New Mexico visits San Jose State to start Mountain West play

The New Mexico Lobos travel to CEFCU Stadium in San Jose on Friday night to open Mountain West play against the San Jose State Spartans, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Pacific time and live television coverage on FS1. New Mexico enters 3-1 after wins over Idaho State, UCLA and rival New Mexico State, while San Jose State is 1-3 and seeking its first FBS victory of the season.

The matchup pits New Mexico’s balanced, run-first approach and improving defense against San Jose State’s potent but erratic passing attack. New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne has stabilized the Lobos’ offense, completing roughly 70 percent of his passes for 818 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions, and producing a 23-for-30, 303-yard, four-touchdown performance in last week’s rivalry game. New Mexico’s ground game is led by Scottre Humphrey and Damon Bankston and the team’s front seven has reduced opponents to about 111.5 rushing yards per game while allowing roughly 3.9 yards per carry.

San Jose State’s offense is driven by quarterback Walker Eget, who leads the Mountain West with 1,187 passing yards and has thrown six touchdowns and three interceptions. Eget’s top target is Danny Scudero, who is...