# 2022 New Mexico State Aggies football team

The 2022 New Mexico State Aggies football team represented New Mexico State University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies played their home games at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and compete as an FBS independent. They were led by first-year head coach Jerry Kill.
The season was the program's last season as an independent as the Aggies joined Conference USA in 2023. Prior to the 2022 season 247Sports predicted them to have a 3–9 record and be one of the ten worst programs in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
Despite having a 6–6 regular-season record with two wins over FCS teams, the NCAA granted a waiver for New Mexico State to be bowl-eligible due to their canceled game against San Jose State.

## Schedule

New Mexico State's schedule consists of six home games and six away games for the 2022 season.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 27 | 8:00 p.m. | Nevada | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | ESPN2 | L 12–23 | 23,371 |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | at Minnesota | Huntington Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | BTN | L 0–38 | 44,012 |
| September 10 | 7:00 p.m. | at UTEP | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX (Battle of I-10) | ESPN+ | L 13–20 | 23,325 |
| September 17 | 1:30 p.m. | at Wisconsin | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | BTN | L 7–66 | 73,080 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Hawaii | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | FloSports | W 45–26 | 12,897 |
| October 1 | 6:00 p.m. | FIU | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | FloSports | L 7–21 | 10,423 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | New Mexico | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM (Rio Grande Rivalry) | FloSports | W 21–9 | 20,132 |
| October 22 | 4:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | FloSports | Canceled | |
| October 29 | 1:30 p.m. | at UMass | Warren McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN3 | W 23–13 | 9,274 |
| November 12 | 2:00 p.m. | Lamar | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | FloSports | W 51–14 | 8,367 |
| November 19 | 5:00 p.m. | at Missouri | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | ESPNU | L 14–45 | 45,231 |
| November 26 | 10:00 a.m. | at Liberty | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | W 49–14 | 18,837 |
| December 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Valparaiso | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | FloSports | W 65–3 | 14,784 |
| December 26 | 12:30 p.m. | vs. Bowling Green | Ford FieldDetroit, MI (Quick Lane Bowl) | ESPN | W 24–19 | 22,987 |
| HomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Mountain time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Nevada

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolf Pack | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| Aggies | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 12 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: August 27
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: NE 6 MPH
* Game attendance: 23,371
* Referee: Steve Baron
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | NEV | NMSU |
| First downs | 18 | 16 |
| Total yards | 257 | 303 |
| Rushing yards | 179 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 78 | 218 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 31:44 | 28:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nevada | Passing | Shane Illingowrth | 7/12, 51 yards |
| Nevada | Rushing | Toa Taua | 19 rushes, 109 yards |
| Nevada | Receiving | Tyrese Mack | 4 receptions, 40 yards |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Gavin Frakes | 9/13, 143 yards, TD, INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Diego Pavia | 5 rushes, 36 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Justice Powers | 2 receptions, 74 yards |

### At Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Gophers | 7 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
at Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. MDT/8:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: N 7 MPH
* Game attendance: 44,012
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill, Matt Millen, and Elise Menaker
* Box score
Statistics
| Statistics | NMSU | MINN |
| First downs | 6 | 31 |
| Total yards | 91 | 485 |
| Rushing yards | 38 | 297 |
| Passing yards | 53 | 188 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 15:30 | 44:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Gavin Frakes | 2/7, 43 yards, INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Diego Pavia | 3 rushes, 14 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Justice Powers | 1 receptions, 34 yards |
| Minnesota | Passing | Tanner Morgan | 13/19, 174 yards |
| Minnesota | Rushing | Mohamed Ibrahim | 21 rushes, 132 yards, 2 TD |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Mike Brown-Stephens | 3 receptions, 52 yards |

### At UTEP

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Miners | 3 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
at Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: NW 2 MPH
* Game attendance: 23,325
* Referee: Michael Vandervelde
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Erik Elken and Jacob Boggs
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| New Mexico State | Passing |
| New Mexico State | Rushing |
| New Mexico State | Receiving |
| UTEP | Passing |
| UTEP | Rushing |
| UTEP | Receiving |

### At Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Badgers | 7 | 28 | 21 | 10 | 66 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. MDT/2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: S 14 MPH
* Game attendance: 73,080
* Referee: Kole Knueppel
* TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play), Joshua Perry (analyst), Rick Pizzo (sideline)
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | NMSU | WISC |
| First downs | 14 | 24 |
| Total yards | 242 | 595 |
| Rushing yards | 118 | 260 |
| Passing yards | 124 | 335 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:43 | 31:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 6/19, 52 yards, INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Star Thomas | 9 rushes, 46 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Jordin Parker | 1 reception, 36 yards |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Graham Mertz | 12/15, 251 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Braelon Allen | 15 rushes, 86 yards, 3 TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Skyler Bell | 4 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD |

### Hawaii

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rainbow Warriors | 7 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 26 |
| Aggies | 14 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 45 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind: SE 3 MPH
* Game attendance: 12,897
* Referee: Steve Baron
* TV announcers (FloSports): Adam Young, Danny Knee, and Andy Morgan
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Hawaii | Passing |
| Hawaii | Rushing |
| Hawaii | Receiving |
| New Mexico State | Passing |
| New Mexico State | Rushing |
| New Mexico State | Receiving |

### FIU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Aggies | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NW 9 MPH
* Game attendance: 10,423
* Referee: Kevin Boitmann
* TV announcers (FloSports): Adam Young, Danny Knee, and Andy Morgan
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | FIU | NMSU |
| First downs | 20 | 14 |
| Total yards | 344 | 221 |
| Rushing yards | 162 | 82 |
| Passing yards | 182 | 139 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:45 | 29:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| FIU | Passing | Grayson James | 13/19, 175 yards, 3 TD |
| FIU | Rushing | Lexington Joseph | 14 rushes, 80 yards |
| FIU | Receiving | Tyrese Chambers | 6 receptions, 72 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 8/14, 85 yards |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Jamoni Jones | 12 rushes, 50 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Bryce Childress | 5 receptions, 43 yards |

### New Mexico

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Aggies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: 2 MPH
* Game attendance: 20,132
* Referee: Mike Cuttone
* TV announcers (FloSports): Adam Young, Danny Knee, and Tatiana Favela
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| New Mexico | Passing |
| New Mexico | Rushing |
| New Mexico | Receiving |
| New Mexico State | Passing |
| New Mexico State | Rushing |
| New Mexico State | Receiving |

### San Jose State (cancelled)

The day before the game, October 21, San Jose State freshman running back Camdan McWright was struck by a school bus, sustaining fatal injuries. The game between the Spartans and Aggies was postponed to allow San Jose State players time to grieve before the game was outright canceled. New Mexico State later scheduled a game against Valparaiso as a replacement.

### At UMass

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
| Minutemen | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. MDT/3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Wind: S 2 MPH
* Game attendance: 9,274
* Referee: Stuart Mullins
* TV announcers (ESPN3): Jay Burnham, Andy Gresh, and Matt Goldstein
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| New Mexico State | Passing |
| New Mexico State | Rushing |
| New Mexico State | Receiving |
| UMass | Passing |
| UMass | Rushing |
| UMass | Receiving |

### Lamar

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Aggies | 17 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 51 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NW 3 MPH
* Game attendance: 8,367
* Referee: Cal McNeil
* TV announcers (FloSports): Adam Young, Danny Knee, and Andy Morgan
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | LAM | NMSU |
| First downs | 14 | 22 |
| Total yards | 247 | 433 |
| Rushing yards | 125 | 187 |
| Passing yards | 122 | 246 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:22 | 29:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lamar | Passing | Nick Yockey | 7/13, 89 yards, TD |
| Lamar | Rushing | Hunter Batten | 3 carries, 44 yards, TD |
| Lamar | Receiving | Devyn Gibbs | 3 receptions, 47 yards |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 14/19, 154 yards, 2 TD |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Diego Pavia | 8 carries, 81 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Ta'ir Brooks | 2 receptions, 70 yards |

### At Missouri

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Tigers | 7 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 45 |
at Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. MST/6:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 26 °F (−3 °C) • Wind: SE 14 MPH
* Game attendance: 45,231
* Referee: Lee Hedrick
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Drew Carter and Forrest Conoly
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | NMSU | MIZ |
| First downs | 16 | 24 |
| Total yards | 259 | 443 |
| Rushing yards | 115 | 261 |
| Passing yards | 144 | 182 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:34 | 29:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 6/17, 76 yards, INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Diego Pavia | 9 carries, 50 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | J. J. Jones | 2 receptions, 38 yards |
| Missouri | Passing | Brady Cook | 19/27, 251 yards, 3 TD |
| Missouri | Rushing | Brady Cook | 7 carries, 71 yards |
| Missouri | Receiving | Barrett Banister | 7 receptions, 91 yards |

### At Liberty

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Flames | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Virginia
* Date: November 26
* Game time: 10:00 a.m. MST/12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: SW 5 MPH
* Game attendance: 18,837
* Referee: Stuart Mullins
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Warner, Joe Jauch, and Emily Austen
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| New Mexico State | Passing |
| New Mexico State | Rushing |
| New Mexico State | Receiving |
| Liberty | Passing |
| Liberty | Rushing |
| Liberty | Receiving |

### Valparaiso

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Beacons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Aggies | 21 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 65 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: December 3
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: N 7 MPH
* Game attendance: 14,784
* TV announcers (FloSports): Adam Young, Danny Knee, and Andy Morgan
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | VAL | NMSU |
| First downs | 15 | 20 |
| Total yards | 188 | 621 |
| Rushing yards | 28 | 232 |
| Passing yards | 160 | 389 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 40:09 | 19:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Valparaiso | Passing | Michael Appel Jr. | 16/31, 106 yards |
| Valparaiso | Rushing | Aaron Dawson | 13 rushes, 17 yards |
| Valparaiso | Receiving | Braden Contreras | 4 receptions, 40 yards |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 9/13, 323 yards, 4 TD |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Ahmonte Watkins | 1 rush, 78 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Kordell David | 3 receptions, 95 yards, TD |
On November 29, New Mexico State announced that a game against Valparaiso had been scheduled in order to make-up for the canceled game against San Jose State. The Beacons, an FCS team, had played 11 games already so the NCAA had to approve a waiver in order for the game to be played. New Mexico State reached out to other schools such as Nevada, Wyoming, and Virginia Tech. As the Aggies had already played an FCS team earlier in the season the program had to get a second waiver approved that would allow the team to become bowl eligible with two wins against FCS opponents. Two days before the game, December 1, the NCAA approved the waiver due to the canceled game against San Jose State.
With the win over the Beacons, and with NCAA approval, the Aggies became bowl eligible for the first time since the 2017 season.

### Vs. Bowling Green (Quick Lane Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: December 26
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. MST/2:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 22,987
* Referee: Jeff Servinski
* TV announcers (ESPN): John Schriffen, Rene Ingoglia, and Tera Talmadge
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | NMSU | BGSU |
| First downs | 21 | 16 |
| Total yards | 407 | 294 |
| Rushing yards | 240 | 84 |
| Passing yards | 167 | 221 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 38:10 | 21:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 17/29, 167 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Ahmonte Watkins | 9 rushes, 76 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Kordell David | 5 receptions, 54 yards |
| Bowling Green | Passing | Camden Orth | 14/22, 191 yards, TD |
| Bowling Green | Rushing | Jaison Patterson | 6 rushes, 23 yards |
| Bowling Green | Receiving | Ta'ron Keith | 3 receptions, 69 yards |