Breaking Offense: Hayes Throws Third Pick Six in 21-16 Loss to New Mexico

Just a week after becoming bowl-eligible for the first time in program history, North Dakota State traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to face the New Mexico Lobos. The boss in the "Land of Enchantment" wasn't a high school chemistry teacher gone bad, but a culture-building pepper-pot who was a former offensive coordinator at South Dakota State, Jason Eck. Eck's squad boasted the No.1 scoring defense, allowing just 10.5 points per contest. Tim Polasek's defense allowed just over 11 points per contest, meaning points and limiting mistakes would be paramount.

Problem was that Nathan Hayes' third pick-six of the season was the mistake that doomed the Bison to their second consecutive road loss as they fell 21-16 to the team at the top of the Mountain West standings.

The Lobos took the ball first and ran it down the collective Bison throat with a 30-yard run by Deshaun Buchannon and a 36-yard touchdown run from Kiefer Sibley that stunned the underdog Bison early.

The story of the Bison through their first seven games was the dominance of their defense and the at-times futile offense. Nathan Hayes has been at his best when he keeps the ball out of harm's way, and that's not what happened on his first pass attempt in this game, as he found CJ McBeam. The problem is McBeam plays for the Lobos, as the pick was Hayes' fourth in the last three games.

"Code Green" would force a turnover of their own three plays later as New Mexico quarterback Toa Fa'avae would throw a pick to Ray James Jr. that would set up a 27-yard field goal attempt for Drew Klein that he would convert to make it a 7-3 Lobo lead after the first.

The score would remain 7-3 until the final seconds of the half, as former Montana State running back Scottre Humphrey would finish a seven-play, 46-yard drive with a two-yard plunge for a touchdown, and the Lobos had all the momentum going into the locker room, leading 14-3 at recess.

The NDSU offense was held to just 74 total yards in the first half and just 26 rushing yards while converting just two of eight third downs.

Nathan Hayes shook off the interception to lead the Bison on an eight-play, 63-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Reis Kessel to draw NDSU closer. Klein would have a PAT blocked for the second consecutive week, so the Bison trailed 14-9.

"Code Green" would start the fourth quarter by getting a stop, and there was hope for NDSU to take the lead. Nathan Hayes has a reputation as a gunslinger QB. Think a prime Brett Favre- a cannon for an arm- can wow you with his ball placement, but he depends on his arm too much at times, and it leads to mistakes.

Hayes has already thrown two pick-sixes this year: one to Blake Fletcher of Air Force and the other to Andre Porter of UNLV. You can now add Austin Brawley to that list, as he undercut a deep ball to Jackson Williams. Brawley received blocks down the left sideline that escorted him to the end zone, and the Bison were now in an 11-point hole.

To Hayes' credit, he wouldn't give in as he immediately led a 10-play, 75-yard drive

that ended with a picture-perfect pick play that saw Mekhi Collins break open on a slant route to draw NDSU closer, 21-16.

The Bison would get the ball back with 2:19 remaining. NDSU would face a 3rd and 1 from their own 18, where Hayes looked to sneak it and get the first; the problem was he forgot the football as it was fumbled and recovered by Myles Mitchell for a five-yard loss. NDSU's last chance to keep their final drive alive was ended on an incomplete deep ball to Mekhi Collins.

In a game that was eerily similar to the UNLV loss, the Bison fell 21-16 to the Lobos.

Nathan Hayes ' up-and-down play on the road continues as he completed just 17 of 33 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The ground game continues to be a struggle as they managed just 53 yards rushing, with 34 yards being the total of top rusher Myles Mitchell.

Jackson Williams and Reis Kessel continue to be the bright spots on offense, as Williams had 71 receiving yards on top of 98 return yards. Kessel and Mekhi Collins each caught touchdowns against the FBS' No.1 defense.

"Code Green" kept the New Mexico offense in check as Fa'avae completed just eight passes for 92 yards and held the Lobos to 279 yards of total offense. Ray James Jr. led the team in tackles with 11, had tackle and a half for loss, and recorded his second interception of the season. Gavin Sell also had 10 tackles in the defeat.

The Bison must now turn the page for a Halloween date with the University of Texas-El Paso Miners. The Miners are a fellow newcomer to the Mountain West after spending two decades in Conference USA. Currently, they are 1-6 and are coming off a bye after a 24-11 loss to San Jose State. UTEP has had just two winning seasons in the last 20 years, and those seasons ended at 7-6. Scotty Walden is the coach trying to turn things around after a successful four-year run at Austin Peay that saw him make the Governors into a FCS playoff team.

UTEP scores just 15 points per game while giving up 37 a game. Their offense ranks 135th out of 138 in points per game and ranks 134th in the nation.

They are quarterbacked by former Incarnate Word transfer EJ Colson Jr. He has passed for 683 yards, seven touchdown passes, and three interceptions. His top target is Kam Thomas; he has caught 16 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown. This team's best offensive weapon is running back Raymond Moore III. He has rushed for 414 yards on 67 carries and two touchdowns.

The Miners are a good team for NDSU to play right now, following three physical games that are taking a toll on key players, and now this FCS roster's depth is being tested. Updates on player injuries and other NDSU football news can be seen on the Bison Overtime X account at Bison_Overtime.

Kickoff between the Bison and Miners is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31. The game can be seen on WDAY-ABC and heard on Bison 1660/92.7 FM.