LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Brian Reader searched for an opening, seeking the open receiver who could save the day for the Idaho Vandals. He didn't find one and, on the last play of the Idaho-New Mexico State thriller Saturday night, he was run down and sacked.

For the Vandals, it was a bitter ending to a game during which Princeton McCarty ran like a player possessed. One during which special teams came up with one big play then another. And one during which the defense, with a couple of exceptions, was stalwart in the face of a persistent offense by the Aggies.

The result was a 31-24 Western Athletic Conference loss before 12,711 at Memorial Stadium. It was the fifth straight loss for Idaho (1-6, 0-3 WAC).

“It was a battle,” Idaho coach Robb Akey said. “It was a whale of a football game. It did not have a happy ending. We had a chance to make that play.

“We’re all hurting.”

Idaho’s defense came up with stop after stop, while the special teams scored twice — on a punt return and a kick return. It wasn’t enough to support an offense that gained just 281 total yards.

“The defense responded well after the beginning of the game,” Akey said. “They had pretty good control — when we did give up a big play, we were able to respond.”

The Vandals lost the costly turnover battle with three fumbles and one interception going to the Aggies, with Trey Williams coming up with Idaho’s lone steal, which set up the Vandals’ only offensive touchdown in the first quarter. It was Idaho’s first offensive TD in regulation in the last three games.

The Aggies (3-3, 1-1) shot out to a quick 14-0 lead with less than three minutes elapsed in the game. First, they scored on a quick seven-play, 69-yard drive with 12:31 left in the opening quarter. Then they recovered Justin Veltung’s kickoff return fumble. A 20-yard Matt Christian-to-Kemonte` Bateman pass made it 14-0 after less than 3 minutes.

The Vandals went three and out on their first possession, but Williams recovered Austin Franklin’s fumble on the punt return to give the Vandals the ball at the NMSU 6. Two plays later, McCarty scored from a yard out with 10:10 left in the first.

Not to be outdone, the Aggies were back on the scoreboard 17 seconds later with Taveon Rogers’ 100-yard kickoff return for a 21-7 lead.

After holding NMSU on its next possession (thanks in large part to a Conrad Scheidt tackle for loss and a Homer Mauga sack), Idaho marched to the Aggie 27 before Trey Farquhar booted a 45-yard field goal to cut NMSU’s lead to 21-10 with 2:05 left in the first.

The second quarter was a back-and-forth defensive tussle with Idaho’s defense limiting the Aggies to just 25 total yards. On the flipside, the Vandals gained only 77.

Veltung started the Vandals off on the right foot in the third quarter when, after the Idaho defense held the Aggies deep in their territory, he returned a punt 64 yards to score with 10:58 left in the third, closing the gap to 21-17.

The Aggies, however, responded with an interception by Donyae Coleman to set up a short-field TD — a 1-yard pass from Travaughn Coleman to Bateman with 7:06 left in the third.

The scoring continued when McCarty returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards to score just 14 seconds later, making it 28-24.

The Aggies bumped their lead back to seven on Tyler Stampler’s 20-yard field goal with 13:11 left in the game, after the Aggies had first and goal from the Idaho 4.

Notes: Veltung’s third-quarter punt return for a TD was his second of the season. ... McCarty had a career all-purpose rushing night with 236 yards (116 rushing, 25 receiving and 95 on his kickoff return). His previous best also was against New Mexico State — 160 yards in 2008.