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Albuquerque, N.M. • Utah State's defense made one mistake Saturday afternoon at New Mexico.

It was one too many.

The Aggies limited the Lobos to 236 yards of offense, including 61 in the second half. New Mexico managed 10 first downs and went 2 for 14 on third down.

Still, the Lobos defeated Utah State, 14-13.

"Our defense, we played well," said senior nose guard David Moala. "But there were some plays out there we should have made. … We take pride in defense at Utah State. That's something we just take a lot of pride in."

The Aggies' only mistake came with 8:59 left in the second quarter.

New Mexico faced second-and-11 at its own 14-yard line when quarterback Lamar Jordan stepped up into the pocket and avoided the rush. He started to run, which drew the Aggie secondary toward the line of scrimmage.

When Jordan suddenly pulled up and threw the ball, Lobo receiver Delane Hart-Johnson was all alone.He grabbed the ball, raced down the sideline in front of the Lobo bench and scored to make it 7-0.

"We got our eyes in the wrong spot for one play," Utah State coach Matt Wells said. "But I thought, for most of the night, our defense played very, very tough and very, very solid."

New Mexico entered the game with the No. 2 rushing offense in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos managed only 132 yards on 48 carries against Utah State.

"Their record doesn't say it all," Moala said. "They're a hell of a team and, on the road, it's hard to play against a Division I team. You can't take anyone lightly. … They caught us on one play with the touchdown. They just caught us off guard."

Jordan's touchdown pass was one of only four passes the Lobos completed in the game.

In the fourth quarter, New Mexico gained 14 yards. The Lobos did not pick up a first down. They went three-and-out three straight times after the Aggies got within 14-13 with 11:47 remaining.

Until Brock Warren missed a 41-yard field goal with 59 seconds left, it looked like the Utah State defense was going to be the key to a critical Mountain West Conference victory.

"That's us," Moala said. "That's our defense. … If they put it in our hands to play defense, that's what we'll do. We'll stop them on defense. That was our plan."

Email: luhm@sltrib.com

Twitter: @sluhm —

Holding the line

R Utah State limits New Mexico to 236 yards of offense, but the Lobos beat the Aggies, 14-13.

• New Mexico manages 10 first downs. The Lobos go only 2 for 14 on third-down conversions.

• The New Mexico offense produces 14 yard in the fourth quarter.