AztecSportsReport.com - New Mexico-San Diego State football blog

October 31, 2009

Tom Shanahan
AztecSportsReport.com Senior Writer

Final score: SDSU 23, New Mexico 20.

15 minutes before kickoff: Whatever bowl talk San Diego State hoped would start buzzing from last week's dramatic 42-28 win at Colorado State wasn't evident 15 minutes before kickoff of tonight's New Mexico-San Diego State game. There can't be more than 5,000 people in the stands.

New Mexico, with its 0-7 overall record and 0-3 Mountain West Conference mark, apparently isn't enough of a draw to overcome Halloween night and Game 3 of the World Series on television. We'll see what kind of crowd finally shows up from tailgating and late arrivals, but for now it looks like not many will be here to see the win the Aztecs need to improve to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the MWC.

SDSU, as fans know, needs six wins -- two in their final four games -- for bowl eligiblity.

SDSU hasn't been .500 eight games into the since 1998 when a loss at BYU dropped the Aztecs to 4-4 en route to a 7-5 record and trip to the Las Vegas Bowl.

SDSU was 5-5 on Nov. 8 in 2003 and finished 6-6, but that was a year when the NCAA decreed a 7-5 record was necessary for a bowl eligibility.

First quarter, first possessions: New Mexico won the toss and wanted the ball first. Why not? Speaking of 1998, remember when Ted Tollner always wanted to defer?

New Mexico -- after being stopped on second-and-1 and third-and-1 -- went for it on a fourth-and-1 at SDSU's 46 and converted the drive into a 3-0 lead. James Aho hit a 35-yard field goal with 11:00 left in the first quarter.

The Aztecs converted their first first down with a 7-yard run by Brandon Sullivan and a 4-yard pass to Dominique Sandifer. But two incomplete passes led to a punt on third-and-9. Punter Brian Stahovich opens the night with a 42-yard punt and no return as Frankie Solomon is tackled upon fielding the ball.

SDSU isn't getting any pressure on QB Donovan Porterie, and as a result, the Lobos get out of a first-and-24 hole from their 15.

Maybe New Mexico's players know more about how to attack former Lobos coach Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense than Long knows about defending his former players in their new spread offense. After the first-and-24 first down, the Lobos had gains of 19 (pass), 14 (run) and 12 (run). But the Aztecs hold in the red zone, forcing 4-yards of losses to prompt a field goal.

This time, though, Aho misses from 37 yards and the New Mexico lead remains 3-0 with only 1:26 left in the first quarter. That was 16-play, 63-yard drive that consumed 7:43 and netted nothing but stats.

Second quarter: The Aztecs open the second quarter with quarterback Ryan Lindley fumbling at his 31-yard line when he is hit from behind as he cocked his arm for a pass. SDSU head coach Brady Hoke challenged the ruling, but it was ruled a fumble.

New Mexico needed only five plays -- including a quick snap run up the middle for 11 yards that caught the Aztecs napping -- for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. Quarterback Donovan Porterie scored on a 1-yard leap over the line with 13:25 left in the first half.

It's starting to look like the Aztecs forgot all about that 70-7 whipping they suffered at New Mexico last year and only see before them a Lobos squad that entered the game as a 0-7 team in 2009.

New Mexico foolishly tries an onside kick, giving the Aztecs possession at the Lobos' 42-yard line when the ball goes out of bounds.

Lindley makes the Lobos pay as he drives SDSU 42 yards in three plays for a touchdown on an 18-yard TD pass over the middle to Alston Umuolo. Lane Yoshida's kick trims New Mexico's lead to 10-7.

Umuolo, a junior tight end, now has touchdown receptions in his last three games.

On New Mexico's possession, a third-and-10 sack of 10 yards by SDSU junior linebacker Andrew Preston finally forces New Mexico's first punt of the day.

SDSU is forced to punt the ball back to New Mexico, but Stahovich's 46-yard net punt to the 2-yard line results in a favorable field position exchange.

The Aztecs record a safety to trim the deficit to 10-9. New Mexico's Adam Miller was forced to punt from his end zone on fourth-and-17-from the 7. He fumbled the snap and was tackled by Demetrius Barksdale.

After SDSU fielded the punt from the safety, the Aztecs finally started looking like a bowl team.

Lindley moved the team down field with completions of 13 to Roberto Wallace on third-and-9, 23 on a screen to Brandon Sullivan, 25 on a pass to Dominique Sandifer, four to Umuolo on third-and-3 to the 7 and a 7-yard touchdown lofted into the left corner to DeMarco Sampson for a 16-10 lead. SDSU moved 10 plays and 80 yards in 1:23.

Third quarter, first possessions: The Aztecs were forced to punt after fielding the second-half kickoff.

New Mexico, though, is driving before a third-and-8 pass is incomplete, setting up a 45-yard field goal by Aho that trims SDSU's lead to 16-13 with 8:02 left in the third quarter. New Mexico went 15 plays, 62 yards in 4:54.

New Mexico may be 0-7, but the Lobos look like the more inspired team in the second half. They just drove nine plays and 75 yards in 3:29 to take a 20-16 lead with 1:18 left in the third quarter. Daryl Jones made a beautiful catch, reaching out of bounds with his fingers from his knees on the ground in the end zone.

Fourth quarter These Aztecs, who punted on their first fourth-quarter possession, are trying hard to shed that same-old-Aztecs label.

SDSU just drove 10 plays and 75 yards in 4:19 to take a 23-20 lead with 7:54 in the game. Sampson made three big-time plays on passes from Lindley, gaining 10 and 19 yards before going up over the defender for a lofted, 4-yard touchdown passs in the right corner of the end zone.

The Aztecs forced a three-and-out punt, but now comes the big test: can the Aztecs run the ball and eat some time?

The answer is, nope. The drive started nicely with runs of 6 and 2 yards by junior running back Brandon Sullivan, but on third-and-two, SDSU elected to pass (not necessarily a bad call). Lindley rolled right and delivered a pass to Sandifer, who dropped it as he fell to the turf. SDSU was thus forced to punt, giving New Mexico the ball with 4:39 left in the game at the Lobos' 34-yard line.

The first sign that the same-old-Aztecs aren't going to let New Mexico steal this game from them is a first-down sack of 4 yards by junior defensive end B.J. Williams. After two incomplete passes, New Mexico has to punt, but there is still nearly four minutes left in the game when SDSU takes possession.

The Aztecs have at least one first down running the ball as Sullivan follows a 5-yard run with a 13-yard rush.

But after a 1-yard gain on first down, New Mexico calls timeout. There is still plenty of time -- 2:58 -- left in the game if SDSU can continue to run the ball.

SDSU fails to get another first down, but the Aztecs force New Mexico to use its final two timeouts. Stahovich comes on to punt from his 42-yard line. Frankie Sullivan makes a fair catch at the 15-yard line.

New Mexico takes possession at its 15 with 2:04 left in the game and no timeouts.

The Lobos moved to midfield, but a bonehead personal foul on New Mexico offensive tackle Ivan Hernandez moves the ball back to second-and-25 from the 32.

On fourth-and-20, Porterie completes an apparent pass along the sideline that is ruled a first down. But just before the next snap, play is stopped for a review.

The play, from TV replays, is correctly ruled incomplete as out of bounds, which allows the Aztecs to run out the remaining time of 1:03.

These definitely aren't the same old Aztecs. In the old days (see Craft, Tom, 2004, fumble ruling vs. Colorado State), the referees would have botched a call that would have cost the Aztecs a win in their hopes of pursuing a bowl bid.

Contact Tom Shanahan at shanny4055@aol.com.

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