New Mexico Bowl 2019: San Diego State records another 10-win season

San Diego State went to Albuquerque and took down Central Michigan with ease. The Aztecs blew out the Chippewas in the New Mexico Bowl.

When he was the head coach at New Mexico, Rocky Long went 1-1 in the New Mexico Bowl. Since leaving Albuquerque to take the defensive coordinator job at San Diego State, Long had not returned to the bowl game until this season. In his homecoming to the site of his first head coaching gig, Long led the Aztecs to a 48-11 blowout of Central Michigan.

The win was San Diego State’s first in a bowl game since 2016, when they defeated Houston 34-10 in the Las Vegas Bowl. On both sides of the ball, the Aztecs proved they were the better team at Dreamstyle Stadium on the first Saturday of bowl season.

Ryan Agnew went 18-of-31 for 287 yards through the air. The Aztecs quarterback threw one interception, but he also tossed three touchdown passes along the way to pace his team to victory.

Jesse Matthews had a huge receiving day, hauling in the first two touchdown catches of his career. The first was a diving 22-yard catch in the endzone for the first score of the game, with the second coming before halftime on a 74-yard catch-and-run. Matthews had one more catch as he finished with three receptions for 111 yards.

Agnew was supported by a huge game from Jordan Byrd on the ground, as the tailback finished with 139 rushing yards and a touchdown. Chase Jasmin also punched in a scoring run as he finished with 51 yards on the ground. As a team, the Aztecs finished with 223 rushing yards — 90 yards above their season average.

San Diego State came into the game boasting a top-five defense in both points and yards allowed. That unit stepped up big once again, forcing three Quinten Dormady interceptions and holding the Chippewas to 277 total yards of offense. By halftime, Central Michigan was already down 20-3 and effectively out of the game. The Aztecs continued to turn the screws after the intermission as they came through with the 37-point victory.

It was a season of highs and lows in southern California, as San Diego State missed out on a chance to play for the Mountain West crown after looking like a potential Group of Five contender. Still, there is reason to celebrate for Aztecs fans as the team secured its fourth 10-win season in the past five years.