KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joey Aguilar threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to lead No. 21 Tennessee to a 42-9 victory over New Mexico State on Saturday.
Aguilar completed a 7-yard pass early in the fourth quarter to extend his streak of games passing for more than 200 yards to 10. DeSean Bishop rushed for 80 yards and a TD for Tennessee (7-3) before leaving with a leg injury.
“Our offense was a little up and down,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “(Two) turnovers hurt. During the week, we had a day where the offense was not on edge at practice.”
Aguilar noticed it too.
“(It's) energy all around,” Aguilar said of the problems with the practice. “(It's) not being elite. That caused me to have a game like today. That's being a leader. That's on me.”
Logan Fife threw for 166 yards for the Aggies (3-7), who lost their fifth in a row. Isaiah Rudison scored their only TD on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“The crazy thing about it is we made some critical mistakes early in the game,” said Aggies coach Tony Sanchez. “That really let it get away. We didn't come here to get a paycheck. We came here to win a football game.”
Tennessee cornerback William Wright scored on a 35-yard interception return late in the third quarter for the Volunteers' sixth defensive touchdown of the season.
In a lackluster first half, Aguilar was intercepted twice, giving him 10 for the season — the most of any Tennessee quarterback under Heupel. Aguilar threw for 126 yards and a 15-yard score to Braylon Staley in the first half. He also ran 27 yards for a TD for a 21-3 halftime lead.
New Mexico State: With UTEP and Middle Tennessee left on their schedule, the Aggies have a good shot at five victories. That would be a positive momentum heading into the 2026 season.
Tennessee: Now that the Vols seem to have put their loss to Oklahoma in the rear view mirror, there’s plenty to play for in the next two weeks. Tennessee has lost 10 straight in The Swamp. This could be the year to end that skid against Florida. Then, to end the season, a home game with Vanderbilt always gets the blood boiling.
New Mexico State: The Aggies travel to UTEP next Saturday.
Tennessee: The Volunteers visit Florida next Saturday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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