Golden Hurricane Falls on the Road at New Mexico State

Saturday, September 6

Las Cruces, NM

8 p.m.

Tulsa

1-1 , 0-0

New Mexico State

2-0 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulsa

New Mexico St.

Golden Hurricane Falls on the Road at New Mexico State

9/7/2025 12:08:00 AM | Football

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)Postgame Notes Photo Gallery

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — The University of Tulsa dropped its first road contest of the season Saturday night, falling 21-14 to New Mexico State at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Golden Hurricane moved to 1-1 on the year, while the Aggies improved to 2-0.

Baylor Hayes completed 13 of 16 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown while adding 22 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on three carries. These were the first career touchdowns for Hayes. Zion Booker caught eight passes for 51 yards, which both led the team. Dominic Richardson led the ground game with 93 rushing yards on 20 attempts and added 20 receiving yards on three catches. On defense, Elijah Green recorded seven tackles and recovered a fumble.

In the first quarter, Tulsa's Richardson started strong with a 4-yard rush on the opening drive, but New Mexico State's defense halted their drive, forcing a turnover on downs at the Aggies' 44-yard line. New Mexico State capitalized on Tulsa's defensive pass interference penalty, moving into field goal range where Ryan Hawk successfully kicked a 46-yard field goal at 1:34, giving New Mexico State a 3-0 lead. Despite Tulsa's efforts, including a 20-yard pass completion from Kirk Francis to Braylin Presley, their offense was unable to capitalize on key opportunities, ending the quarter trailing 3-0.

The second quarter began with Tulsa advancing the ball to the New Mexico State 43-yard line, highlighted by a 7-yard run from Richardson. However, the drive stalled, leading to a punt. New Mexico State responded with a 12-yard pass from Logan Fife to PJ Johnson III, gaining a first down, but their drive also ended in a punt. Tulsa's subsequent possession featured a key 15-yard completion to Landen Lucas and a substantial 32-yard rush by Richardson, driving deep into New Mexico State territory. Despite this momentum, Francis's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Bernock Iya, resulting in a touchback. Tulsa would go into halftime down 3-0.

In the third quarter, Tulsa initiated the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown run by Hayes at the 10:47 mark, giving Tulsa a 7-3 lead. New Mexico State responded with a methodical 13-play, 65-yard drive, culminating in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Fife to Donovan Faupel at 6:17, to regain the lead at 10-7.

In the fourth quarter, New Mexico State extended its lead early with a 38-yard field goal by Hawk at the 11:38 mark, making it 13–7. Tulsa responded with a drive led by Hayes, who completed a crucial 18-yard touchdown pass to Brody Foley, putting the Golden Hurricane ahead 14-13 with 7:33 remaining.

However, New Mexico State quickly regained the lead with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Fife to Gavin Harris and a successful two-point conversion by Johnson, putting them ahead 21–14 with 3:23 left. Tulsa's final drive ended in a turnover as Thompson intercepted a pass by Hayes, securing the win for New Mexico State.

Looking ahead, the Golden Hurricane will take on Navy at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday, September 13. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

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