Nov. 25, 2006
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Rodney Ferguson ran for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns and New Mexico scored 24 first quarter points off three interceptions and a defensive stop to beat San Diego State 41-14 on Saturday.
The win assured the Lobos of an invitation to the inaugural New Mexico Bowl next month.
Ferguson scored on runs of 26 and 49 yards, consistently picked up huge chunks of yardage against the Aztecs' defense and became the eighth Lobo back to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
New Mexico (6-6, 4-4 MWC) got an early field goal from Kenny Byrd, then scored touchdowns on three straight possessions to put away the Aztecs (2-9, 2-5 MWC), who have not had a winning season since 1998.
San Diego State scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns after the Aztecs were down 41-0. Kevin O'Connell threw TD passes of 28 yards to Brandon Bornes and 3 yards to Robert Miller.
The Lobos, who have been to bowl games three of the last four years but have not won one since 1961, are expected to get the New Mexico Bowl bid to play a team from the Western Athletic Conference on Dec. 23.
The New Mexico Bowl's selection of the hometown Lobos was influenced by the prospects of attracting a larger crowd, although just 23,421 turned out to watch the Lobos become bowl eligible. That's the lowest attendance for a home game since 2000.
Byrd's field goal of 35 yards was his 24th straight from inside the 40-yard line and was set up by linebacker Cody Kase's interception of O'Connell's pass at the Aztecs' 37.
Cornerback DeAndre Wright picked off O'Connell's pass at the San Diego State 26 and Ferguson scored on the first play. New Mexico then stopped the Aztecs on a 4th-and-1 at the New Mexico 28 and five plays later Lobo quarterback Chris Nelson tossed a 5-yard TD pass to Travis Brown.
Lobo safety Blake Ligon intercepted O'Connell's first pass on the ensuing SDS possession and returned it 22 yards for a score.
Nothing went right for the Aztecs through the first three quarters. Kicker Garrett Palmer's 30-yard field goal try just before the half was blocked and O'Connell killed another drive when he fumbled the ball into the end zone in the third quarter and Ligon recovered it for a touchback.