looking for a stepping stone. But he needs to fix the offensive line, which gave up 34 sacks this year. That is way too many hits for your quarterback to take.
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The running game was also ranked 136th in the country at one point. 77 yards per game? That’s not going to cut it. You have to be able to run the ball to win in November, especially when the wind starts whipping through Aggie Memorial.
Actionable Steps for the 2026 Offseason
The season is over, but the work for next year is just starting. If the Aggies want to avoid another 4-8 finish, the blueprint is pretty obvious.
First, they have to hit the portal just as hard as it hit them. They need experienced offensive linemen. You can't start a season with a patchwork front and expect Logan Fife (or whoever wins the job) to stay upright.
Second, recruiting within the state has to improve. The Lobos are winning the recruiting battles in Albuquerque and Las Cruces right now. That has to stop.
Finally, the defense needs to find a way to finish games. Giving up 24 points in the second half to UNM is a coaching issue as much as a talent issue. They need a "closer" mentality.
Keep an eye on the spring game in April. That’s when we’ll see if the new transfers can fill the massive holes left by Faupel and Christensen. Until then, it's a long winter in the desert.