Week 14: Fresno State at New Mexico State

Fresno State already is bowl-bound and has nothing to gain. New Mexico State is finishing off a disappointing season.

Not exactly the recipe for a thriller, but Fresno State coach Pat Hill is selling this game to his team as vital.

“This is a very, very important game to us,” Hill said. “We want to finish our season strong and we know we’ll get their best shot.”

The Bulldogs are coming off their finest performance of the season, a 45-29 drubbing of Kansas State — the WAC’s first win this season over a Bowl Championship Series-conference team. Still, the Bulldogs have not won back-to-back games since mid-October.

The Aggies, meanwhile, have had two weeks to prepare for this game. They have lost four in a row and six of seven and seem destined for an eighth-place finish — a far cry from their expectations.

These teams couldn’t be much more different.

New Mexico State is sixth in the nation with 332.7 passing yards behind quarterback Chase Holbrook, who is about to break the school record for total offense in just two seasons. Fresno State is 24th in rushing offense with 199.4 yards per game behind a slew of talented tailbacks.

The Bulldogs’ special teams are the best in the WAC — and that should be most obvious after the Aggies score.

Fresno State ranks second in the nation in kickoff returns with a 28.2-yard average and two touchdowns. New Mexico State is last in the WAC in kickoff coverage, averaging a net of just 31.3 yards per kickoff.

Fresno State by 17