The San Diego State Aztecs continue their Mountain West Conference play against the University of New Mexico Lobos this Saturday at 5 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium.

SDSU lost against the No. 15 ranked Fresno State Bulldogs last Saturday, but the game was not a blowout. Head coach Rocky Long put it best after the game:

[quote]“The way I see it, they made one more play than we did,” Long said.[/quote]

The Aztecs defense is coming off its arguably best performance of the season, and junior running back Adam Muema showed powerful running skills in his performance against the Bulldogs. There are many positives for the Aztecs to build on as they prepare to face the Lobos, who are 2-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Offense:

Muema compiled 111 yards on 27 carries and scored two touchdowns against Fresno State. He displayed power when running through tackles and finesse when shifting himself through holes in Fresno’s defensive line. It was good to see Muema return to his feature role in the backfield after freshman running back Donnel Pumphrey stole the show with his explosiveness the past few games.

While junior quarterback Quinn Kaehler didn’t throw for any touchdowns and had one pass intercepted, he played an efficient game. Kaehler completed 21 of 39 pass attempts for 337 yards, and helped put the team in a situation to win at the end of regulation.

New Mexico has the 116th-ranked defense in the nation, so expect both running backs to have big games. Another standout on offense for the Aztecs is junior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin, who had 10 receptions for 181 yards against the Bulldogs.

Many of his biggest catches were in third-and-long situations or on fourth down. It’s worth noting the Lobos have the third-ranked rushing attack in the nation, but their passing offense has posted less than 100 yards per game, which puts them at 121st in the nation.

Edge: Aztecs

Defense

The Aztecs’ defense held Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr to less than 300 yards, an impressive feat considering the Bulldogs averaged 384.2 passing yards per game entering week 8. Fresno State was also held to 43 total rushing yards in the game.

The Aztecs’ defensive line continues to improve against both running and passing. The Aztecs sacked Carr twice in the game and were constantly in his face and forcing him out of the pocket, often with four-man rushes.

The secondary has played with more confidence and physicality during the last two games for the Aztecs. On multiple occasions, SDSU’s defensive backs broke up passes that seemed to be in Bulldog receivers’ hands.

While the Aztecs’ defense is ranked 101st in the country, it has played as well as much higher-ranked units during the past two games. Expect the defense to give the New Mexico passing attack headaches for the duration of Saturday’s contest.

Edge: Aztecs

Overall

The Aztecs played valiantly against Fresno State, and I expect them to take that confidence and channel it against the less-than-stellar Lobos. SDSU’s running game should find success against New Mexico’s defense early and often—expect Ruffin to exploit it for big gains.

While the Lobos have had an extremely productive running game of their own this season, it likely won’t be enough to beat the Aztecs. SDSU will look to take an early lead and force New Mexico to pass against them, which will exploit their weakest point on offense.

Seeing as both teams rely heavily on ground attacks, the game could be close early. Expect the Aztecs to eventually take a lead and hang on for the win against Mountain West rival New Mexico.

Prediction: Lobos 21 Aztecs 35

Photo by Jordan Owen, senior staff photographer