Riding a five-game winning streak, the San Diego State University football team is looking to become bowl eligible for a school-record sixth consecutive season when it hosts the Wyoming Cowboys in a Mountain West interdivisional game Saturday, Nov. 14, at Qualcomm Stadium.
SDSU is 5-0 in conference play, 6-3 overall; Wyoming is 1-5 in conference play, 1-9 overall.
The Aztecs continue to lead the MW-West Division.
SDSU is coming off a bye week. The Aztecs dispatched host Colorado State, 41-17, on Oct. 31 in their last outing on the gridiron.
“I think it’s good to be back in game week,” SDSU head coach Rocky Long told the media during the team’s weekly press conference on Tuesday. “I think our players enjoyed the week off and hopefully got fresh and a little healthier. Everyone’s excited to play the last part of our season. Hopefully we can win a few to get us in a good position at the end of the year.”
Guards Nico Siragusa (Mater Dei Catholic High School) and Robert Craighead (El Capitan High School) continue to help buttress the offensive line to afford protection for quarterback Maxwell Smith and open holes for star junior running back Donnel Pumphrey.
SDSU rushed for 276 rushing yards on 47 attempts against the Rams. The Aztecs piled up a 279-120 edge in total yards in the final two quarters while outscoring the hosts 28-7.
Pumphrey racked up 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while Chase Price (12 carries, 50 yards) scored SDSU’s third rushing touchdown in the game.
Smith completed 11 of 14 passing attempts for 180 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Mikah Holder led SDSU receivers with two catches for 72 yards.
SDSU’s defense totaled three interceptions in the win over Colorado State, with Damontae Kazee, Kendrick Mathis and Malik Smith each making picks.
Honor roll
Three Aztecs earned MW Player of the Week awards coming off the road victory at Colorado State.
Pumphrey (Las Vegas) won the MW Offensive Player of the Week award, classmate Damontae Kazee (San Bernardino) was chosen as the MW Defensive Player of the Week and senior Donny Hageman (Covina) was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Week.
Pumphrey picked up the offensive award by gaining a game-high 168 all-purpose yards, including 121 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and 47 yards on two receptions and a score through the air.
It was his fifth straight game with 100-plus yards, sixth 100-yard game this season and 19th of his career.
Kazee, meanwhile, captured the first award of his career after recording seven tackles (five solo), an interception for a touchdown and a forced fumble. It was the first touchdown of his career, sixth interception of the year and eighth of his career. His six picks this year rank in a tie for sixth in program single-season history.
The forced fumble kept the Rams (1-3 in conference play, 3-5 overall) out of the end zone at the goal line and safety Trey Lomax recovered it. The 55-yard interception returned for a touchdown gave San Diego State (5-0 in MW play, 6-3 overall) a 27-10 lead.
Hageman connected on both field goal attempts and all five extra-point conversion attempts in the win. He hit a 20-yard field goal late in the second quarter to tie the game at 10-10 and, with no time left, booted a 54-yarder to give SDSU a 13-10 lead, which the Aztecs would not relinquish.
Hageman’s 54-yard field goal matched a career long and was the second longest in program history.
Looking ahead
While the Aztec offense has revved up under Smith (1,240 passing yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions) and Pumphrey (1,031 rushing yards, team-leading 14 touchdowns), the SDSU defense has also raised its standard of play. The Aztecs led the nation in fewest yards allowed per game (219.0) during the month of October.
Long cautioned his team had better take the Cowboys seriously.
“I think Wyoming is much better than their record shows,” the SDSU head coach reiterated. “They got a big boost now that they have their starting quarterback back. He got hurt three weeks ago and was deemed healthy to play last week, but he only practiced on Thursday so he didn’t play in the Colorado State game. He’ll start against us. He’s one of the best passers in the league. He’s thrown 15 touchdown passes in the seven games he’s played in (this year). He really adds to their offense. They also have a really good running back, Brian Hill, who is one of the best in rushing offense. Getting the quarterback back makes them a whole lot better on offense than they were without him. It makes it more challenging for everyone involved.”
Best in the MW
SDSU leads the MW-West Division with a two-game bulge over runner-up Nevada (3-2 in conference, 5-4 overall). Following in the division standings are San Jose State (3-2, 4-5), UNLV (2-3, 3-6), Fresno State (1-5, 2-7) and Hawaii (0-6, 2-8).
Boise State (7-2 overall) and Air Force (6-3) are tied for the lead in the MW’s Mountain Division standings with 4-1 conference records. Utah State (5-4) is 4-2 in conference play while New Mexico (5-4) is 3-2 in conference play.
Alabama (8-1) has moved up to No. 2 in the NCAA power rankings behind No. 1 Clemson (9-0). Ohio State (9-0) is third, followed by Bayor (8-0).
