NCAA Endzone

New Mexico (6-6) vs. San Jose State (8-4)

Former Arizona coach Dick Tomey has done an amazing job turning around the fortunes of the Spartans since he arrived in San Jose two years ago.

The Spartans were 2-9 in 2004 and ready to drop the program before Tomey arrived. He was 3-8 in 2005 and 8-4 this season. Tomey worked his magic playing basic, smash mouth football. He still prefers an I-formation backfield and uses the running game to set up the pass, a rarity in the pass happy WAC.

San Jose State quarterback Adam Tafralis passed for 2,075 yards and 18 touchdowns. Tailback Yonus Davis ran for 984 yards and six scores, and James Jones had 64 catches for 787 yards and eight touchdowns to lead the offense.

The overall defense has made great strides under Tomey, who was the architect of the Desert Swarm defense with Arizona, but the Spartans’ run defense remains mediocre and the pass rush has been average at best.

Lobos head coach Rocky Long overcame a 2-4 start and a season-ending injury to starting QB Kole McCamey and become bowl eligible.

One advantage for New Mexico is home field and a swarming 3-3-5 defense that’s based on speed and aggressiveness. While it doesn’t have great size, it’s disruptive and surprisingly effective stopping the run. Not surprisingly, it can also get to opposing quarterbacks and generate big plays when the opponent’s drop back to pass.

Lobos quarterback Chris Nelson threw for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tailback Rodney Ferguson ran for 1,132 yards and seven touchdowns, and Travis Brown had 57 catches for 784 yards and four scores.

Nelson has been inconsistent and Donovan Porterie has been more reliable at QB. He missed the last two games of the season, but should be back for the bowl game.

Prediction: It helps to have home-field advantage in a bowl game, heck any game for that matter. In the end, this game will come down to defense. San Jose State has the better and more balance offense, but the Spartans defense has been inconsistent against the run and its pass rush is mediocre at best. Look for the Lobos to exploit that. New Mexico wins 34-17.