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Albuquerque, N.M. • Utah State got reinforcements against New Mexico on Saturday, when nose guard David Moala and defensive end Ricky Ali'ifua returned from injuries.

Moala missed 21/2 games after suffering a sprained knee in the Aggies' 52-26 win over Boise State on Oct. 16. A senior from Gardena, Calif, he recorded 24 tackles in the first six games, including two quarterback sacks.

Ali'ifua, a junior from from San Leandro, Calif., suffered a shoulder injury during San Diego State's 48-14 win over Utah State on Oct. 23. He did not play in last week's 58-27 rout of Wyoming.

Without Moala and Ali'ifua, the Aggies struggled to stop the run. San Diego State and Wyoming rushed for a combined 606 yards in the last two games. The Aztecs' D.J. Pumphrey rushed for 181 yards. The Cowboys' Brian Hill ran for 201.

The presence of Moala and Ai'ifua at New Mexico was evident by halftime, when the Lobos managed 82 yards on 23 rushing attempts. That's an average of 3.6 yards per play.

Lobos on rebound

Even before the game, coach Bob Davie insisted this team is his best yet at New Mexico.

In his first three seasons, the Lobos finished 11-26.

"Yes," he said, "without a doubt. We have a few more numbers; we are a little different team."

On defense, Davis said, "We've become a big blitz, pressure team, which is what we have always wanted to do. I think we can continue that and get better at that. So I feel pretty good schematically where we are headed on defense.

"Offensively, we are not quite the identity that we have been. But I think we're better. We are 4-4 in November, so if you just want to look at the raw numbers, we are better. What we signed up for is coming."

Silent tribute

A moment of silence was observed before kickoff for Stu Walker, one of the most well-known and popular public address announcers in Mountain West Conference for the past two decades.

He died Monday of complications from bladder cancer.

Walker, 61, worked New Mexico's 28-27 win over Hawaii two weeks ago. He was also well-known as the announcer of the Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League.