LAS CRUCES, N.M. - D.J. Smith knew when the linebacker moved away from him, he would be open for Steve Wichman's pass - the pass that Wichman threaded through the defenders for the two-point conversion that gave the University of Idaho Vandals their 38-37 double-overtime victory over New Mexico State Saturday night.

            "They called my number," Smith said. "I knew the ball was coming to me. I just focused on the ball and catching it with my hands."

            That catch set off a celebration in the endzone that coach Nick Holt had promised his players moments before when he called the two-point conversion, which was enabled by Smith's 20-yard reception of a Steve Wichman pass.

            "I told them to meet me in the endzone," Holt said. "We'll have a big dogpile."

            That they did as New Mexico State's homecoming game fireworks erupted over Memorial Stadium.

            They weren't the only fireworks of the night.

            True, the game was a double-overtime thriller. It became one with some thrilling plays. One, junior receiver D.J. Smith set an all-time Vandal single-game receiving yards records when he romped for 269 on 11 receptions. Throwing to him was Wichman, whose 489 yards is fourth-best all-time by a Vandal. Add Mike Barrow's perfect three-for-three as a field goal kicker, four-for-four PAT kicking, and 43.3 yard punting average. And factor in 17 tackles by senior Cole Snyder and 12 by senior Mike Anderson and it was a dazzling night by the Vandals.

            Winning gives the Vandals a 2-3 mark in the Western Athletic Conference and moves them past Utah State into sixth. They're 2-6 overall with a bye week before their Nov. 12 home finale against Louisiana Tech.

            The game was one of surges. First a big one by the Vandals; followed by a big one by the Aggies. Then a back-and-forth battle that consumed the second half and the overtime.

            "We kept telling them to battle and battle and compete and compete," Holt said. "Anytime you get a win on the road in conference, it's excellent."

            The Vandals went to the air early and successfully. Three pass plays interspersed with a couple of short runs led to the first UI TD - a 45-yard hookup between Wichman and Smith. With 13:07 left in the first, Barrow's kick made it 7-0.

            A succession of punts - five to be exact - followed before Idaho made its way into the endzone for the second time of the evening. Wendell Octave hauled in a Wichman pass for the 34-yard scoring play with 29.9 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Barrow's kick capped the 53-yard drive that, in addition to the TD strike, was highlighted by a 19-yard gain when Wichman found Smith cutting across the middle.

            The Aggies responded with their first score when Justine Buries scored from eight yards out on a Joey Vincent pass with 11:52 to go in the second quarter. The PAT kick missed to leave the Vandals with a 14-6 advantage.

            That success was a sign of things to come in the second quarter. The Vandals struggled offensively, while the Aggies - with the backup Vincent under center - hit a rhythm that Idaho couldn't disrupt. While Idaho dominated the first quarter with 162 yards total offense compared to just 19 for the Aggies, NMSU had the upper hand in the second with 234 yards on 32 plays compared to 22 yards on just 14 plays for UI.

            The Aggies' second TD was a 30-yard Vincent to Derek Dubois pass. Vincent ran the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14 with 3:29 left in the second quarter. Vincent continued his scrappy play - and used the good field position given him by the Aggie defense - when he drove NMSU 66 yards in six plays to score with 16 seconds left in the half. The PAT kick sent the Aggies to the halftime locker room with a 21-14 lead.

            NMSU went up 24-14 on its first possession of the second half when Conor Foley booted a 20-yard field goal with 12:56 left in the third. The teams then traded turnovers - Courtney Bryan intercepting Wichman and Cole Snyder recovering an Aggie fumble - before Barrow's 47-yard field goal was good to cut NMSU's lead to 24-17 with 7:50 left in the third.

            Foley missed on his next field goal try - a 27-yarder - and the Vandals responded with a two-play TD effort with Smith picking up the bulk of the yards by hauling in a perfectly thrown bomb deep down the middle and adding another 15 yards on the run. Wichman slipped a shovel pass to Lumbala on the next play for the five-yard TD. Barrow's kicked knotted the score at 24.

            The Vandals went to Barrow again after two NMSU drives ended with punts and one UI drive in a fumble. His 31-yarder returned the lead to the Vandals at 27-24 with 6:44 to play.

            It was short-lived, however, when Dubois' kickoff return to the UI 18 set up a two-play scoring drive - both runs by Buries with the scoring dash a 14-yarder with 6:04 to go. Ryan Davis blocked the PAT and the Aggies led 30-27.

            Barrow tied the game at 30 when he  booted a 19-yard field goal that wound up sending the game into overtime.

            In the first overtime, the Vandals' drive ended on an interception, while the Aggies was thwarted by a fumble.

            NMSU scored on a five-yard run by Paul Dombrowski. Foley's kick was good to put the Aggies up 37-30.