Aggies hang tough before falling 34-17 at Florida State in season opener
New Mexico State opened the 2026 football season with a 34-17 loss at Florida State after staying within one score into the second half in Tallahassee.
New Mexico State stayed within one score into the second half behind Trey Hedden’s 272 passing yards and two touchdowns before the Seminoles pulled away late
Organ Mountain News report
Numbers of note
25 Aggies made their NMSU debut Saturday night.
96 yards for sophomore Brodie Malone-Bradford, a career high and the most by any receiver in the game. His second-quarter touchdown was the third of his career.
272 yards, 2 TDs for quarterback Trey Hedden in his Aggie debut. Hedden completed 26 of 42 passes, matching his career high for touchdown passes in a game.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - New Mexico State opened its 2026 football season with a 34-17 loss at Florida State on Saturday night, but the Aggies remained within striking distance well into the second half before the Seminoles pulled away.
Playing before 65,915 fans at Doak Campbell Stadium, NMSU trailed 17-7 at halftime and cut the deficit to seven points in the third quarter.
Quarterback Trey Hedden finished 26-of-42 passing for 272 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in his first game as an Aggie.
NMSU opened with a methodical drive that lasted nearly seven minutes and produced four first downs before Florida State intercepted Hedden in the end zone.
The Seminoles turned their next possession into a 43-yard field goal, then stretched the lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter on a 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ashton Daniels.
NMSU answered.
Hedden converted three third downs on the ensuing drive, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Brodie Malone-Bradford that cut Florida State’s lead to 10-7 with 10:49 left in the first half.
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Support Organ Mountain NewsThe Aggie defense later produced its first turnover of the season when Nick Session intercepted Daniels, but Florida State added another touchdown shortly before halftime to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room.
NMSU again made it a one-score game after halftime.
The Aggies drove 68 yards on 12 plays before Ilya Uvaydov kicked a 38-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 17-10 midway through the third quarter.
Florida State responded with a 12-play scoring drive capped by a 2-yard Samuel Singleton Jr. touchdown run.
The Seminoles added a field goal early in the fourth quarter before NMSU mounted another answer. Hedden connected with TK King for a 34-yard touchdown with 7:42 remaining, cutting Florida State’s lead to 27-17.
Florida State put the game away on its next possession, driving 75 yards before Ousmane Kromah scored from 1 yard out to produce the final margin.
NMSU finished with 319 yards of offense compared with Florida State’s 419. The Aggies threw for 272 yards but managed only 47 yards on the ground.
Third-down efficiency helped keep NMSU in the game. The Aggies converted 10 of 17 third downs, including six of nine in the first half.
Malone-Bradford led all receivers with a career-high 96 yards on six catches and a touchdown. King caught seven passes for 78 yards and a score.
Defensively, Sone Aupiu led NMSU with eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Session finished with seven tackles in addition to his interception, while Gabe Peterson also recorded seven tackles.
Twenty-five Aggies made their NMSU debuts Saturday.
The Aggies return to Las Cruces for their home opener against Mercyhurst at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The game will stream on ESPN+.
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