Football losing streak extends to four in lopsided 49-10 defeat at Air Force

Falcons’ physicality was too much for the Aztecs to handle

by Mac Pham, Staff Writer • October 2, 2023

San Diego State huddles up during a timeout earlier this season at Snapdragon Stadium.

San Diego State was no match against the Air Force Falcons as they were dominated 49-10 at Falcon Stadium, marking their fourth consecutive defeat.

Quarterback Jalen Mayden finished the night going 13 of 24 passing for 122 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Kenon Christon tallied 14 carries for 58 rushing yards. Linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu led the Aztecs’ defense with nine tackles on the night.

After each team punted the ball on its first drive of the game, the Aztecs (2-4, 0-2 Mountain West Conference) converted a pair of short fourth downs to keep the drive going thanks to Mayden and running back Jaylon Armstead each picking up the necessary yardage to move the sticks.

Facing a second-and-9 from the Falcons’ 21-yard-line, Mayden found wide receiver Josh Nicholson running across the middle for a catch-and-run touchdown. The play capped off a 17-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 9:32 of the game clock.

On the next drive, Air Force (5-0, 3-0) faced a fourth-and-5 from SDSU’s 30-yard-line. As quarterback Zac Larrier dropped back to pass, defensive lineman Garrett Fountain and linebacker Cooper McDonald created pressure but Larrier was able to find wide receiver Cade Harris downfield for a 28-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Harris finished off the drive with a rushing touchdown to even up the score at 7-7.

The next two drives for the Aztecs resulted in punts, while the Falcons finished their next two drives in touchdowns. On the third touchdown of the game for the Falcons, the Aztecs had a pre-snap miscommunication with no defender accounting for wide receiver Jared Roznos lining up on the outside.

On the snap, Larrier immediately threw the ball to Roznos for a 27-yard gain to set up first-and-goal at the Aztecs 2-yard-line. Fullback Emmanuel Michel finished off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run to make it 21-7.

Just before halftime, the Aztecs found some momentum. Christon bounced outside on a run play for 22 yards to get into Falcons territory. After three straight incompletions and a false start penalty, kicker Jack Browning boomed a 61-yard field goal as the first half expired.

Browning’s kick set the record for the longest field goal in school history, Falcon Stadium history and Mountain West history

Coming out of halftime, the Falcons eliminated any momentum the Aztecs had. Defensive mistakes continued to pile on the Aztecs. Off play-action, Larrier found Harris wide open for a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown to extend the Falcons’ lead to 28-10. It was Harris’ second touchdown of the game.

Following the Falcons’ touchdown, the Aztecs’ offense went three-and-out.

The Aztecs’ defense could not stop the bleeding. A quick 6-play, 79-yard drive by the Falcons was finished off with Larrier connecting with Roznos for a 53-yard catch-and-run touchdown. It was the second touchdown of 50 yards or more given up by the Aztecs’ defense on the night.

Frustration only continued to mount for the Aztecs. On the next drive, Mayden’s pass was intercepted at the line of scrimmage by free safety Trey Taylor. Taylor took the interception back the other way for a pick-six and extended the Falcons’ lead to 42-10.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Aztecs gave up their final touchdown. Falcons backup quarterback Jensen Jones had the final score of the night, scoring on a 2-yard run to add insult to injury for the Aztecs.

The Aztecs were outgained 476-227 in total yards and also finished with five penalties compared to the Falcons’ one penalty. No Aztec finished with more than three receptions on the night.

The Aztecs have a chance to regroup with a bye week coming up before facing Hawaii at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.

About the Contributors

Mac Pham, Staff Writer

Mac Pham is a Journalism major and a senior transfer student from Palomar Community College. He joined the Daily Aztec in 2023. Writing stories, story telling, reading and talking to people is something he enjoys doing, so he figured why not talk sports with that. His favorite aspect of sports writing is being an analyst and breaking down the details of a football or a basketball game. In his spare time, Mac is an avid swimmer and likes to play basketball. He hopes to be a sports writer whose calling card is writing articles filled with sports analysis. Mac is bilingual in Vietnamese.

Isabella Biunno, '24-25 Managing Editor, '23-24 Photo Editor

Isabella Biunno is the Managing Editor for The Daily Aztec. She is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada where she was a part of publications for seven years. She is a third-year Psychology major with an emphasis in Neuroscience, and she plans to go to graduate school to become a Doctor of Occupational Therapy. She loves photography, editing, and creating, and she can’t wait to continue contributing to the DA. One thing she is passionate about outside of photojournalism is being involved in the disability community. She is an instructor at SDSU’s Adaptive Fitness Clinic, president of the Pre-Occupational Therapy Student Association, and a board member for a nonprofit called Mentoring Autistic Minds. She works as an instructor at a company back home called Inclusion Fusion where she is able to work with individuals with disabilities. Although her career-related passions fall in the healthcare field, she enjoys journalism just as much. She looks forward to expanding her experience as an editor this year.