Hilltoppers Fall In CUSA Opener At NM State

WKU Athletics Media Release

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – WKU Football lost to New Mexico State 34-13 on Thursday at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

The Hilltoppers fall to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in CUSA play with the loss to the Aggies (2-3, 1-0).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• WKU scored first with a 45-yard field goal from Karl Campbell at the 9:53 mark in the first quarter.
• NM State drove down 41 yards on its second drive of the game and made a 52-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 with 7:55 left in the first quarter.
• The Aggies took the lead with a 52-yard field goal to make it 6-3 with 2:35 left in the first quarter.
  NM State returned an interception 45 yards to score the first touchdown of the game, making it 13-3 at the 8:36 mark in the second quarter.
• The Aggies extended the lead with another touchdown off a 1-yard rush to make it 20-3 with 2:38 left in the first half.
  After an interception by Jaylen Wester, Campbell made a 41-yard field goal to cap off a nine-play, 39-yard drive to make it 20-6 at the end of the first half.
• NM State scored the first touchdown of the second half off a 15-yard pass, capping off a four-play, 67-yard drive to make it 27-6.
• WKU added a touchdown off an 11-yard rush by Brock Glenn to make the score 27-13 at the 9:29 mark in the third quarter.
• The Aggies scored off a 7-yard rush at the 3:18 mark in the fourth quarter, making it 34-13.

NOTABLES

• WKU falls to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in Conference USA play with the loss.
• WKU’s team captains for the game were wide receiver Quincy Burroughs, defensive back Justin Brown and wide receiver Nigel Johnson.
• The game was WKU’s fourth road game in five weeks to start the season. With Thursday’s game in Las Cruces, the Hilltoppers have now played in four different time zones this season.
• The Hilltoppers finished with 349 yards of offense in the game, including 314 passing.
• Ten different WKU players caught passes in the game and five players caught multiple passes.
• True freshman Jonathan Stafford Jr. led WKU with 108 yards on 10 receptions. Both marks are career highs. It marks the first time a
• Hilltopper player has had 10 receptions in a game since Malachi Corley caught 10 passes in a 28-23 win over Sam Houston on Nov. 18, 2023.
• It is the first 100-yard receiving game for a WKU player this season and the first since Matthew Henry recorded 126 yards receiving in the win over Southern Miss in the 2025 New Orleans Bowl. Stafford now has 30 receptions this season. With six more receptions, he would be tied for fourth with Jake Gaebler and Marvis Parrish for receptions in a season by a WKU freshman.
• Brock Glenn’s rushing touchdown in the third quarter was the fourth rushing touchdown for the quarterback this season.
• Twelve different WKU players recorded multiple tackles in the game, led by nine from safety Jaylen Lewis.
• WKU had five tackles for loss in the game, led by Zsacari Minnis with 1.5.
• LaTrevion Thompson recorded WKU’s lone sack against the Aggies.
• Jaylen Wester recorded his first interception of the season, his first as a Hilltopper and the second of his college career.
• Karl Campbell made both field goals he attempted – from 45 yards and from 41 yards. He is now 3-for-3 on field goal attempts. The 45-yard make against NM State was a career-long kick. Campbell is now 10-for-10 on PATs.

QUOTABLE

“They did a good job and we sure as heck didn’t help ourselves with all of the penalties that we had. We killed drive after drive. If you’re going to have all those penalties, you’re not going to win. It was very disappointing. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and we get to go home next week and try to fix it. I thought defensively they kept us in the game, but a lot to get better at. Got to get better.” – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on the loss at NM State.

NEXT UP

The Hilltoppers will return home to face Missouri State on Thursday, Oct. 8. Kickoff at Houchens-Smith Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. The game will be a Black Out game, and fans are encouraged to wear black. To purchase tickets to the game, click HERE or call the WKU Ticket Office at 1-800-5-BIGRED.