The Aggies bring Conference USA's top rushing defense and its leading rusher into a nationally televised showdown with league-leading Jacksonville State on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Kickoff at Aggie Memorial Stadium is 6 p.m. MT. NM State (3-4, 2-1 CUSA) hosts the Gamecocks (5-2, 3-0 CUSA) on ESPN2 in what the NM State Athletics game preview calls the Aggies' fourth and final midweek Conference USA game of the season. Jax State enters as the only CUSA team without a conference loss alongside Liberty.
Running back James Jones gives the Aggies their biggest offensive weapon. Jones rushed for a career-high 178 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in NM State's 30-24 win at Sam Houston on Oct. 21, according to the NM State preview. He leads all CUSA rushers at 111.0 yards per game and ranks 10th nationally with 777 yards on 119 carries through seven games.
Jones sealed the Sam Houston win by carrying four times for 39 yards in the final four minutes, converting a fourth-and-2 with 29 seconds left, as Underdog Dynasty reported. "I was telling him, 'I need the ball in my hands. I'm gonna ice it,'" Jones told Underdog Dynasty after the game, crediting his offensive line.
No Aggie had averaged over 100 rushing yards per game in a season since Larry Rose in 2015, according to NM State Athletics. A year ago, the Aggies finished last nationally in rushing offense at 77.3 yards per game. This season they average 4.58 yards per carry, up from 2.60 in 2025.
The defense has been just as sharp. NM State allows 109.1 rushing yards per game, best in Conference USA and 30th nationally. In CUSA play, that number drops to 51.3 per game, first among all FBS teams in conference games. Against Sam Houston, the Aggies held the Bearkats to 11 total rushing yards and just nine first downs.
Defensive end Gabe Peterson leads the conference with 5.5 sacks through six games, including 4.0 in league play. Safety Nick Session paces the team with 52 total tackles. Linebacker Sone Aupiu, in his fifth year and fourth as a starter, has 35 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
Jax State presents a different challenge.
The Gamecocks are coming off a bye week after beating FIU 27-24, and AL.com's scouting report noted that sophomore tight end Luke Gilbert has 13 catches for 286 yards and three touchdowns, including an 82-yard score at Ohio. Jax State's rushing defense ranks sixth in CUSA at 156.4 yards allowed per game. The Gamecocks routed NM State 54-13 when the teams last met in 2024 in Jacksonville, Ala.
Head coach Tony Sanchez's squad has already matched its CUSA win total from Sanchez's first two seasons as head coach with the 2-1 conference start, according to NM State Athletics. The Aggies went 7-1 in conference play during their 2023 debut season and reached the CUSA Championship Game.
After the game, NM State Athletics will stage its first-ever postgame drone show. A fleet of LED-equipped drones will display animations, logos and messages in the sky beyond the stadium, according to the game preview.
The game airs on ESPN2 with Clay Matvick and Rocky Boiman on the call. Local radio coverage is on 99.5 FM KXPZ with MJ Newsom and Cory Lucas, and in Spanish on 96.7 FM La Equis with Darien Salayandia and Jose Aragon.
