GAME INFORMATION

Date: Friday, November 28

Location: New Mexico, University Stadium

Kickoff: 12:30 PM PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760

One final regular-season game in 2025 for Sean Lewis and his Aztecs. SDSU is one win away from hosting the Mountain West Conference Championship.

A complete turnaround in year two for a program that went 3-9 last year. 

This week, the Aztecs head to New Mexico to take on the 8-3 Lobos, who are still in the mix to play in, and possibly host, the championship game.  

“Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone. We are excited for the opportunity, a great opportunity, great opponent, as we head down to Albuquerque to put a close on the regular season,” Lewis stated at his Monday presser ahead of a big road game to finish the season. “I’m extremely proud of the effort by the program to honor our seniors the other night. Really pleased with all three phases. Obviously, there are areas that we’re always looking to clean up, having the humility to know that we can grow and improve even at this late stage of the year, but it was great to see our guys own the plan, execute the plan, through the adversity of the night with various things, different factors, to watch them respond.”

The Lobos lost their first two conference games against San Jose State and Boise State, but they are on a five-game winning streak. SDSU will be looking to end that streak and host the Conference Championship game in San Diego.

The last time SDSU hosted the Mountain West Conference Championship game in San Diego was back in 2015. Air Force made the trip to Qualcomm Stadium to face Donnel Pumphrey and the Red and Black. San Diego State won the game 27-24 in front of 20,959 fans. The Aztecs lost the championship game in Carson against Utah State in the season before Snapdragon Stadium opened. 

The Lobos have a well-balanced offense led by their quarterback, Jack Layne, and three talented running backs. They can spread the ball around and make big plays in the pass attack and run game.

On defense, their front is punishing, and they can get after the quarterback. Their defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 29 times this season and will be looking to add to that number this week.

“They have an unbelievable front defensively. They have a whole host of issues that they present. They’re really, really talented,” Lewis explained of the problems these opponents present. “They stress you out with formations. They trade you; they motion you; they’ll huddle. They’ll go fast. They have one-word calls. They have trickery. They’ve returned multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns. They’ve hurt teams in all phases, in all ways. It is a cornucopia of problems that I see when I turn on the tape as we go. I mean, they’re well coached, they’re disciplined, they’re physical, they know their scheme intimately. Their quarterback is well prepared and gets them to premium looks. He does a really good job in the RPO [run-pass option] game. There’s a bunch of challenges that make this a really great opportunity for us to compete at a high level against a really, really good opponent.”

The last time these two teams faced off was on November 8, 2024. SDSU lost 21-16 after nearly coming back from a 14-3 deficit, but could not finish the comeback. 

SDSU has the team to finish this season out strong and bring one more game to San Diego. The team will also be playing in a bowl game following the regular season, which could be the LA Bowl if they win the Mountain West Conference Championship.

Keys To The Game

• Stay Disciplined 

Winning on the road is always tough, and SDSU has been much better this season. Both road losses this season against Washington State and Hawaii were answered with regrouping and wins. 

This week, against a dangerous opponent, it will be more important than ever to stay disciplined in a road environment so they can be successful on the field and get their tenth win of the season. 

This season, the team has done a much better job of controlling the controllables. Everything from preparation to preventing pre-snap penalties, and the results have shown up on the scoreboard and in the win column.

“I mean, every week this past season has been a championship game, in our opinion,” junior running back Christian Washington said of the mentality going into this matchup. “So this week is nothing new for us. We’re just going to keep our heads down, keep working. It’s really nothing new, just being able to come each and every day and get one more win mentality.” 

If the Aztecs can hit the road with a great mindset, then they can go into this matchup confident and be able to perform to their standard. 

• Control The Football

Controlling the clock will be the biggest factor in this game for the Red and Black.

If they can prevent turnovers and run the ball effectively, they will be well on their way to defeating the Lobos.

Lucky Sutton has had a breakout season and will be leaned upon heavily in this game. 

The front for New Mexico is tough and will require the Aztecs’ offensive line to be stout all night. That is much easier said than done, though, as the Lobos have only allowed an average of 106.2 rushing yards per game to opposing teams. 

Another way to control the football is by protecting it. Jayden Denegal will have to make sure not to force any passes that the defense can intercept. Denegal hasn’t thrown an interception since the road loss to Hawaii, where he threw two. His response since that loss has been that of a true leader and unselfish player. In the big win over Boise State, he ended the night with six completions for 17 yards but two rushing touchdowns. 

Denegal’s ability to execute the game plan and Sutton’s skill set as a rusher set the offense up for success this week. As long as those two are on their A-games, it will just come down to executing the game plan effectively.

Players To Watch

• Jayden Denegal

The offense’s success runs through the quarterback. Even with a strong running game, the commander of the offense scans the defense to reveal the coverage and make the correct calls needed to run a successful play.

Denegal has done well under Lewis and has been able to effectively run the offense. Last season saw many hiccups for the new offense on the Mesa, and they couldn’t seem to get things going, but this year, with an older, more experienced quarterback, it has made all the difference.

Keep an eye on number four this week as he will be trying to decipher the different disguises the Lobos will try on defense. If Denegal is on top of it and can make the right audibles and protection calls, the offense will excel.

Lewis, being an offensive-minded coach, will have Denegal well prepared, and it will be up to the leader of the offense to go out and execute the game plan and get the win.

• New Mexico Defensive Line

As mentioned earlier, the Lobos’ defensive line will cause the most trouble to the Aztecs. 

The offensive line for SDSU has been much improved this season from last. The line has stayed healthy despite a few minor injuries, and as a result, they have had more reps together to stay in sync and on the same page.

That will be all tested this week against a very productive defensive front. The Lobos have been great at stuffing the run and getting after the quarterback. Keyshawn James-Newby and Brett Karhu lead the team in sacks, recording seven and six, respectively.

With so much of this game relying on running the ball successfully for the Aztecs, the defensive line for the Lobos will play the biggest role in the outcome. This game, like many others this season, will be won in the trenches with the toughest team having the best chance.

If SDSU can control this defensive front, they will control the game. If New Mexico’s line can’t be contained, then it will be a tough night for the Aztecs.

Johnny Olivieri

Johnny is born and raised in San Diego and a diehard fan of all his hometown teams. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia that help paint a picture of the history of sports in San Diego. He spends a lot of his time attending sports games across San Diego county and enjoys studying the history and spreading knowledge of San Diego’s diverse sports.