Tennessee jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on Saturday, cruising to a 42-9 win over New Mexico State.
In what was a brief reprieve from conference play, the 23rd-ranked Vols (7-3, 3-3 SEC) outscored the visiting Aggies 14-0 in the first quarter and then 21-0 in the third quarter.
Quarterback Joey Aguilar threw a pick on Tennessee’s opening drive, but responded nicely and led touchdown marches on each of the Vols’ next 3 possessions, including a 13-play, 99-yard drive to go up 21-0. Tennessee cooled from there, but it scored on each of its first 2 possessions out of the halftime break.
Aguilar finished the day with 204 passing yards, drawing closer to the 3,000-yard mark for the season. Aguilar is looking to become the Vols’ first 3,000-yard passer since Hendon Hooker crossed the threshold in 2022. He is 59 yards away.
Tennessee’s starting quarterback wasn’t without his warts on Saturday, though. He was picked off twice, marking a second consecutive game with multiple interceptions. He has double-digit interceptions in each of his last 3 seasons.
The Vols’ defense limited the damage on each giveaway, though. After the first, Tennessee punched NMSU off the field in 4 plays. After the second, the Vols got off the field in 5 plays. Neither drive gained more than 11 yards.
And UT picked off 2 passes of its own. The Vols also recorded 4 turnovers on downs. They held NMSU to 64 rushing yards (adjusted for sacks) and 9-for-24 on third and fourth down.
The Vols travel to Gainesville next Saturday to face Florida.
No. 21 Tennessee 42, New Mexico State 9
Here’s the Tennessee-New Mexico State box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Joey Aguilar vs Logan Fife
A statistical breakdown of how Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar performed compared to New Mexico State quarterback Logan Fife:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
