The 2025 Isleta New Mexico Bowl features the 11-2 North Texas Mean Green and the 9-3 San Diego State Aztecs. Here is the 2025 Isleta New Mexico Bowl Preview.
North Texas won 11 games to make their second straight bowl game. They defeated five bowl-eligible teams this season: Western Michigan, Washington State, Army, UTSA and Navy. Both losses for the Mean Green were to teams who qualified for bowl games: South Florida and Tulane. Head coach Eric Morris took the job at Oklahoma State and will not coach the team in the bowl game.
The Mean Green score 44.8 points per game, ranking first in the country. They rush for 181.1 yards (ranked 41st) and pass for 323.2 yards (ranked second) per game.
Starting quarterback Drew Mestermaker is entering the transfer portal. If he doesn’t play, Chris Jimerson or Reese Poffenbarger will likely play, but neither has more than 50 passing yards on the season. Six players have over 300 receiving yards on the season. Wyatt Young has been a standout with 63 receptions for 1,209 yards and 10 touchdowns. Cameron Dorner was also productive with 50 receptions for 845 yards and six touchdowns.
Four running backs have over 200 rushing yards on the season for the Mean Green. Caleb Hawkins leads the team with 1,236 yards nd 23 touchdowns. Makenzie McGill II, Kiefer Sibley and Ashton Gray all chipped in with 389, 274 and 225 rushing yards apiece.
Defensively, they concede 24.92 points per game, ranking 71st in the nation. They give up 207.2 rushing yards (ranked 126th) and 163.2 passing yards (ranked 10th) per game. Ethan Wesloski leads the team with 104 total tackles, while Trey Fields has 100. Keviyan Huddleston has the team-high with five sacks. Da’Veawn Armstead has made plays on the ball with four passes defended and two interceptions.
The Aztecs won nine games to make their first bowl game since 2022. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams this season: California, Fresno State and Boise State. All three of their losses were to bowl teams: Washington State, Hawai’i and New Mexico.
San Diego State scores 24.7 points per game, tying them for 85th in the country. They rush for 188.1 yards (ranked 32nd) and pass for 153.7 yards (ranked 123rd) per game.
Jayden Denegal is the quarterback for the Aztecs this season. He has passed for 1,807 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions on 58.8 percent completion. Two receivers have most of the production for the Aztecs. Jordan Napier caught 48 passes for 629 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Brown has also played well, with 30 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns.
Three running backs have over 250 rushing yards for the Aztecs. Lucky Sutton leads the team with 1,237 yards and 10 touchdowns. Behind him, Christian Washington and Byron Cardwell Jr. have played well with 486 and 261 receiving yards apiece.
The Aztecs’ defense allows 12.58 points per game, ranking fifth in the country. They give up 109.7 rushing yards (ranked 21st) and 157 passing yards (ranked fifth) per game. Owen Chambliss has been the leader in tackles with 105. Trey White and Ryan Henderson are tied for the team lead with seven sacks. Chris Johnson has an NFL future after playing well in the secondary with eight passes defended and four interceptions.
North Texas has plenty of guys potentially going in the portal, along with their head coach. San Diego State should be able to keep this game close with their rushing attack and defense. The Mean Green might still be able to win a close one given their dynamic offense.
North Texas Mean Green 23 San Diego State Aztecs 21
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