Aggies beat Alcorn in home finale

New Mexico State gets off to a roaring start by returning the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD en route to a 52-42 victory over the Braves at Aggie Memorial Stadium.

LAS CRUCES — Jason Huntley returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a score and added three more touchdowns as New Mexico beat Alcorn State 52-42 on Saturday.

Johnathan Boone added 92 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Aggies (3-7, 2-3), who scored on five of their first seven drives and snapped a three-game losing streak before they take a bye week. But the season’s home finale against a lower-level Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program wasn’t entirely one for the highlight reel.

Alcorn State gained 654 yards, exposing the Aggies through the air and on the ground, and scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns.

But ultimately the Braves (7-3) had no answer for Huntley, a junior from Arlington, Texas. He finished with 111 yards receiving and 43 on the ground, plus his 99-yard return. Josh Adkins was

32-of-44 passing for 396 yards and four touchdowns.

The kickoff-return touchdown was the second of the season for Huntley, whose 9-yard scoring run on third-and-8 along with a 60-yard receiving TD in the fourth quarter put the Aggies up 17. The Braves, who trailed 35-14 at the half, had closed to 38-35 with 10:43 to go.

Defensive back Tymon Locklin had a career-high 11 tackles for NMSU.

Noah Johnson was 26-for-37 for 316 yards passing and four scores, including one to Dayall Harris, who had 108 yards receiving. Johnson added 138 yards on the ground on 16 carries, and De’Shawn Waller had 137 on 26 carries for the Braves (7-3), whose three-game winning streak was snapped.