LAS CRUCES - If there were a silver lining from New Mexico State's 42-25 home loss to New Mexico and 0-4 start, the Aggies may have found a quarterback for a struggling offense.

At least for next week's matchup at UTEP as NM State head coach Doug Martin said redshirt freshman Josh Adkins will start against the Miners in the Sun Bowl.

"I have thought for the past week and a half that (Adkins) might end up being a guy," Martin said. "He still has to prove he can go out and score points. He's really smart, he understands the game and studies the game so if he makes mistakes, it will be because he's a first-time player throwing the ball late or something but he knows what he's doing."

More:New Mexico State drops to 0-4 after loss to rival New Mexico

Adkins wasn't dominant in his first extended action of the season, completing 12 of 21 for 168 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. But he showed the potential to run the offense, hitting check downs and escaping the pocket and extending plays.

Making the right reads prior to the snap and after the snap is what led Martin to enter UTEP week with Adkins in the starter role.

"The thing Josh did well was he threw the ball where he was supposed to throw it most of the night," Martin said. "He was late on two throws for two interceptions but at least he is throwing where he is supposed to and not sitting there and staring at the rush. He gave us the ability to move the ball. He is really bright and he might give us a chance to be an effective offensive team."

Adkins started the second half after starter Matt Romero was intercepted twice after throwing the ball into coverage in the second quarter and redshirt senior Nick Jeanty was 1 for 6 with an interception off the bench.

"I redshirted last year and I watched a lot and got a lot of reps in fall camp," Adkins said. "I was confident in what I was doing being involved in the system and being coached by Coach Martin and (quarterbacks coach Chase Holbrook). And the guys gave me a lot of confidence on the team. So for me going out there and being timid wouldn't have made much sense."

Adkins was responsible for two of the Aggies longest pass plays of the season. He hit Johnathan Boone for 32 yards up the seam on his second pass attempt of the game. Then he found Jason Huntley on a swing pass for a 58 yard touchdown pass that gave the Aggies life at 35-25 with 11:06 to play.

Adkins' inexperience showed late in the game with the Aggies trailing by 10 at the UNM 4. On second down, Adkins made the right read, but his throw was late on a flare to Huntley out of the backfield. Instead of a touchdown, UNM defender Marcus Hayes stepped in front for an interception that sealed the game.

"Every day I'm going to get better and go out with an edge," Adkins said. "People will say that I had a good game. I'm not really satisfied. At the end of the day, we got an 'L' and we need to get 'Ws' at the end of the day."

Adkins came to NM State after passing for 6,600 yards and 66 touchdowns at Smithson Valley High School in the San Antonio area.

Martin gave junior college transfer Matt Romero four games as a starter and redshirt senior Nick Jeanty has had some nice moments throughout his career in a backup role. But the reality is Adkins has the most upside for the current team and as a redshirt freshman, he has four years ahead of him.

But Adkins is just focused on the upcoming week of practice.

"I haven't really thought that far," Adkins said. "We have some things that we should learn from tonight. I'm going to hit practice hard and I think the team will too."

Penalties, mistakes take 17 points off the board

NM State outgained UNM 368-325 on Saturday, but the Aggies' offensive mistakes stood out.

The Aggies were penalized 15 times for 114 yards on Saturday, and at least two holding calls eliminated a Huntley touchdown in the fourth quarter on the same drive Adkins threw his first interception and a 52-yard Huntley run to the UNM 3 in the first half.

In addition to potential touchdowns, kicker Dylan Brown missed a 35-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter that would have made it a one-point Lobos lead.

"All of those were missed opportunities for points," Martin said. "That is what bad teams do. Bad teams beat themselves and right now we are a bad offensive football team."

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.