This is the Depth Dossier: the New Mexico Lobos, Week 9.

New Mexico's offense tried its best to give this one away, and its defense simply wouldn't let it happen. The Lobos survived a 21 to 16 win at San José State, and the final score doesn't tell you how wild it actually was.

Quarterback Toa Fa'avae threw three interceptions, including an 89-yard pick-six that cut a 21-9 lead down to five in the fourth quarter. Then a 51-yard field goal got blocked late, too. None of it mattered in the end. Running back Kiefer Sibley had a career-high 102 yards on just 12 carries, running back Scottre Humphrey scored twice, and New Mexico piled up 231 rushing yards as a team. The defense held San José State to just 48 rushing yards and zero touchdowns across three trips into the red zone. Safety Austin Brawley sealed it with an end-zone interception with 11 seconds left. New Mexico is now 7 and 1, 4 and 0 in Mountain West play, winners of five straight.

Let's dig into how strange this game actually was. San José State got into the red zone three times, twice right after Fa'avae interceptions, including a first-and-goal from the two-yard line. All three trips ended in field goals. Zero touchdowns. New Mexico's three turnovers handed the Spartans nine total points, and that one stretch basically tells the story of the whole afternoon.

The run defense was the other headline. San José State managed just 48 yards on 35 carries, barely a yard and a half a carry. That's the fifth time this season New Mexico has held a team under 100 rushing yards, and the third straight game it's done it. Defensive lineman Darren Agu had two sacks and three tackles for loss, his second road game in a row hitting that mark. As a team, the Lobos finished with 10 tackles for loss and three sacks.

A couple other numbers worth keeping. New Mexico has now allowed 20 points or fewer in 12 straight games, a streak the program hasn't seen since the 1960s. And on paper, this wasn't close at all. The Lobos won time of possession and out-gained San José State 342 yards to 238, averaging nearly six yards a play to the Spartans' four. The scoreboard said nail-biter. The stat sheet said blowout.

Now, let's get into who's carrying the load on this roster.

There are no new injuries to report beyond what's already being managed separately, so this is really about roles. Sibley's big day, averaging over eight yards a carry, isn't pushing Humphrey out of the picture. Humphrey scored twice and now has 11 touchdowns on the season. But it's clear New Mexico has two backs who can carry a game when the passing attack isn't clicking. Expect that split to keep depending on matchups and game flow rather than settling into one clear starter.

Fa'avae's job is obviously secure given the record, but three interceptions, two back to back and one returned for a touchdown, is the kind of game that starts drawing attention if it happens again. He finished nine of 14 for 101 yards, and the game plan clearly still leans on the ground game and the defense to cover for him when needed.

On special teams, kicker Grant Glasgow's blocked 51-yarder is worth watching. It's not a job-security situation yet, but it's the second recent game where a missed kick left things in doubt longer than it needed to be.

And then there's Brawley, whose game-sealing pick adds to what's already one of the best secondaries in the country statistically. Nothing is confirmed yet about next week's opponent, but New Mexico will want a cleaner day from the passing game before it runs into a team that can actually cash in on turnovers the way San José State couldn't.

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