LAS CRUCES, N.M.-New Mexico State football head coach DeWayne Walker earned his first career victory with the 21-18 Aggie win over Prairie View A&M, Saturday, Sept. 12, at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M. Junior running back Seth Smith led the Aggies with a career-high 150 rushing yards. NM State hadn’t registered that many yards on the ground since 2003 when Eric Higgins recorded 218 against Louisiana-Monroe. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Fleming added two touchdown runs in the first half, while senior running back Marquell Colston put the Aggies up for good with a fourth-quarter score.
NMSU Aggies Coach DeWayne Walker--- Courtesy: New Mexico State University After Prairie View A&M tallied the first points of the game with a 30-yard field goal, the Aggies responded with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive of the game to take a 7-3 lead. Fleming posted his first career touchdown with a 10-yard run. Smith and Colston combined for 59 rushing on the drive, which also included Fleming’s first completion of the game. Sophomore wide receiver Todd Lee grabbed an 11-yard pass to continue the Aggie campaign. NM State established the running game early and recorded 100 yards on the ground after the first two series.
Pregame 9-12-2009, Prairie View vs. Aggies NMSU Las Cruces PRIDE Marching Band
Halftime 9 12 09 Prairie View vs. Aggies NMSU Las Cruces NM PRIDE Marching Band and Sundancers
In the second quarter, the Aggies scored again for a 14-3 advantage after 12 plays and 67 yards. Smith was the workhorse with 28 rushing yards. Fleming collected his second touchdown of the contest on a quarterback sneak. With less than a minute before the half, junior defensive back Alphonso Powell grabbed his first interception of the season. The turnover was the lone one in the first half.
Smith had 102 rushing yards on 14 carries at the break, and that mark was the first time an Aggie had achieved that feat since the Nevada win in 2008. Following a scoreless third quarter, the Aggie ground attack continued and NM State increased the lead to 21-3. Colston claimed his first of the touchdown of the year on a four-yard rush that concluded a 12-play, 71-yard drive. The Panthers scored a pair of late touchdowns to pull within three, 21-18.
Attendance: 15,902 @Aggie Memorial Stadium
NM State in-game notes
Box Score
Area Colleges: Prairie View has offensive issues
Prairie View A&M coach Henry Frazier III was surprised to enter a mostly silent locker room after the Panthers' 17-7 season-opening win over Texas Southern in Saturday's Labor Day Classic. Several defensive players were excited about the performance of their unit, but members of the offense didn't see much reason to celebrate. After all, the offense recorded only 176 yards, converting just three of 15 third-down attempts. “I said, ‘It's so quiet in here; you guys act as if you lost the game,'” said Frazier, who won his third straight Labor Day Classic. “They were like, ‘We could have done a lot better, coach.'”
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