Bronco Mendenhall knows he probably won’t be the most popular person in University Stadium when his Aggies hit the road to face his former team, New Mexico, on Saturday. The Utah State head coach also said it’s the last thing on his mind.
“There certainly could be people in the community and others that have issue with me only being there a year,” Mendenhall said on Monday. “But really, preparation and execution win the day. These teams are competing for a Mountain West Conference championship … And really, there’s not much time, energy, or space for anything else.”
Mendenhall led the Lobos to a 5-7 record last season, but he left New Mexico after just one year to take over at Utah State. The move came a few months after the Aggies announced they were departing the conference to join the Pac-12 next season.
The 59-year-old native of Alpine, Utah, reiterated on Monday that taking the Utah State job was more about being close to family than anything else.
“I never imagined I would have a chance, at this stage in my coaching career, to be back in my home state with all three of my boys, two of which are here at school,” Mendenhall said. “I have a chance to see my mom and my three brothers and to be home.”
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Utah State (4-3, 2-1 Mountain West) has been on a rollercoaster in recent weeks. The Aggies couldn’t keep up with Hawaii with a 44-26 loss on the road on Oct. 11, but they found a way to knock off San Jose State 30-25 at home last week.
Quarterback Bryson Barnes engineered the win. He scored a rushing touchdown to give the Aggies an eight-point lead in the third quarter and led two fourth-quarter drives that ended with game-sealing field goals. Barnes threw for 326 yards and a touchdown and led the team with 54 rushing yards.
New Mexico (4-3, 1-2) snapped a two-game skid last week with a 24-22 win over Nevada. The Lobos got two rushing touchdowns out of Sam Houston transfer running back DJ McKinney, and they held Nevada scoreless over the final 10:55 of the game to preserve the win.
Utah State vs. New Mexico Betting Odds
New Mexico is a three-point college football betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 61.5 points. The moneyline is at -155 for New Mexico and +130 for Utah State.
The Aggies lead the overall series 17-14, but New Mexico won a 50-45 shootout last season in Logan, Utah. That snapped Utah State’s streak of seven straight wins in the series, dating back to 2017.
Utah State is 4-16 overall and 8-11-1 against the spread in its past 20 regular season games as the underdog on the road. New Mexico is 13-7 overall and 4-16 ATS in its past 20 regular season games as the favorite at home.
Utah State vs. New Mexico On TV
The Mountain West game featuring Utah State and New Mexico at University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will be televised on Mountain West Network and Altitude Sports.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
Utah State vs. New Mexico Prediction
I predict Utah State wins 38-33. I also predict the game goes Over 61.5 points.
Barnes has been the most consistent, efficient quarterback in the Mountain West this season. He makes good decisions, has enough pop in his arm to scare teams, and enough athleticism to burn defenders with his legs. I expect he’ll get some help from BYU transfer running back Miles Davis, but Barnes’ best friend may be a defense that just seems to get better.
Adding safety Ike Larsen is going to help in so many ways down the stretch, especially against the run, which is where the Aggies struggle. They’re giving up 180.3 rushing yards a game, which ranks No. 11 in the 12-team Mountain West.
I believe New Mexico is going to take advantage of that and feed McKinney and fellow running backs Scottre Humphrey and Damon Bankston. But I think Utah State’s defense is going to create a couple of turnovers and make a couple of critical late stops to seal the win.
