Lobo Pack: San Diego State Game Breakdown

The New Mexico Lobos dropped their fourth consecutive game on Saturday night, losing to the #25 San Diego State Aztecs 31-7 in Carson, California. The loss dropped UNM to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference.

Breakdown

It was much of the same from the Lobos on Saturday night; a stagnant offense, a defense that couldn’t stop the opposition and a ton of penalties that aided Aztec drives.

The Lobos picked up just 193 total yards of offense in the contest. During this four-game losing streak the Lobos have averaged just 207 yards a game. That wouldn’t have even gotten it done back in the 90s. And for a team that claims to be a run first team, the Lobos have averaged just 57 yards on the ground the last two games. UNM also only picked up 12 first downs in the game and punted nine times. Anytime the number of punts is within ten of the number of first downs you picked up, chances are you’re losing the game. Speaking of not picking up first downs, a 3-for-16 night on third downs is also a telling sign of struggle.

The defense allowed 336 yards of offense to San Diego State. This is the fifth consecutive game in which the Lobos opponent has gained at least 330 yards of offense. The lone touchdown for New Mexico came on the defensive side of the ball, but that was the lone bright spot on another rough night.

And to top it all off, Terry Wilson dislocated his elbow late in the contest leaving his status for next week in doubt.

Takeaways

It is hard to stay positive for this team that continues to show very little growth on the offensive side of the ball. Constant three and outs put a ton of strain on a defense that is struggling to stop teams.

Honestly, this looks more like the team in the last season of Bob Davie’s tenure than in the second year of Danny Gonzales. And with the way the schedule is shaking out, there might be only one game that the Lobos could potentially win, and even then, with that game against UNLV, it may not be a gimme.

Looking Ahead

New Mexico will be back in Albuquerque next week to host the Colorado State Rams. The Rams are just 2-3 on the season but are playing much better than their record indicates. Colorado State beat San Jose State on Saturday by a final of 32-14. They also led Iowa at the half by a score of 14-7 before eventually losing 24-14, and also lost by just three points to Vanderbilt.

Saturday’s contest between UNM and Colorado State will kickoff at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time and be streamed on Stadium and the UNM Sports Radio Network.