They're more plucky than lucky.

The University of New Mexico football team's star-crossed seniors have faced a slew of obstacles on and off the field.

Yet the 17 seniors have the Lobos poised for a bowl berth.

UNM (5-6, 3-4) needs a win over San Diego State (2-8, 2-4) on Saturday at University Stadium to likely clinch a spot in the New Mexico Bowl.

Only five of the 17 seniors see major playing time and 14 are on scholarship, but teammates and coaches say they all contribute to the Lobos' determined, never-say-die attitude this season.

"It's a group that's been playing for the right reasons - because they love the game," Long said. "It would be a fitting end to their careers if we could win the last game and go to a bowl game, especially for those guys who have been out there with us for a long time who don't play very much or don't play at all because their hearts are in the right place.

"And the guys who do play realize that maybe they were at a little disadvantage this year because of the lack of experience on the field, and they have done everything they could to make this team mature as quickly as they could."

Sophomore running back Rodney Ferguson said the young UNM lineup has been fighting for its seniors all year.

"We could have just accepted a lot of our problems because most of us have a few more years left to be really good, but we didn't want to keep losing and we didn't want to let the seniors down," he said. "When I'm a senior, I hope the other guys treat me the same way and fight their hardest every game."

Senior backup quarterback Chris Nelson said it has been a rough run this season, but it has been worth every minute.

"We play hard for each other, and want to find a way to win every game," he said. "There have been some tough times, but being part of this team outweighs anything bad that has happened."

Here's a look at the veterans who have inspired the Lobos to overcome obstacles this season:

THE STARTERS

Guard Robert Turner

Turner is this group's iron man.

The Austin, Texas, native is poised to make his 48th consecutive start and is tied for the fifth longest streak among Division I-A players nationally. Turner also could be the first Lobo to start in three bowl games if UNM earns a spot in the New Mexico Bowl.

While he has earned the most recognition among the Lobos, he had to overcome a fractured wrist he suffered during UNM's final home game last season.

Turner had to sit out spring football, then was expected to move to offensive tackle and learn a new pro-style offense under a new position coach before the beginning of this season.

The line struggled early, a problem Turner took personally, and coaches moved him back to offensive tackle after a few games while they shuffled the lineup.

Turner, the emotional leader of the offense, has the team back on track with UNM's rushing game taking off and the Lobos allowing dramatically fewer sacks.

Kicker Kenny Byrd

Byrd still chuckles at his football career.

He didn't even play varsity soccer at Albuquerque's St. Pius X High School and never had played football at any level.

Casey Kelly, his sister's boyfriend, encouraged Byrd to walk on to the UNM football team as a kicker.

Byrd was a natural and earned the top job his freshman year when starter Wes Zunker was injured.

After relinquishing the job to Zunker for a few seasons, Byrd took over last year and became one of the most accurate and clutch kickers in school history.

He has hit 23 straight field goals from inside the 40-yard line and has 26 touchbacks on kickoffs this season.

But Byrd wasn't always a big winner.

He took his lumps his freshman year, long before he learned how much practice and visualizing positive performances could transform him into an NFL prospect.

Byrd missed a field goal at Utah State in a 45-44 loss.

He came full circle this year, hitting a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give UNM a 20-19 win over Colorado State.

Quarterback Kole McKamey

Although McKamey barely appeared in two games this season, no senior better represents the trials and tribulations that have faced this senior class.

McKamey's career has been stifled by a string of injuries, including a severe knee injury that ended his senior season.

The Artesia, N.M., native suffered torn anterior and lateral cruciate ligaments and a torn ligament during the first series of the Lobos' second game of the season.

McKamey is petitioning the NCAA for a medical redshirt and six season, but there is no guarantee he will be granted another senior season.

Lobo Quincy Black

Black has been the Lobos' ace on defense, leading the Mountain West Conference with 104 tackles so far this season from his Lobo (hybrid linebacker/safety) position.

It is the most tackles by a UNM player since Charles Moss had 105 in 2002.

Black also has three interceptions this season, returning one for an 88-yard touchdown.

While he has thrived on the field, Black has had to overcome the deaths of both of his parents while he was still in high school and playing so far from home.

He downplays his accomplishments at the Lobo position made famous by former UNM standout and NFL star Brian Urlacher.

He may be humble and soft-spoken, but Black remains the Lobos' top NFL draft prospect.

Guard Bo Greer

Greer came to New Mexico from Princeton, Ind., hungry - and not merely for his favorite pregame meal of baked potatoes loaded with marinara sauce and ranch dressing. He also craved wins.

His high school football team rarely was successful and he committed to nearby Indiana, but failed to qualify academically.

Greer said the setback was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Instead of following a family tradition into the military or joining a struggling Hoosiers football program, Greer headed to Garden City Community College.

Greer befriended a bunch of future Lobos who told him about a successful team in a state he had never visited before.

He jumped on the UNM bandwagon and finally began satisfying his hungry for wins when he joined the Lobos' lineup last year.

Greer relishes each of the Lobos' wins as though they are championships and is a big part of why the team enters every game motivated to play.

Tight end John Mulchrone

Mulchrone was a quarterback nobody wanted.

The Chicago native headed to Palomar College in California, where coaches asked him what position he preferred to play.

Mulchrone said he always had been a quarterback, but he thought he could play tight end. The coaches told him they were loaded at quarterback but needed a tight end, so Mulchrone changed jobs and extended his football career.

He developed into a strong receiver and became a better blocker with a lot of practice.

Mulchrone joined the Lobos last year, but the new spread offense didn't call for much use of the tight ends.

Bob Toledo took over as offensive coordinator and Mulchrone was set to be rewarded for his hard work as the starter entering his senior year.

But Mulchrone's promise has been thwarted by a string of injuries, both the ones suffered by the quarterbacks and himself.

With every lineup change, it took passers awhile to find him across the middle. He was the open man who never touched the ball until the quarterbacks learned to get rid of the ball faster.

By the time the QBs found him with more frequency on the field, he went down with a high-ankle sprain. He slowly recovered, the sprained his knee at BYU.

Despite the obstacles, Mulchrone has 19 catches for 273 yards and one touchdown in 10 games this season.

He might be the player who reaps the greatest rewards from a bowl berth, which would allow him to be at full strength when he plays his final game at University Stadium.

Quarterback Chris Nelson

Nelson's on-again, off-again status as the starter is back on this week with injured Donovan Porterie not able to go against the Aztecs. Frustration easily could have overtaken this Lobo, but Nelson has never shown his emotions on game day or in practice.

Off the field, he was arrested for drunken driving soon after transferring from Garden City (Kan.) Community College that marred his reputation with the team.

He fought his way back into the coaches' good graces and took over when McKamey was injured last year and again this season.

Nelson led the Lobos to two comeback wins, then broke his collar bone during the Lobos final home game against Air Force in 2005.

The injury affected his throwing motion early this year and he fought to regain his strength.

When McKamey went down again this season, Nelson took over as the starter but had a much harder time running the new offense.

He started in four games before losing the top job to Porterie.

When Porterie sprained his ankle against TCU, Nelson took over the offense again but lost at BYU.

Despite the extreme highs and lows of his career, Nelson said he is glad he became a Lobo.

OFF THE BENCH

Linebacker Aleem Harris

Harris came to UNM from Chaffey College in California filled with promise.

He delivered his junior year, leading the Lobos in tackles.

Then a tumultuous offseason nearly ended his football career.

After a protracted legal battle that cut into the beginning of this season, Harris pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of battery on a household member stemming from a fight with an ex-girlfriend.

Harris contends he was innocent but chose to accept the plea in order to have a chance at rejoining the football team.

He never regained the status he owned his junior year, but Harris has proven to be a valuable asset to the UNM defense.

Harris has 15 tackles, one sack and four quarterback hurries in seven games this season.

The hits he got on UNLV quarterback Shane Steichen rattled the signal caller so much, UNM was able to mount its first comeback win of the season.

Wide receiver Thomas Wilson

Wilson was a lifelong soccer player, but he got bored with the game late in high school in Chico, Calif.

His friends urged him try kicking field goals for the football team.

Wilson decided to go for it, and coaches soon discovered he was able to do more than kick the football. He could catch it well too.

They played him at wide receiver, where Wilson thrived and discovered a new sport that would consume him life.

He played at Butte College in California, then headed to UNM when coaches offered him a scholarship.

Wilson developed into a strong receiver off the bench, with 13 catches for 143 yards and one touchdown in 11 games this season.

Wide receivers coach Dan Dodd said Wilson is a valuable role player who can slip in and play any of the wide receiver positions called for in the UNM offense.

Fullback Yimin Bauman

Bauman, a junior college transfer from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College, has appeared in 11 games this season as the backup to starter Matt Quillen.

He switched to fullback from linebacker during the spring, playing on offense for the first time in his football career.

He has three catches for 16 yards this season, settling in to mostly a blocking role on offense.

Bauman spent two seasons with the UNM scout team defense, and his teammates voted him most valuable defensive scout after the 2005 season.

Nose tackle Billy Brittain

Brittain is a former walk-on and La Cueva graduate who earned a scholarship in August 2004. He competed for a starting job at nose tackle this season but came up short.

Brittain played in nine games this season, with 15 tackles.

During his career with the Lobos, he appeared in 18 games. He also was named academic All-Mountain West Conference last year.

Linebacker Justin Clayton

Clayton is a three-year letterwinner who has played with the special teams unit and defense. He switched from safety to linebacker.

He has eight tackles in six games this season.

Clayton already earned his degree in criminology at the end of last season and is taking graduate courses this semester.

Tight end Curtis Pino

Pino, a St. Pius X grad, suffered when the Lobos ended up loaded with tight ends this year.

He was a walk-on who earned a scholarship before the 2004 season.

Pino played in two games this season when starting deep snapper Jon O'Brien was injured. One of his snaps came late in the game against Utah, helping the Lobos seal a win.

He has played in 18 games during his UNM career, getting his most significant action at tight end during the Lobos' upset win over Texas Tech his sophomore year.

Offensive guard Patrick Hodges

Hodges, a Ruidoso High grad, is a three-year letterman who has experience at both right tackle and guard.

He began fall camp as the Lobos starting right guard, but coaches moved Turner from right tackle back to Hodges' spot at right guard when the offensive line struggled early in the season.

Hodges played in four games during his career. He saw the most playing time against San Diego State last year, coming for injured starter Terrance Pennington and playing a career-high 47 snaps. Hodges had four knock-down blocks against the Aztecs.

Linebacker Matthew Campbell

Campbell transferred from Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo., and walked on to the UNM squad during the spring.

At Central Methodist, an NAIA school, Campbell had 72 tackles and three sacks during the 2004 season.

Campbell, an Alhambra, Calif., native, also has played on special teams, with eight tackles in 10 games this year.

Lobo Ben Wysong

Wysong, a Moriarty High grad, is a walk on who transferred from Eastern New Mexico in fall 2004.

He played linebacker last year but learned the Lobo position when the UNM coaches added it to the defensive lineup again this year.

Wysong is majoring in exercise science and his younger brother, Dan, is on the UNM rugby team.

Linebacker Beau Hightower

Hightower is a La Cueva grad and walk on who joined the Lobos in 2004. He spent two seasons at Colorado State before returning to Albuquerque.

He has been an active member of the scout team.