Aztecs’ double-OT loss to New Mexico puts championship game hopes in question

If the San Diego State football team is destined to play for the Mountain West championship, it is now out of the Aztecs’ hands.

SDSU has controlled its own destiny throughout the season, but that changed Friday against New Mexico on a crisp afternoon in Albuquerque, N.M., where the Lobos defeated SDSU 23-17 in double overtime before a boisterous announced crowd of 30,575 at University Stadium.

The game was tied 17-17 at the end of regulation. And then it got crazy.

SDSU got the ball first in OT, but Aztecs quarterback Jayden Denegal’s pass on the first play was intercepted by New Mexico’s Austin Brawley. That put the Lobos 25 yards away from victory. They advanced the ball 24 yards, then fumbled. SDSU’s Owen Chambliss recovered three feet from the goal line.

SDSU had new life, but the Lobos had the ball first in the second OT. On their first play, New Mexico tight end Cade Keith made a one-handed catch on a pass from quarterback Jack Layne and navigated his way to the end zone. The two-point conversion required after the first overtime failed, and it was SDSU’s turn with the ball.

After two fruitless plays, Denegal ran 15 yards up the middle on third-and-10 from the 25 for a first down. But three straight false starts moved the ball back 15 yards. After a 6-yard run by Christian Washington, the Aztecs started going backward again. They lost five yards when Denegal nearly fumbled the ball away, then lost 12 yards on back-to-back sacks.

Faced with fourth-and-30 from the 30, Denegal launched a pass that went out the back of the end zone.

Game over.

The loss prevented SDSU from clinching the Mountain West regular season title and guaranteeing the Aztecs host the conference championship game. New Mexico, which hasn’t played for a conference championship for decades and hasn’t won one in 61 years, thrust itself into the center of the championship picture with the win.

Boise State beat Utah State 25-24 on Friday to remain in the mix as well.

Here are the Mountain West championship game scenarios:

• If UNLV (9-2, 5-2) loses Saturday at Nevada (kickoff 6 p.m., CBS Sports Network), then SDSU (9-3, 6-2), New Mexico (9-3, 6-2) and Boise State (8-4, 6-2) will finish the regular season all tied for first place. The championship game participants and host site will then be determined by computer metrics because the teams are all 1-1 against each other.

• If the Rebels win, then SDSU, New Mexico, Boise State and UNLV all are 6-2, and the participants and host site are determined by computer metrics (because not everyone played each other).

The updated computer metrics will be announced Sunday morning by the Mountain West. If the matchup is Boise State-SDSU, then the Aztecs will host by virtue of their 17-7 victory over the Broncos this season. Then there would be the matter of where to host, Snapdragon Stadium or Petco Park. Both venues are in play because of San Diego FC in the MLS playoffs.

If SDSU is not a participant in the championship game, then the Aztecs would look ahead to a bowl appearance. Bowl announcements will be made Dec. 7.

“I feel for the kids,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said during a postgame interview with flagship radio station San Diego Sports 760. “We need to do a better job of coaching up the areas of preparation there so we can be in a better position to be successful. …

“We’ve got to respond. That’s what this team has done all year long. That’s the beauty of the life lessons that this game teaches. Not every day is going to be your day. The sun will come up tomorrow. We’ve got to learn from these lessons, these very, very hard lessons. We’ve got to get back to work and know there’s going to be another opportunity. And we can’t let this one beat us twice.”

New Mexico took control of the game early, taking a 10-0 lead two minutes into the second quarter.

The Aztecs had not come back to win from a two-score deficit this season. Of course, they never trailed in seven of their victories and got behind by only a field goal and a touchdown in their other two wins.

New Mexico moved methodically downfield with the opening possession, using half the first quarter before the SDSU defense stiffened and limited the Lobos to a 37-yard field goal.

SDSU advanced to the New Mexico 35-yard line as the first quarter was winding down, but running back Christian Washington had the ball stripped and the Lobos’ Jaxton Eck recovered it. New Mexico advanced the ball to the SDSU 40-yard line when the Aztecs defense stepped up again, giving the Lobos a decision to make when faced with a fourth-and-2.

In came New Mexico backup quarterback James Laubstein, who is employed off and on for his running ability. Laubstein took the snap and was nearly stopped short up the middle, but bounced outside and then raced 40 yards for a touchdown the two-score lead.

SDSU finally responded midway through the second quarter, sparked two crucial running plays.

The first was a 29-yard redemption run up the middle by Washington (11 carries, 77 yards), the Helix High School graduate who played his first two years at New Mexico. That gave SDSU first-and-goal at the New Mexico 7.

Two plays later, the Aztecs were 15 yards from the goal line because of a holding penalty. That’s when Denegal made the second big run, keeping it for 14 yards before being pushed out of bounds just before reaching the left cone.

SDSU running back Lucky Sutton (22 carries, 110 yards) carried for a 1-yard touchdown on the next play, trimming the deficit to 10-7 with 7:26 remaining in the first half.

The Aztecs took a 14-10 halftime lead when Denegal (14-for-24, 162 yards, TD/INT) connected with wide receiver Donovan Brown for a 46-yard touchdown pass 65 seconds before the half.

In the third quarter, New Mexico shocked the Aztecs again on a fourth-and-1 play that went for a 46-yard touchdown to give the Lobos a 17-14 lead with 8:59 remaining in the quarter.

New Mexico brought in Laubstein again and SDSU stacked the box with 10 players to stop the run up the middle. The quarterback handed off to running back D.J. McKinney who ran around the right side for the touchdown.

On the next drive, the Aztecs had a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jackson Ford called back because of an illegal formation. That drive ended when SDSU kicker Gabe Plascencia missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. Plascencia kicked a 44-yard field goal to tie the game 17-17 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter.

Moments later, SDSU had an apparent scoring opportunity wiped out when an interception by Malachi Finau was negated by a pass interference penalty. Safety Dwyane McDougle appeared to arrive at the same time as the pass to New Mexico’s Dorian Thomas, tipping the ball into the air for Finau to grab. SDSU would have had the ball at the New Mexico 29-yard line, but McDougle was whistled for interference, and the Lobos retained possession.

“I thought it was a great play by our kid,” Lewis said. “It’s unfortunate that external factors weighed in there.”

The teams both punted away three fourth-quarter possessions. Time expired in regulation after SDSU’s Ryan Henderson sacked Layne to remove New Mexico from any chance at a field goal.