Two weeks had passed since San Diego State played a home game, but the much-maligned Snapdragon Stadium field looked worse for wear.

The insults and jokes started shortly after kickoff of Friday night’s Mountain West game with New Mexico.

When a first-quarter promo was shown on the screen during the Fox Sports 1 broadcast, analyst Petros Papadakis said, “That’s the best this business has looked in years.”

It wasn’t pretty.

Perhaps hardest on the eyes was the final score: New Mexico 21, SDSU 16.

The Aztecs were limited to a second-half field goal in front of an announced crowd of 21,832 (12,745 turnstiles), the smallest gathering in SDSU’s two-plus seasons at Snapdragon Stadium.

SDSU (3-6, 2-2 MW) now must take control in the final three games of the regular season to earn bowl eligibility for the 14th time in 15 years. New Mexico (4-6, 3-2) kept its postseason hopes alive with its first win over the Aztecs in 10 tries. The Lobos must win their remaining two games to qualify for a bowl for the first time in nine years.

“The kids battled all the way,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “I just have to put them in a better position to be successful with everything from start to finish.”

Lewis said his message to the team over the final three games of the regular season is to “keep fighting.”

“That’s who we’re going to be,” he said, “and we’re going to continue to blend into each other and continue to be strong as we move forward with this.” The great thing about this game is that it helps you develop your character and prepare you for life. I know no one will shut it down in that locker room. They’re going to pull tight. They are going to work together.”

There was so much sand on the field—kicking it up with every step and creating sandstorms with every tackle—that one observer wondered whether Lewis had prepared the Aztecs by practicing at Dog Beach.

“Looks like an unkempt public golf course,” another person commented on social media.

The worst part happened in the middle of the field, between the 20-yard lines. Picture a weathered brown fairway lined with “cart path only” signs that greet foursomes as they leave the tee box.

Perhaps it was fitting that a man named Sanders felt right at home in this sandbox.

New Mexico running back Eli Sanders rushed for touchdowns of 51 and 68 yards in the first quarter.

SDSU, which trailed 14-13 at halftime and trailed for most of the game, took a brief 16-14 lead late in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Gabriel Plascencia. New Mexico came back with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Devon Dampier to Ryan Davis two minutes into the fourth quarter for a 21-16 lead that the Lobos never relinquished.

For the second week in a row, SDSU planned to stop its opponent’s best player.

Last week, it was Boise State’s stop running back Ashton Jeanty — and Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen throwing for a career-high 307 yards and four touchdowns.

This week it was New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier, and Sanders kicked sand in their faces with his long touchdown runs.

Not that Sanders (16 carries, 173 yards, 2 TDs) was one to overlook. He rushed for 205 yards last week against Wyoming. But Dampier (16-for-24, 175 yards, TD passing/15 carries, 115 yards rushing) is a dual-threat QB who leads the Lobos with his arm and legs.

Sanders opened the scoring midway through the first quarter by taking a handoff at the New Mexico 49, breaking a tackle and winning a running race to the end zone.

That meant a limit of four plays and a 99-yard drive.

Stunningly, moments earlier the Aztecs had New Mexico pinned at its own 1-yard line after Tyler Pastula landed a 64-yard punt a yard from the end zone before immediately taking a right turn out of bounds.

Sanders capped a two-play, 81-yard drive with a similar TD run, this one for 68 yards, on New Mexico’s next drive. It gave the Lobos a 14-3 lead with 3:08 left in the first period.

SDSU had settled for a 22-yard Gabriel Plascencia field goal in the opening period after failing to score on four plays inside the 5-yard line.

The Aztecs actually did score on a four-yard pass from quarterback Danny O’Neil to wide receiver Jordan Napier, but it was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty against teammate Mekhi Shaw.

And the Aztecs would have scored on a trick play on third-and-goal from the 4, but a pass from wide receiver Jordan Napier to a wide-open O’Neil on the Philly Special went wide left and fell incomplete.

SDSU turned to Plascencia again eight seconds into the second quarter for a 31-yard field goal, making it 14-6. That came after the Aztecs failed to find the end zone inside the 10-yard line.

“Anytime you have the number of trips we made and settle for the number of field goals we made in a close ballgame, that’s the difference at the end of the day,” Lewis said. “We have to do much better in that area.”

It looked like the third time wouldn’t get any more charming when running back Marquez Cooper was dropped for a one-yard loss on first and goal from the 4 with three minutes left in the first half.

SDSU turned things around on the next play, with O’Neil (26-for-41, 195 yards, TD) hitting Cooper on a 5-yard screen pass to make the score 14-13. It was the first receiving touchdown of the year for Cooper, who has recorded all nine of SDSU’s rushing TDs this season.

Catching his first touchdown pass wasn’t much consolation tonight.

“There’s still hope for bowl games until the end,” Cooper said. “Tonight shattered our (Mountain West) championship hopes a little bit, well, not a little bit, but definitely. I’m looking forward to a bowl game.”

Remarkable

• Cooper (35 carries, 123 yards) had his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 21st of his career. Cooper has rushed for 965 yards this season, putting him 35 yards shy of his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season.

• Plasencia scored three field goals in a game for the first time in his career. He has made 10 consecutive field goals and 11 of 12 this season.

• It was 58 degrees at kickoff, making it the third-coldest game in SDSU’s 19-game history at Snapdragon Stadium. The coldest was 55 degrees.

• A cold (for San Diego) Friday night that coincided with the start of the San Diego Section football playoffs allowed the smallest crowd (21,832 announced, 12,745 turnstile)) to see the Aztecs at Snapdragon. The previous low was for last year’s season finale against Fresno State, with 22,001 (announced) and 13,853 (turnstile).

• The Aztecs spend the next two weeks on the road against UNLV and Utah State before closing out the regular season at home against Air Force.

The Rebels (6-2, 2-1) will play Hawaii (4-5, 2-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. (CBS Sports Network). UNLV averages 41.1 points per game, which ranks fifth in the nation.

Originally published: November 8, 2024 at 11:19 PM PST