The San Diego State Aztecs 2012 home opener proved to be a day of firsts for many. In a 42-7 win on Saturday, the Aztecs would come out with a full head of steam. Opening up the game with a quick six-play drive, with spotlighted running back Adam Muema and Walter Kazee, the Aztecs sent an immediate message to the Army defense. SDSU got on the scoreboard first when Kazee punched it in from four yards out to give the Aztecs an early 7-0 lead.
Sophomore quarterback Adam Dingwell added another seven-yard touchdown run, giving SDSU a 14- 0 lead in the first quarter.
Facing the confusing no-huddle,triple option offense of the Black Knights, the Aztec defense would hold strong and shut the opposing Knights out during the first half. Behind the leadership of junior defensive back Eric Pinkins and senior defensive back Leon McFad- den, the Aztec defense would col- lect two turnovers in the first half,one on a fumble recovery and one on a Pinkins interception.
“I thought the defense played really, really well,” SDSU head coach Rocky Long said. But the Aztecs were not done scoring in the first half. Late in the second quarter, Kazee added his second touchdown of the day, this one from 22 yards out to make it 21-0.
“We came out [and] ran the ball very well at the start of the game,” Katz said. “That opened a lot of play action stuff downfield. They blocked really well today and it turned out good.”
The second half proved no different, as SDSU opened the half with an 89-yard drive, capped off by a Muema one-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Army senior quarterback Trent Steelman had another pass intercepted, this time by sophomore linebacker Josh Gavert.The Aztecs capitalized yet again, with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Katz to junior fullback Chad Young to make it 35-0. Army fought back, tacking on a touchdown by sophomore running back Terry Baggett. However, Army’s excitement deflated when junior wide receiver Colin Lockett ran back a 96-yard touchdown on the subsequent kickoff.
Katz finished the game with 14 completions on 21 attempts for 215 yards and one touchdown, while Muema finished the game with 100 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Ezell Ruffin had five catches for 132 yards. “There are a lot of things to be pleased with,” Long said. “Once we got running the ball pretty well, Ryan and the receivers started connecting. I thought we made a huge improvement from game one to game two.”
