LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State Aggies raced out of the stables, but the Georgia Southern football team slowly reigned them back in en route to a 48-31 non-conference win at Aggie Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon to become bowl eligible for the second time in program history.

Key Moment: Trailing 14-3, the Eagle defense finally held the Aggies and forced a punt late in the first quarter. Georgia Southern went on to score touchdowns on the next six drives to take a 45-17 lead in the third quarter.

GS Play of the Game: Quan Griffin recovered a fumble in the third quarter to mark the 10th-straight game with a turnover. It led to the second touchdown of the second half as the Eagles pulled away.

Key Stat: After putting up 194 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in the first quarter, New Mexico State was held 81 yards and a field goal in the second stanza.

Scoring Plays:

• NMSU's Christian Gibson capped off a 10-play drive to open the game with a 5-yard touchdown. NMSU 7-0
• Tyler Bass drilled a 41-yard field goal on the Eagles' first drive. NMSU 7-3
• Jason Huntley went around the right side from 9 yards out on the Aggies' second drive to extend their lead. NMSU 14-3
• Wesley Kennedy III took the handoff up the middle and scored from 15 yards out late in the first quarter. NMSU 14-10
• Kennedy III got into the end zone midway through the second quarter, this time from 8 yards out, to give the Eagles their first lead of the game. GS 17-14
• The Eagles held the Aggies inside the 5-yard line, forcing a 23-yard field goal from Dylan Brown with 6:18 left in the half. Tied 17-17
• The Eagles took the ball down the field 75 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Shai Werts with just six seconds left in the half. GS 24-17
• Redshirt freshman Logan Wright scored his first collegiate touchdown with a 2-yard run on the first drive of the third quarter. GS 31-17
• After a turnover, Monteo Garrett went up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. GS 38-17
• After an interception by Kindle Vildor, Logan Wright scored from 13 yards out to give the Eagles a 28-point lead. GS 45-17
• NMSU was aided by over 30 yards in penalties on a drive that finished with Jason Huntley scoring from 1-yard out late in the third quarter, breaking a string of 28-unanswered points by the Eagles. GS 45-24
• Bass hit a 25-yard field goal with just over 10 minutes left in the game. GS 48-24
• The Aggies kept coming at the Eagles, scoring midway through the fourth quarter when Huntley scored from a yard out. GS 48-31

GS Player of the Game: Redshirt freshman Logan Wright made the most of his opportunity for extended play. With starter Wesley Fields out with an injury, Wright set career highs in carries (17), yards (136) and touchdowns (2) as the Eagles rolled to the win.

Up Next: The Eagles (5-1, 3-0) will step back into conference play and have a short week to prepare for Appalachian State (5-1, 4-0). The Eagles and Mountaineers will play Thursday night at Allen E. Paulson Stadium in Statesboro in a game that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.