Mercyhurst turned a tight opening into a 28-0 win over New Mexico State on Friday night, and Alex Gevaudan was at the center of it. The Mercyhurst Lakers quarterback completed 10 consecutive passes in the second quarter and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass that helped stretch the lead beyond reach.
The scoring started in the first quarter with Byron Cardwell Jr. on a 2-yard touchdown run at 8:32, then TJ Washington Jr. added a 16-yard touchdown run with 1:45 left in the period. Gevaudan kept the pressure on by completing five straight passes with 11:16 remaining in the first quarter, then opened the second quarter by completing 10 in a row with 15:00 left before the half.
That passing run set up the decisive burst. Camden Lewis finished a 14-yard touchdown catch at 12:58 in the second quarter, and Gevaudan was credited with the 14-yard scoring throw on the same play. James Jones then broke free for a 46-yard touchdown with 5:39 left in the second quarter, and Mercyhurst never let the game move back into doubt.
New Mexico State did have a moment that could have changed the shape of the night, but the extra point was blocked. That mattered because it left the Aggies chasing points after a touchdown that should have at least brought them a cleaner answer on the scoreboard. Instead, Mercyhurst kept the margin intact and added another blow when Nick Session returned an interception 20 yards.
The result also fit a longer run of New Mexico State frustrations. Its last blocked PAT before this came against Bryant on Aug. 30, 2025, while its last touchdown on an opening drive came against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 23, 2024. The last interception returned for a touchdown came from Naeten Mitchell against Sam Houston on Oct. 2, 2025.
For NMSU football, the final line was simple enough to read and hard enough to ignore: Mercyhurst controlled the game, Gevaudan dictated the pace, and New Mexico State spent the night reacting instead of recovering.
