Despite being a 7-point underdog, New Mexico State used the legs of Larry Rose III to defeat the FCS Cal Poly Mustangs 28-10 on Thursday evening. Rose III ran for 149 yards and 1 touchdown on 30 carries.
The game started out evenly as both teams opened with scoring drives. The Aggies went 75 yards on 11 plays and capped the drive on a 30 yard touchdown pass from Tyler Rogers to Teldrick Morgan.
Cal Poly responded by going 77 yards on 11 plays, as the drive was finished off when Brandon Howe ran for a 3 yard touchdown run.
New Mexico State score next with a 1 yard run from Xavier Hall. Cal Poly's Stephen Pyle hit a 24 yard field goal to make it 14-10 heading into halftime.
The Aggies pulled away in the third quarter when Rose III and Tyler Rogers hooked up for a 6 yard touchdown. Rose III had a 6 yard run in the fourth quarter to make it the final score of 28-10.
Rogers finished with 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception on 18 of 27 passing. Teldrick Morgan had 6 catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. Jerrel Brown caught 4 balls for 44 yards.
Cal Poly had 265 yards of total offense with 259 coming via the rushing attack. That is expected for a team that runs the triple option. Korl Garcia ran for 84 yards, Chris Nicholls added 67 yards, and Chris Brown had 66.
Cal Poly continues their season with another road game next week against South Dakota State. New Mexico State opens their Sun Belt schedule next week with a road trip to Georgia State. The winner of the game will be 2-0 after Georgia State won their opening game versus Abilene Christian.