Utah State (5-6) at New Mexico (4-7)
Kickoff: Friday, 1:30 p.m. MDT.
Venue: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
TV: CBS Sports Network.
Livestream: CBSSports.com.
Radio: Aggie Sports Network.
Series: Utah State and New Mexico have played 29 times and the Aggies have gotten the better of the Lobos 16 times, including a 7-9 record on the road. USU has won each of the last six games played between the teams and nine of the last 12.
Weather: Partly cloudy with a negligible chance of precipitation, 12 mph winds out of southeast and temperatures in the high-40s at kickoff.
The trends
For Utah State: The Aggies are 5-6 (3-4 in Mountain West Conference play) and are coming off a particularly rough outing at home against Boise State. Utah State remains one win away from qualifying for a bowl game for the 11th time in 13 seasons, an unprecedented run in program history.
For New Mexico: The Lobos are 4-7 (2-5 MWC) and are coming off a season-best win at Fresno State. New Mexico is, record-wise, the fourth-worst team in the MW, only one spot behind Utah State.
What to watch for
The Utah State defense has struggled this season, most recently in the blowout loss to Boise State. USU’s offense, meanwhile, has thrived and is one of the best in the conference.
New Mexico, on the other hand, has struggled mightily offensively this season, while having one of the more difficult defenses to play against in the conference.
It will be a battle of strength versus strength and weakness versus weakness Friday and the weaknesses (USU’s defense and NM’s offense) will likely decide the winner; that and health, as both teams are bruised, battered and beaten down heading into the regular-season finale.
USU may be without its top two quarterbacks in Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead, plus any number of running backs, linemen and more.
New Mexico has lost junior safety Tavian Combs to a season-ending injury, per the Albuquerque Journal, while running back Sherod White is out for the game against USU and running back Zach Vigil is questionable.
Key player
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, running back, New Mexico: Croskey-Merritt has been a bright spot in what has otherwise been a poor-performing Lobos offensive attack. This season, the senior running back has accounted for 952 yards on 158 carries (an average of 6 yards per carry for 86.5 yards per game) with 16 touchdowns. Utah State has struggled mightily defending the run, which means Croskey-Merritt may be in line for his best outing of the season.
Quotable
“(Win) No. 6 is out there for us if we’ll go do our jobs and play our best ball — eliminate the turnovers, play against the run better, handle the (defensive) front better and cover people up and give ourselves a chance to win, and get to a bowl game. I would be super excited for this group if that’s something we can get done. It is within reach, something that we can do. We’re going to have to earn it and I think New Mexico is much better than their record indicates.” — Utah State coach Blake Anderson.
“Fresno tried to go fast, so we started blitzing the quarterback with more than they could block and they slowed down — they got into a huddle. I don’t know if that’s the answer against Blake, because if you blitz (them), you better make plays in space. I mean, Blake sent me a text late Saturday night, ‘Congratulations, really good win for your program.’ And I said, ‘Hey man, thanks. I appreciate it. Let’s make a deal: I won’t blitz and you won’t throw and we’ll see what happens on Saturday.’ He sent me a green checkmark — so the first play of the game, if he throws the ball, he’s a liar, and if we send seven, I’m a liar. So it’ll make for fun.” — New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales.
Utah State schedule
- Sept. 2 — Iowa 24, Utah State 14.
- Sept. 9 — Utah State 78, Idaho State 28.
- Sept. 16 — Air Force 39, Utah State 21.
- Sept. 23 — James Madison 45, Utah State 38.
- Sept. 30 — Utah State 34, UConn 33.
- Oct. 7 — Utah State 44, Colorado State 24.
- Oct. 13 — Fresno State 37, Utah State 32.
- Oct. 21 — San Jose State 42, Utah State 21.
- Nov. 4 — Utah State 32, San Diego State 24.
- Nov. 11 — Utah State 41, Nevada 24.
- Nov. 18 — Boise State 45, Utah State 10.
- Nov. 24 — at New Mexico (1:30 p.m. MST, CBS Sports Network).