ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The San Diego State football program enjoyed a busy Christmas day with plenty of activities and festive events during their second day in Albuquerque.
The day began with a special visitor making an appearance at the team’s hotel. Santa Claus himself made sure to deliver plenty of Christmas spirit to the players, staff and families, ensuring that even on the road everyone got to enjoy the holiday with their football family.
Later in the morning the team headed to the University of New Mexico’s indoor practice facility for their final, full practice session of the season. The rest of the afternoon saw the Aztecs engage in some holiday community service including visiting a local elderly care facility where the players took photos, handed out Aztec gear and chatted with residents.
The day ended at the Albuquerque Convention Center where both San Diego State and North Texas were treated to a catered barbeque dinner. After finishing their meal, the two programs went head-to-head in Family Feud style games where members of the offense, defense and coaching staffs faced off to earn bragging rights before the actual game on Saturday.
The Aztecs finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, including a 6-2 mark in Mountain West play. SDSU tied with Boise State, New Mexico and UNLV atop the league standings, but was left out of a MW Championship appearance because of computer rankings. Boise State, which San Diego State beat, 17-7, in the regular season, captured the MW Championship with a 38-21 win over UNLV.
The six-win improvement for the Aztecs in regular-season play from last year (3-9) to this season (9-3) matches the largest win increase by SDSU in program history (since 1921), joining a six-win improvement from 1960 (1-6-1) to 1961 (7-2-1).
San Diego State faces No. 25 (CFP) and No. 23 (AP) North Texas (11-2) in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 3:45 p.m. MT (2:45 p.m. PT). The game will be played at University Stadium in Albuquerque and will air nationally on ESPN and San Diego Sports 760, the home of San Diego State athletics.