What: Football game
Who: San Diego State Aztecs at New Mexico Lobos
When: 7:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dreamstyle Stadium
TV: ESPNU
Line: SDSU -10
The Stakes
SDSU tries to keep pace with Fresno in the MW-West race with a win while getting key returning players a few snaps. A loss to the 3-5 Lobos would be painfully season-ruining.
The Opponent
New Mexico football is in a tailspin. After getting destroyed 61-19 at Utah State last week for their third straight loss, the Lobos returned home in time for leading tackler Evahelotu Tohi to knock out one of his teammates at a party, allegedly. UNM head coach Bob Davie let Tohi practice on Monday and Tuesday before suspending him. Davie was quoted as saying:
“I don’t know that the critical time of when it happened is the most important thing. I think the most important thing is to have enough information to make a decision because I know the magnitude of this decision.”
Davie said he has not spoken to the two athletes and that Brown would be released from the hospital “in the next day or so.”
Uhh … he didn’t visit his player laid up in the hospital with cranial bleeding? While he let the guy who put him there practice for two days? Way to look out for your guys, coach.
New Mexico’s defense gave up 704 yards in total offense to Utah State. They trailed 52-5 at halftime. The Lobos are not good.
UNM is expected to start Murrieta favorite son and ASU grad transfer Coltin Gerhart at quarterback, their third starter this year. Coltin is the younger brother of former Stanford and NFL running back Toby Gerhart.
History
San Diego State leads the all-time series 26-12 dating back to 1976. The Aztecs have won six straight since 2008, when Rocky Long’s Lobos crushed SDSU 70-7 in his final season in Albuquerque.
Long, of course, was New Mexico’s starting quarterback from 1969-71. Rock threw for 2,390 yards with nine touchdowns and 23 interceptions as a Lobo, while rushing for 2,071 yards and 21 TDs.
New Mexico has been playing Division I football since 1931, when the school played in the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association with Arizona, ASU, Northern Arizona and New Mexico State.
Other Factors
Juwan Washington, Christian Chapman and fullback Isaac Lessard are all expected to play but not start. That is a weird sentence I would not have guessed would ever be written.
The game broadcast is relegated to ESPNU again, this time with the marquee announcing team of Mark Neely and John Congemi — whomever they might be — calling it from a broom closet in Bristol probably.
Film Study
Here’s tape of New Mexico getting thoroughly bullied and giving up a 100-yard pick six at Utah State last week.
Staff Predictions
Advisory Columnist @EgosAndDespair
How did Rocky Long put up with coaching at New Mexico? His sideline “Sunday Best” is a polo — at most — while Alford was out there looking like a goddamned realtor in that red blazer.
SDSU 31, New Mexico 17
p.s. This is the only red Blazer Rocky Long is interested in.
AttemptedChem @attemptedchem
RUN THE DANG BALL
SDSU 27, New Mexico 21
AztecsKillingHim @AKH_blog
I’m so tired of picking the Tecs to shatter the vaunted 28-point barrier only to see their offense get stuck in neutral against an opponent they should absolutely smash. That said; I am a stupid, stupid person.
SDSU 38, New Mexico 17
lemonverbena @kabeerthirty
The Nevada game was very winnable, losing it sucked and the Aztecs know it. Rock gets to refocus his squad on the real goal all along — a conference championship — while getting reps for what used to be his starting backfield. Rock knows this place like the scarred, battled-tested back of his hand. It won’t be close.
SDSU 34, New Mexico 13
KABEER THIRTY 