SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Ryan Davis made a one-handed catch in the end zone for the go-ahead score with 13:07 left, and Randolph Kpai led UNM’s best defensive effort of the year with 15 tackles, two PBUs, a sack, a TFL and a QB hurry as UNM allowed just 341 yards to San Diego State as the Lobos stayed alive for bowl eligibility with a 21-16 win over the Aztecs in a Friday night prime time contest at Snapdragon Stadium.

The Lobos improved to 4-6 and 3-3 in the Mountain West while San Diego State dropped to 3-6 and 2-2 in conference play.  The win was UNM’s third road win of the season, giving UNM three away from home for the first time since winning three road games in 2014.  The Lobos also now have three Mountain West wins, equaling the number of Mountain West wins over the previous three seasons combined (3-21).

The Lobo defense allowed just one touchdown despite 88 total plays against them, including 19 plays inside the red zone and 15 plays in an and-goal situation.  UNM had a season-high tying eight TFLs and six pass breakups in allowing just 341 total yards and forcing five punts.

The winning score capped a nine play, 65-yard drive that was helped at the start by a face mask penalty on a tackle of Devon Dampier.  Dampier converted a third-and-4 from the 30 with a 10-yard run, giving UNM its first play in the red zone of the game. After a short pass to Luke Wysong and another Dampier first down run, he hit Ryan Davis in the end zone.  The pass was a little behind Davis but he snagged it with one hand and then secured it with both for the lead that UNM would never relinquish.

The Aztecs on their next drive twice converted third downs to move into UNM territory.  After a 9-yard gain to give the Aztecs second-and-1 at the Lobo 35, UNM got a pair of big defensive plays.  Drew Speech, playing his first defensive snaps of the season, broke up a pass in the end zone on second down, and then Noah Avinger dropped Cam Davis for a four-yard loss, forcing a punt.

UNM was backed up to its own 2-yard line, but UNM got three first downs to flip the field, and Aaron Rodriguez pinned the Aztecs at the 4-yard line.  San Diego State got one first down but Kpai knocked down a pass, one of his two breakups on the day to force a punt, and UNM was able to run out the final 3:11 of the game.

Kpai was a monster, with 15 tackles, 10 of them solo.  He had a hurry and a pass breakup on a hard hit on Danny O’Neill in the second half, and he earned a sack when he forced an intentional grounding with nine seconds left in the half to knock the Aztecs out of field goal range.

The Aztecs took their first lead with just over a minute left in the third quarter as Gabriel Plascencia finished off a long 16-play, 80-yard drive with a 28-yard field goal.  After that long drive the Aztecs not only were leading in time of possession, nearly doubling UNM, but also in total plays with 73 to UNM’s 33.

Sanders led UNM in the opening half with two long touchdown runs, and UNM’s defense but didn’t really break in the half.  Sanders opened UNM’s scoring with a 51-yard run, and then he followed that with a 68-yard touchdown.  On the 51-yard run he broke a key tackle attempt by former Lobo Cody Moon to spring him, and on the 68-yard, he was virtually untouched.

Sanders’ first touchdown capped a 99-yard drive that took just four plays and 1:24 on the clock.  UNM opened with a short pass to Sanders to get off the 1-yard line, and then after a first down Devon Dampier run, he hit Caleb Medford for 35 yards to midfield before Sanders finished it off from 51 yards out.

The Lobos never ran a play in the red zone in the first half, and San Diego State ran 15, but the Aztecs only got one touchdown, that a 5-yard Marquez Cooper catch.  Otherwise, all the Aztecs could muster were a pair of Plascencia field goals, one from 22 yards and one from 31.

Postgame Notes

This was 45th meeting between the two teams.

San Diego State now leads the series 29-16

San Diego State now leads the series 14-9 in San Diego

San Diego State leads the series 14-7 in Albuquerque

San Diego State leads the series 1-0 in Carson

New Mexico has now won one straight in the series and one straight in San Diego.

Starting lineup changes for UNM from published two-deep

Offense: Isaiah Sillemon started at TE for Trace Bruckler.

Defense: Dereck Moore started as an extra linebacker for DT Devin Brandt-Epps.

*New Mexico’s captains were Luke Wysong, Richard Pearce, Gabe Lopez and Noah Avinger.

*New Mexico’s Ja’Shon Lowery carried the state flag of New Mexico onto the field and Colby Brewer carried the United States flag.

*San Diego State won the toss and deferred.  New Mexico received while defending the north goal.

TEAM NOTES:

*The Lobos wore silver helmets, white jerseys and silver pants for the first time this season. UNM hadn’t worn its silver pants since game two against Arizona and the silver helmets were worn for the first time since game four against Fresno State.

*New Mexico led at the half for just the fourth time this season.

*The season UNM has now ended losing streaks of five games (Air Force), seven games (Utah State) and nine games (San Diego State).

* The Lobo defense faced a season-high 88 plays and allowed just 341 total yards, for a season-best 3.9 yards per play allowed.

*The Lobo defense had two sacks after having none in the previous three games.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

*Eli Sanders scored on runs of 51 and 68 yards. Over the past two games he has scored on runs of 31, 75, 51, and 68 yards.

*Devon Dampier crossed the 3,000 yard mark in total offense, and he now has 3,290 yards.  That mark is good for third on the UNM single-season list, and it’s eighth on the single season Mountain West list for sophomores.  The only UNM seasons better are Jeremy Leach in 1989 with 3,363 yards and 1994 by Stoney Case with 3,649 yards.

*Noa Pola-Gates and Bryson Taylor missed the most of the second quarter and all of the second half with injuries.

*Dampier and Sanders both moved past 800 yards for the season.  Dampier now has 872 yards on 110 carries and Sanders has 834 on 117 carries.

*Ryan Davis led UNM in receptions with six, marking the first game this season UNM has won when Luke Wysong was not the leading receiver.

*Randolph Kpai picked up a sack on an intentional grounding penalty, his first sack of the season.

*Dampier and Sanders both went over the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive game.

*Dampier broke triple digits both rushing and passing and he is the first Lobo quarterback to do that four times in one season.

*Dampier’s touchdown pass was his 11^th of the season, and his 24 TDs responsible for is tied for fourth in a single-season at UNM with Jeremy Leach in 1994.

*Aaron Rodriguez’ five punts in the game were a season-high, and he had two inside the 20.

*Sanders and Dampier have combined in the last two games for 712 yards rushing, which is more than five teams’ season total (Middle Tennessee State, Florida State, Kent State, Colorado and UCLA).