The Aztecs controlled their destiny to host the conference championship game heading into Albuquerque on Black Friday. With two minutes remaining in a tie game, their offense was at the New Mexico 46, looking for another first down to give one of FBS’s best kickers in recent history a game-winning field goal attempt.  

Gabriel Plascencia never got the chance. 

Instead, the Aztecs (9-3, 6-2) lost 23-17 in double overtime to the Lobos (9-3, 6-2) in one of the biggest games in recent memory for both schools.

“Really disappointed that we left that opportunity out there,” said SDSU head coach Sean Lewis on the 760AM postgame show. 

Both teams will now wait on results from other matchups this weekend, and possibly computer ranking updates and averages to determine if one or both will play in the championship game. The game is set for December 5th at 5 pm on FOX. 

With the game tied at 17, both teams turned the ball over in the first overtime. Jayden Denegal (14/24, 162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT) threw an interception that bounced off the hands of Donovan Brown (5 rec, 91 yds, 1 TD) on the first play of the SDSU drive. With only needing a field goal to win the game, the Lobos drove the ball inside the five, but instead of kicking a chip-shot field goal, they opted to keep running the ball. Dwayne McDougle punched the ball out of James Laubstein’s hands, which Dalesean Staley recovered to force a second overtime. 

Cade Keith caught a 25-yard TD pass on the first play of the second overtime for the Lobos, but their mandatory 2-point conversion failed after being backed up after a holding penalty.

The Aztecs had a chance to win the game with a score and a 2-point conversion, and Denegal’s 15-yard run on 3rd and 10 set them up with a 1st and Goal at the 10. 

Two false starts and an illegal snap later, the next play the Aztecs actually ran came at 1st and Goal from the 25. That usually doesn’t bode well, especially for an offense with an inconsistent passing game. Denegal took an inexplicable sack running out of bounds with the ball on 3rd down and then threw the 4th down pass out of the end zone without giving any receiver a chance to catch the ball. 

The Aztecs finished with nine penalties for 73 yards. 

Lucky Sutton (22 car, 110 yds, 1 TD) and Christian Washington (11 car, 77 yards) spearheaded the Aztecs’ offense as they have all season, totaling 193 rushing yards. The Lobos nearly matched the Aztecs with 181.  

Denegal looked the most comfortable he has been in the passing game in the past six games during regulation, but made big mistakes in each overtime and took four sacks in the latter part of the game.  

Jack Layne (14/25, 127 yds, 1 TD) paced the New Mexico offense, but their two touchdowns in regulation came with backup QB James Laubstein (10 car, 70 yds, 1 TD) in the game on 4th down plays. 

Outside of those two plays, the vaunted SDSU defense showed its dominance during regulation. They collected seven sacks and only allowed a total of three points before double overtime. Owen Chambliss led the team with seven tackles. Niles King (2.5 sacks) and Sam Benjamin (1.5 sacks) led the way in sacks, while Trey White added two TFLs.  

Luke Drzewiecki nailed a 37-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game to give the Lobos the early lead. They were driving down the field with ease before a trick play (WR pass) was stuffed by King and Benjamin for an 11-yard loss that put the Lobos behind the chains to close out the drive.

On their second drive, the Aztecs moved into New Mexico territory, but Washington lost a fumble that was recovered by Jaxton Eck at the Lobos’ 35. It was the first lost fumble by an Aztecs running back all season. 

The Lobos took advantage of the miscue. On 4th and 2 from the SDSU 40, Laubstein took the shotgun snap and rushed up the middle into a lot of bodies. After picking up the two yards needed for the first down, Laubstein was still on his feet and came out of the scrum with daylight down the left sideline with no defender in sight. He ran the remaining 38 yards untouched for the score, his first career rushing touchdown. 

Sutton’s 1-yd touchdown got the Aztecs on the board midway through the second quarter. It was his 10th of the season to cut the LLobos’lead to 10-7. Washington’s 29-yard run was the biggest play of the drive. Denegal’s 14-yard scramble, the play before Sutton’s score, saved the drive after a Jackson Ford holding penalty backed them up. 

On the following drive, Sutton gained a yard on 4th and 1 inside the SDSU 40 to keep another drive alive. Four plays later, Denegal threw a perfect deep ball just past the cornerback and into the hands of Brown as he reached the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown reception. The play was Denegal’s ninth completion of 40+ yards on the season.

King picked up his fifth and sixth sacks of the season on the final two plays of the first half as the Lobos reached the SDSU 47, driving for a field goal attempt.

The Lobos retook the lead in the third quarter on yet another 4th and short run that broke open and went all the way. This time, DJ McKinney took a quick handoff from Laubstein and rushed to the right, beating all defenders around the corner and easily into the end zone for the 54-yard run. 

Plascencia missed a 52-yard attempt that would have tied the game at 17, one play after the Aztecs thought they had taken the lead on Ford’s 29-yard touchdown reception. But Ford was called for an illegal touching penalty for being lined up as an ineligible receiver, and possibly why he was left untouched and wide open by the defense immediately after the snap.

Plascencia connected from 44 yards out to tie the game with 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Denegal tried to connect with Will Cianfrini in the end zone, but Jahmir Torres broke up the pass to force the field goal attempt. 

The Aztecs’ defense thought it had an interception on the final play of the third quarter, but a defensive pass interference on McDougle wiped away Malachi Finau’s pick and return to the UNM 29. Replays showed both McDougle and Dorian Thomas went up for an errant pass simultaneously and bumped into each other. 

“I thought it was a great play by our kid (McDougle),” said Lewis postgame when asked about the call, and alluded to “some external factors weighing in there.” 

After the defense held, Denegal found Jaylon Hawkins for 35 yards on a 3rd and 16 play that moved the chains into UNM territory. Denegal rolled right at the snap and bought time until Hawkins came open down the sideline. The drive stalled, and Lewis decided to punt instead of trying a 58-yard field goal or going for it on a 4th and 10. 

After Staley committed a kick catch interference penalty, even though the ball was punted out of bounds at the UNM 10, the defense once again forced a punt after a 3-and-out. 

When the Aztecs reached the Lobos’ 46 with two minutes remaining, the drive stalled. Austin Brawley blitzed up the middle and sacked Denegal on a crucial 3rd down play to force a punt. The Lobos could not get into field goal or hail-mary territory on the final drive of regulation. 

Quick Notes

• Seth Adams led the team out in pregame with the Warrior Shield
• The announced attendance was 30,575
• Christian Washington returned to New Mexico, where he spent his first two years as a collegiate; as a true freshman in 2022, Washington was a Second-Team All-Conference selection at kick returner
• Hunter Green averaged 43.8 yards per punt (six punts), but the majority of those were from midfield, where a short punt was favorable; he also added one for 68 early in the game
• UNM’s Tavian Combs led all defenders with 12 tackles and forced the lone fumble of the game for the Lobos; Jaxton Eck (the son of head coach Jason Eck) had 11 tackles
• True freshman WR Jaylon Hawkins caught four passes for 49 yards

Andre Haghverdian

Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in America’s Finest City. Diverse team following across multiple sports leagues, but Aztecs come first in college athletics.