After a 2 year drought of missing out on a bowl game, the San Diego State football program is back in the game baby. The Aztecs have accepted the 2025 New Mexico Bowl game. The game takes place on December 27, at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kick off time is schedule for 2:45pm PST.
The matchup features San Diego State vs North Texas Mean Green of the American Conference. The two have met six times with the Aztecs winners in five. The first game between the two took place in 1969 and was part of a consecutive streak there until the final matchup in 1975 that SDSU won 30-12 at Jack Murphy Stadium.
Let me be clear, this matchup is tough.
For the Aztecs, I hate it. Not because either team isn’t legit, or worthy, or anything of that nature. But San Diego State who just played their final regular season game against the Lobos, just traveled there to Albuquerque for it. It was a disaster of a game with controversial penalties and surely left a sour taste in the Aztecs collective mouths.
This was yet again another chance for the Mountain West Conference to get over on San Diego State as they see themselves out of the conference they helped start back in 1999.
The plus side of this bowl matchup is that it is a tough matchup of two very quality teams and should make for some electrifying gameplay. Maybe not the highlight reel style of play, but definitely going to be a hard-hitting, banger of a show.
San Diego State
The Aztecs finished the year 9-3 and came within one victory of securing a Mountain West title game. Sean Lewis’ team has a top-10 defense statistically nationwide led by Mountain West Defensive Player of the year Senior, CB Chris Johnson and First team all-conference Junior, DE Trey White.
The offense has struggled in the passing game behind QB Jayden Denegal and an injured WR core. But for what they don’t do in the air, they make up on the ground behind a mammoth offensive line led by Senior Center, Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli. The bruising Junior RB Lucky Sutton led the conference in rushing yards and averages over 5 yards per carry.
Senior PK Gabriel Plascencia had the longest consecutive FG streak in the conference this season and Junior Punter Hunter Greene gives SDSU one of the best and consistent special team unit’s in the nation.
North Texas
The North Texas Mean Green come in with an 11-2 overall record. Their only losses on the year were to #24 South Florida and also #24 Tulane in the American Conference title game. This Mean Green team can absolutely bring it.
The offense is led by QB Drew Mestemaker who threw for over 4,129 yards and 31 TDs to just 7 INTs. That’s an average of over 300 yards per game and he has a trio of hot wideouts who are all explosive in Wyatt Young, Miles Coleman, and Cameron Dorner.
Junior LB Ethan Wesloski leads the team with 104 tackles on the year and Sophomore DL Keviyan Huddleston led the team with 5 sacks on the year. The defense has let up some points against good offenses but has also shut the doors down on some good offenses.
To give a real indication of what the Mean Green are bringing, the one common opponent SDSU and North Texas shared this year was Washington State. The Aztecs got rolled on the road at Wazzu 36-13. The very next week riding high, the Cougars traveled down to Denton, Texas and got absolutely hammered by the Mean Green 59-10.
More to come on this matchup between San Diego State and North Texas, so stay tuned to Sons of Montezuma on YouTube.
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