New Mexico vs. San Diego State: Lobos Preview, How To Watch, Preview, Odds, More
The Rocky Long Bowl is a Friday night game
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Can UNM show some signs of life?
WEEK 12: San Diego State (6-4, 4-2 MWC) vs. New Mexico Lobos (2-8, 0-6 MWC)
WHEN: Friday, November 18, 2022, 6:46 MST, 8:46 pm
WHERE: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
WEATHER: 42° daytime & 23° evening Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph
TV: FS1
Play-by-play: Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analysis)
LIVE Stream: FuboTV
RADIO: 77KOB Lobo Radio Network Rob Portnoy (play-by-play), Dontrell Moore (analyst) San Diego Sports 760 Ted Leitner (play-by-play) Rich Ohrnberger (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: San Diego State leads, 28-15; SDSU won 8 straight
LAST WEEK: UNM Lost to Air Force 35-3. San Diego State beat SJSU 43-27
WEBSITES: golobos.com | goaztecs.com
GAME NOTES (PDF): New Mexico | San Diego State
FEI PROJECTION: San Diego State 25.7, New Mexico 4.8
Over/under is 40
The New Mexico Lobos (2-8) will host mountain west conference rival San Diego State (6-4) Friday evening on Fox Sports 1 at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
The San Diego State Aztecs come to Albuquerque with a record of 6-4 this season, while the UNM Lobos go into the game with a record of 2-8.
The Aztecs started the season rough, but five wins in their last seven games show things are coming together for some post-season play for this Grady Hoke team.
The Aztecs scored a 43-27 win over San Jose State on Saturday and look for another on the road this week against a hungry wolf in the Lobos looking for a victory.
The Lobos lost to the Air Force Falcons 35-3 last week in Colorado Springs as the Falcons dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage, hence the score.
This was the Lobos’ seventh straight loss, and they are doing all they can to get a single mountain west conference victory this year.
It’s been a year of solid Defense and an offense that has struggled all year to score points. Most of their recent scoring has been field goals for the most part.
Outside of a few games, the Defense has done well and kept the game from getting out of hand, as the Lobo offense has struggled all year.
Both teams know each other quite well, as head coach Danny Gonzales and Defensive Coordinator Rocky Long coached together for the Aztecs.
Gonzales served from 2011-2019 as Defensive Coordinator, and Rocky Long, from 2009-2019, served as Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach
Long guided the Aztecs to an 81-38 record (. 681) in nine seasons, led SDSU to three Mountain West titles (2012, 2015, 2016), and made a bowl appearance in all nine years
Head Coach Danny Gonzales was on staff in both eras of Long at New Mexico, and SDSU has the same template Long used for success, but it has taken a little longer thanks largely to Covid, the transfer portal, and injuries at crucial positions.
One example of a high-profile transfer was running back Aaron Dumas from El Paso, who had a boomer year for the Lobos with 658 yards in 2021 and transferred to Pac-12 Washington Huskies and has not seen any action up to this point for the Huskies.
Then there are former Lobo players who also transferred, Mannie Logan-Greene (SE Louisiana Lions) and Zarak Scruggs (ACU), who dropped down who are playing.
So athletes have to consider if it’s better to see lots of action in a mid-level college and play a lot with a program in rebuild mode and go to a top-tier program and see limited action; this is a sad reality of a transfer portal.
One could argue how the new transfer portal, where an athlete can have an excellent year for a mid-level program trying to rebuild and go to Power 5 after an incredibly productive year, has put even more pressure on rebuilding programs.
Gonzales, who returned to his Alma mater three years ago, knew he faced a significant challenge turning the program around and called it a “marathon and not a sprint.”
Head Lobo coach Danny Gonzales has a history of being an excellent recruiter, which will pay dividends for the Lobos in the next few years.
Many of the senior players now active on the roster for the Aztecs were recruited by Danny Gonzales a few years ago; he was a great recruiter for the Aztecs.
Running back/Punt returner Jordan Byrd and DT Keyshawn Banks are great examples of high-profile New Mexico athletes that head Coach Danny Gonzales.
Aztec head coach Brady Hoke, Offensive Coordinator Jeff Horton, Danny Gonzales, and Rocky Long are close friends who have coached together.
This makes this game enjoyable with lots of dynamics as both staffs know each other well, the tendencies, the defenses, and some offense tendencies.
Week 12 Mountain West Football Schedule, Odds, Livestream, Picks
