It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the San Diego State football team took care of business and beat New Mexico 35-7 Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium.
SDSU was led by its running game, as Ronnie Hillman and Walter Kazee combined for 180 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Fullback Chad Young’s fourth-quarter rushing score gave the unit five total touchdowns, the most the Aztecs have scored on the ground since 1996 against, ironically, New Mexico.
“Our plan was to establish the run, control the football and pound the football on them,” senior quarterback Ryan Lindley, who was 16-24 for 271 yards, said. “We wanted to pound it on them and mix a few passes in there. We did a good job of that and just kind of wore them down, as we like to do as the game goes on.”
The Aztec defense also held the Lobos to 162 total yards of offense, the fourth-lowest output allowed in school history.
“We haven’t been playing San Diego State defense for the past two, three weeks and I thought that tonight we really (did that), especially in the second half as always,” defensive back Nat Berhe said.
After opening the game with punts on their first two possessions, Kazee punched it in from a yard out to give the Aztecs a 7-0 lead. After another Kazee touchdown on the ground, New Mexico tailback Crusoe Gongbay scored on a 6-yard rush with 3:54 left in the first half to make the score 14-7.
Although it was the only touchdown SDSU would allow all night, head coach Rocky Long was not happy.
“I don’t like whenever they score, no matter who we’re playing,” Long said after the game.
The Aztecs held the Lobos to only 41 yards of offense in the second half, and touchdowns by Kazee, Hillman and Young made the final score 35-7.
Although SDSU won, Lindley had to give credit to the Lobos.
“They played tough; they definitely didn’t play like a team that hasn’t won a game,” the senior quarterback said. “They played as hungry as one, but they’re a good team. You’ve got to give it to them.”
The victory puts SDSU just one win away from bowl eligibility. The team will get a chance to reach that mark next week when it travels to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.
