Jacksonville State · L 0-24
3 tackles, 1 for loss
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Sone Aupiu
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for two head coaches in four seasons at New Mexico State. On tape: 8 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Florida State, Week 1, 2026.
38 tackles · 3 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
38 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 8.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | New Mexico State | 38 | 21 | 8.5 | 3.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | New Mexico State | 68 | 34 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | New Mexico State | 55 | 26 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 5 | 1 |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 47 | 32 | 6.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 208 | 113 | 24.5 | 6.0 | 11 | 3 |
Last game (Wk 9): 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 17-34@ Florida State | 8 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | W 51-14vs Mercyhurst | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | L 19-29@ Hawai'i | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 18-42vs New Mexico | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 34-13vs Western Kentucky | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 3-22@ Florida International | 6 | 5 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 3.0 TFL |
| Wk 8 | W 30-24@ Sam Houston | 7 | 3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 0-24vs Jacksonville State | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 38 | 21 | 8.5 | 3.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 28 · L 0-24 vs Jacksonville State, play by play
3 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 8 tackles for loss, 3 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How New Mexico State’s defense played that day
Jacksonville State’s 8 drives: 4 stopped (2 takeaways) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 5. His pbu came with New Mexico State down 7.
7 tackles, including 2 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 6 of his 7, sacks included.
Sacked the quarterback for a 16-yard loss on 3rd and 10. Second quarter, down 10-7.
A big game: 6 tackles, including 2 more for loss, 1 sack, tied for 4th-most tackles for loss in FBS that week. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 1 of his 4, sacks included.
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
2 tackles, including 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 6. Third quarter, down 22-19.
2 tackles, including 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception on 3rd and 10 ended Mercyhurst’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 10. Third quarter, up 23-14. Ended Mercyhurst’s drive (int).
8 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 12. First quarter, tied 0-0.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -18 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
38tackles this seasonTFL rate
22%8 TFLSack rate
8%3 sacksPD rate
5%2 pass breakups38 tackles · 8.5 for loss · 3 sacks · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 3.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road4g | 5.8 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.0 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Sanchez
Pass share
48.3%
243 pass / 260 run
Plays / game
62.9
8 games
Team sack rate
4.9%
267 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Conference USA
Based on 2025: #12 of 45 Conference USA LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jerry Kill → Tony Sanchez. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
