FINAL: UMASS 41 - NMSU 30

After UMass started the game with a punt, instead of NMSU getting the ball at the 50-yard line, there was a penalty that pushed them back to their own 20. A mental mistake to begin the game. The Aggies were moving the ball well on the ground on the first drive. It went bad when quarterback Diego Pavia slung a dangerous ball over the middle that was intercepted. Now, UMass picks up their second drive into NMSU territory. Three plays later, UMass punches the ball into the end zone. Two mental mistakes: a penalty after a great punt return and a wild Pavia pass that led to an interception gift-wrapped the Minutemen a touchdown.

The NMSU punt team did make a great play, pinning UMass on the five-yard line after their second offensive possession petered out. The NMSU defense could not make a play, and QB Taisun Phommachanh scampered for a first down on second and eight. NMUS still forces a punt on the drive, and with a little bit of trickery on a reverse, they finally get across the 50-yard line. It did not last long after a sack on Pavia, but this NMSU punt team is saving their tail early in the game with another great punt. At 11:45 in the second quarter, it has been a punt fest with poor offense thus far. It is honestly hard to complain because these punters have been doing a great job, and the defense has been backing them up. That was until Monte Watkins took an 80-yard run untouched to the house to tie the game 7-7 with eight and a half minutes left.

UMass put together a strong drive using their running game and speed. It was enough to get them into field goal range and take the lead 10-7. Eli Stowers, the running QB (who did not attempt a pass), came into the game for the second time and he can make a difference in this formation with three running backs. Diego Pavia came into the game to throw, but he got sacked. Something to keep an eye on. The NMSU kicker was able to knuckle in a field goal to tie the game 10-10, sending it into halftime.

After a couple of punts, Phommachanh and the UMass offense started to get into a groove, mixing the running game with the pass. They had to settle for a field goal but took the lead 13-10 with 6:27 left in the third. Diego Pavia’s accuracy is not good, and he is continuing to make the wrong read on his option plays. He did make a clean throw on 3rd and six for a first down with plenty of time to throw. With 15 seconds left in the third quarter, NMSU kicked another knuckleball, but this time it did not go in.

At the start of the fourth quarter, when points finally started flying in, NMSU made another horrible mental mistake. UMass threw the ball over the middle, and the wide receiver caught it. Two NMSU defenders with their heads down missed open field tackles while the third defender let off thinking they had made the tackles and got burned. A play or two later, UMass punched it in for six, adding to their lead. It was an inexcusable defense from NMSU.

Diego Pavia answered with a deep touchdown pass, capping off a three-play, 79-yard drive, making it 20-17 with 13 minutes left. UMass got the ball back, and the NMSU defense continued to miss tackles after the catch. Phommachanh led the drive down the field, and after a huge run, they scored another touchdown, making the game 27-17 with 7:47 left. Only a couple of plays later, Pavia threw a pick-six. UMass made the game 34-17 with 6:40 left in the game.

After a fake punt by the NMSU specials (they have been amazing), Diego Pavia slung one deep for a touchdown, making the game 34-24. Pavia is a prototypical gunslinger, so you have to take the good with the bad. That brings us to 2:40 left in the game where he sat in the pocket too long with the ball as loose and vulnerable as possible. He fumbled, and UMass recovered. Two plays later, UMass busted one up the middle for a rushing touchdown to completely ice the game 41-24 with 1:43 left. NMSU scored a touchdown as time expired, and one could not help but applaud how Diego Pavia played until the whistle.

What We Learned:

This was a tale of two halves. In the first half, it was a defensive battle mixed with some poor offense. NMSU special teams played great, especially the punt team. The UMass offense appeared to have a strong game, but in my opinion, it was turnovers / poor tackling from NMSU that led to the huge plays. I do not want to take anything away from UMass because as we have continued to say: You can outplay a team, but if you cannot make the football plays, limiting the turnovers and mental mistakes, there is no way you can win the game. NMSU had three turnovers to UMass’ zero. QB Diego Pavia threw two interceptions and lost one fumble in the pocket, even though NMSU was running the ball averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He also had a QBR of 9.7, which is extremely awful. Phommachanh had a QBR of 69.2 for reference. The Aggies had plenty of speed and great blocking with their running scheme. I am no mathematician, but that is a first down every two carries (I understand they had one huge run). The defense showed off poor tackling technique. Again, credit to UMass head coach Don Brown who had his team ready to play without the mental mistakes NMSU had. Another team whose effort level helped get them their first win of the season. UMass QB Phommachanh looked confident and smooth running the ball, but it was hard getting a read on him with how bad NMSU looked defensively. When NMSU pinned them in their own territory they struggled. NMSU walked them into scoring territory far too often.

DDSN Player of the Game:

Junior QB Taisun Phommachanh: 10/17 for 192 yards passing & 17 carries for 97 yards and 1 touchdown