Two weeks had passed since San Diego State played a home game, but the much-maligned Snapdragon Stadium field looked worse for wear.

The insults and wisecracks started moments after kickoff in Friday nights Mountain West matchup with New Mexico.

When a first-quarter promo was superimposed on the screen during the Fox Sports 1 broadcast, analyst Petros Papadakis said, “Thats the best this field has looked in years.”

It wasnt pretty.

Perhaps hardest on the eyes was the final score: New Mexico 21, SDSU 16.

The Aztecs were limited to a field goal in the second half before an announced crowd of 21,832 (12,745 turnstile), the smallest gathering in SDSUs two-plus seasons at Snapdragon Stadium.

SDSU (3-6, 2-2 MW) now needs to run the table in its last three games of the regular season in order to be bowl eligible for the 14th time in 15 years. New Mexico (4-6, 3-2) kept its postseason hopes alive with its first victory over the Aztecs in 10 tries. The Lobos need to win their remaining two games to qualify for a bowl for the first time in nine years.

The kids battled all the way through, SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. Ive just got to put them in a better position to be successful from start to finish with everything.

Lewis said his message to the team over the regular seasons last three games is to continue to fight.

Thats who were going to be, he said, and continue to pour into one another and to pull tight as we go forward with this. The beauty of this game is that its going to help you develop your character and prepare you for life. I know no one is going to shut it down in that locker room. Theyre going to pull tight. Theyre going to pull together.

There was so much sand on the field — it was kicked up with every step, with sand storms created on each tackle — that one observer wondered if Lewis had the Aztecs prepare by practicing on Dog Beach.

“Looks like an unkempt public golf course,” observed another person on social media.

The worst part was down the middle of the field between the 20-yard lines. Picture a weathered brown fairway, roped off with “cart path only” signs greeting foursomes as they leave the tee box.

Perhaps it was fitting, then, that a guy named Sanders made himself right at home in this sandbox.

New Mexico running back Eli Sanders rushed for 51- and 68-yard touchdowns in the first quarter.

SDSU, which was behind 14-13 at halftime and trailed most of the game, took a brief 16-14 lead late in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Gabriel Plascencia. New Mexico came back with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Devon Dampier to Ryan Davis two minutes into the fourth quarter for a 21-16 lead the Lobos never relinquished.

For the second straight week, SDSU came out intent on stopping the opponents best player.

Last week, it was stop Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty — and Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen threw for a career-high 307 yards and four touchdowns.

This week, it was stop New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier — and Sanders kicked sand in their face with his long TD runs.

Not that Sanders (16 carries, 173 yards, 2 TDs) was someone to overlook. He did rush for 205 yards last week against Wyoming. But Dampier (16-for-24, 175 yards, TD passing/15 carries, 115 yards rushing) is a dual-threat QB who leads the Lobos with his arm and legs.

Sanders opened the scoring midway through the first quarter by taking a handoff at the New Mexico 49, breaking a tackle and winning a footrace to the end zone.

That capped a four-play, 99-yard drive.

It was stunning in that moments earlier the Aztecs had pinned New Mexico at its own 1-yard line after Tyler Pastula landed a 64-yard punt a yard from the end zone before it took an immediate right turn out of bounds.

Sanders capped a two-play, 81-yard drive with a similar TD run, this one for 68 yards, on New Mexico’s next drive. It provided a 14-3 Lobos lead with 3:08 remaining in the first period.

SDSU had settled for a 22-yard Gabriel Plascencia field goal in the opening period after failing to score on four plays inside the 5-yard line.

Actually, the Aztecs did score on a 4-yard pass from quarterback Danny O’Neil to wide receiver Jordan Napier, but it was negated by an offensive pass interference penalty against teammate Mekhi Shaw.

And, the Aztecs would have scored on a trick play on third-and-goal from the 4, but a pass from wide receiver Jordan Napier to a wide-open ONeil on the Philly Special was wide left and fell incomplete.

San Diego State quarterback Danny O’Neil is unable to make the reception on a trick play in the first quarter. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

SDSU turned to Plascencia again eight seconds into the second quarter for a 31-yard field goal that made it 14-6. That came after the Aztecs failed to find the end zone from inside the 10-yard line.

Anytime you have the number of trips that we did and settle for the number of field goals that we did in a close ballgame that ends up being the difference, Lewis said. Weve got to do a much better job in that area in particular.

It appeared the third time was going to be no more charming when runnig back Marquez Cooper was dropped for a 1-yard loss on first-and-goal from the 4 with three minutes remaining in the first half.

SDSU changed things up on the next play, with O’Neil (26-for-41, 195 yards, TD) hitting Cooper with a 5-yard screen pass that made it 14-13. It was the first receiving touchdown of the year for Cooper, who has all nine of SDSU’s rushing TDs this season.

Catching his first touchdown pass wasnt much consolation on this night.

Theres still bowl game hopes all the way until the end, Cooper said. Tonight kind of shattered our (Mountain West) championship hopes a little bit, well, not a little bit, but clearly. I look forward to a bowl game.

Notable

• Cooper (35 carries, 123 yards) had his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 21st of his career. Cooper has rushed for 965 yards on the season, leaving him 35 yards away from his fourth straight 1,000-yard season.

• Plasencia had three field goals in a game for the first time in his career. He has made 10 straight field goals and 11 of 12 for the season.

• It was 58 degrees at kickoff, making it the third-coldest game in SDSUs 19-game history at Snapdragon Stadium. The coldest was 55 degrees .

• A cold (for San Diego) Friday night that coincided with the start of the San Diego Section football playoffs made for the smallest crowd (21,832 announced, 12,745 turnstile)) to see the Aztecs at Snapdragon. The previous low was for last years season finale against Fresno State, with 22,001 (announced) and 13,853 (turnstile).

• The Aztecs are on the road the next two weeks against UNLV and Utah State before closing out the regular season at home against Air Force.

The Rebels (6-2, 2-1) play at Hawaii (4-5, 2-2) on Saturday at 6 pm (CBS Sports Network). UNLV is averaging 41.1 points a game, which ranks fifth in the nation.