STATESBORO – Tyler Rogers threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns to lead New Mexico State to a 35-27 come-from-behind Sun Belt football victory over Georgia Southern Saturday night at Paulson Stadium.

Wesley Fields rushed 13 times for 103 yards and a touchdown for Georgia Southern (0-5, 0-2), and Shai Werts threw for 73 yards on 6-of-9 passing and ran for 29. Monquavion Brinson had two interceptions, giving him three in the last two contests, and L.A. Ramsby rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Jason Huntley ran 16 times for 99 yards for New Mexico State (3-4, 1-2) and caught 11 passes for 87 yards. Anthony Muse caught five balls for 105 yards with three of the receptions going for first downs on 3rd-and-long situations. The Aggies were 8-of-13 on third down for the game.

The story
Leading 28-27, New Mexico State used 5:53 off the clock and tacked on another touchdown as Rogers found Jaleel Scott on the fade route in the corner of the end zone for his second touchdown with 2:05 left in the game. Huntley had 57 all-purpose yards during the drive, and New Mexico State converted a 3rd-and-13 when Rogers threw to Muse for 20 yards on the left sideline.

Werts was sacked on first down on the Eagles' final possession of the contest and just missed connecting with Obe Fortune for what would have been a huge gain on second down. Werts tried to pick up a 4th-and-16 with his legs but came up a yard short with Dalton Harrington making his 15th tackle of the contest to put the game away.

Down 27-21, New Mexico State re-took the lead early in the fourth when Conner Cramer hit Bryce Roberts with a 17-yard touchdown on a double pass. Rogers threw left to Cramer, and Cramer tossed it to the wide open Roberts. The drive was keyed by a 15-yard pass from Rogers to Muse on third down.

Georgia Southern got the ball in good field position twice in the fourth, including once in New Mexico State territory after a Brinson interception, but went three-and-out on both occasions. After giving up 139 yards on the ground in the first half, the Aggies held GS to 53 in the second. New Mexico State wound up outgaining Georgia Southern 491-265 for the game.

The first half saw four lead changes, and the game turned in favor of the Eagles on their first kick return for touchdown since 2011. Holding a 21-17 lead after Scott's first touchdown reception, New Mexico State elected to kick short, having already given up a couple long kick returns to Myles Campbell. Dexter Carter Jr. caught the ball at the 30-yard line, moved forward a step or two and then found daylight around the left side, outrunning the angle of pursuit down the left sideline and into the end zone with 4:36 left in the half. It was the Eagles' first kick return for touchdown since Laron Scott took one back at Alabama in 2011.

New Mexico State had a couple chances to tie the score or take the lead before the end of the half but came up short both times. The Aggies elected to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the GS 29-yard line but Rogers overthrew a wide-open Cramer in the end zone by a whisker. New Mexico State moved the ball to the Eagle 27-yard line with 11 seconds left in the period, but Dylan Brown's 44-yard, line-drive field goal try thumped off the right upright.

Georgia Southern added to the lead on its first possession of the second half when Tyler Bass booted home a 41-yard field goal, making the score 27-21.

The Eagles were flagged six times for 61 yards and had two defenders ejected from the game for targeting and an offensive lineman disqualified for fighting. New Mexico State was flagged twice for 15 yards.

Quotables
Head Coach Tyson Summers
What you told the team after the game
"We talked about being able to keep our focus and keep our discipline and that if we are able to do those things and continue to work the way we have with the attitudes we've had, then we will keep giving ourselves opportunities to win ball games like we had tonight."

On having to shuffle players on the offensive line
"We had a lot of moving parts throughout the week, and it creates a little bit of us trying to get the best kind of fit. I give Ryan (Northrup) credit with the way he played tonight with having to move guys around."

Next up
The Eagles play their final non-conference contest of the season when they travel to UMass Oct. 21.

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