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Everything you need to know about New Mexico鈥檚 regular season finale against San Diego State:

Who: New Mexico (8-3, 5-2 Mountain West) vs. San Diego State (9-2, 6-1 MW)

When and where: 1:30 p.m. Friday at University Stadium.

How to watch/listen: CBS sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Network will carry UNM-SDSU with Jack Gordon (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst) on the call. Robert Portnoy (play-by-play), DonTrell Moore (analyst) and Ned James (sidelines) will also broadcast the game via radio on the Lobo Radio Network (770 AM/96.3 FM).

Who鈥檚 favored: SDSU is a 1陆-point favorite, per Draft Kings. The over/under is set at 41陆 points.

Top storyline(s): Friday is not a win-and-in situation for UNM. Even if the Lobos knock off league-leading San Diego State, they鈥檇 still need losses from Boise State (at Utah State on Friday) and UNLV (at Nevada on Saturday) to feel secure about a potential Mountain West Championship appearance.

But if UNM has any (at least for now) realistic hopes of adding another game to its schedule, Friday is as close to a must-win as it gets.

鈥淭here鈥檚 some things we can鈥檛 control,鈥� head coach Jason Eck said in a news conference Tuesday. 鈥淭he key thing for us is, we gotta win the game and get to 6-2 and be 9-3, which I think will be a great achievement, however the chips fall in the games we can鈥檛 control. So, yeah 鈥� this is a huge, huge game.鈥�

That it鈥檚 against one of the league鈥檚 heavies only heightens the drama. After going 3-9 in head coach Sean Lewis鈥� first season, San Diego State has taken the league by storm this year with the second-best scoring defense (11.6 points per game) in the country.

The Aztecs are also sixth in total defense (262.9 yards per game) and 16th in rushing defense (103.18 yards). Pair that with a ground-and-pound offense (SDSU has run on 65.43% of plays this season) and it鈥檚 no wonder Eck likened them to a 鈥�1998 Big Ten team,鈥� one that鈥檚 winning plenty in 2025.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e a really big, athletic team,鈥� Eck said. 鈥�(I) respect them because I don鈥檛 think their schemes are always the glitziest and fanciest 鈥� (It鈥檚) gonna be a great challenge, but (it鈥檚) exciting to have them at home. Hoping our fans can be a difference in this game.鈥�

Friday also represents a little bit of a reunion for Eck and San Diego State defensive coordinator Rob Aurich. The latter spent two seasons as the DC on Eck鈥檚 staff at Idaho, notably recruiting linebacker Jaxton Eck to the Vandals. Former Eck staffers David Lose and Tyler Sutton are also on SDSU鈥檚 staff.

鈥淵ou want to compete against them and beat them, but (I鈥檓) proud of those guys and they鈥檙e doing a great job,鈥� Eck said.

Aztecs to watch: With 34 total tackles and four interceptions, cornerback Chris Johnson has a legitimate case to win Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior is the highest-rated player on the Aztecs鈥� defense, per Pro Football Focus, and his absence was one of the things Eck pointed to when asked why SDSU lost 38-6 to Hawaii on Nov. 8.

鈥淗awaii had a lot of big passes against them,鈥� he chuckled. 鈥淪o the two things you can try to learn from that game is, hope one of their best players is out and try to score when the defense isn鈥檛 on the field.鈥�

Offensively, running back Lucky Sutton has been the bell cow for SDSU, rushing for 1,127 yards and nine touchdowns on a league-high 217 carries this season. Eck noted the 6-1, 225-pound junior isn鈥檛 the fastest back in the league, but credited him for his ability to wear teams down throughout a game.

鈥淗e鈥檚 physical,鈥� Eck said. 鈥淵ou watch (SDSU鈥檚 25-3 win against San Jose State on Saturday) and there鈥檚 a third-and-2 that鈥檚 not blocked great, but he still falls forward and gets the first down. He鈥檚 tough. You gotta get multiple hats to him to make sure he鈥檚 not falling forward.鈥�

Former Lobo Christian Washington has also carved out a nice role for himself in SDSU鈥檚 offense, rushing for 409 yards and three touchdowns this year. The 5-10, 205-pound junior spent one season with the Lobos before transferring to Coastal Carolina, then SDSU.

Lobos to watch: Starting right guard Richard Pearce is questionable for Friday鈥檚 game, per Eck. The 6-2, 311-pound redshirt senior missed a 20-3 win over Air Force due to a personal matter; Eck confirmed he is not with the team right now.

鈥�(Pearce is) just dealing with some stuff,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e hope to get him back soon, but not exactly sure when.鈥�

Eck was also 鈥渉opeful鈥� to get defensive lineman Gabe Lopez and cornerback Abraham Williams back while safety Drew Speech and defensive lineman Xavier Slayton are both questionable.

What happened the last time these teams played: Running back Eli Sanders ran for 173 yards as UNM started fast and rallied late to beat SDSU 21-16 at Snapdragon Stadium on Nov. 8, 2024. That win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Aztecs. The Lobos鈥� last win against SDSU before that was a 70-7 shellacking at University Stadium in 2008.