After a thrilling upset victory against the University of Nevada, Reno last Saturday, the San Diego State football team entered this week’s action against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a three-game winning streak, hoping to extend it to four.
Not only did Saturday offer the Aztecs a chance for a four-game winning streak and a 4-1 record in conference play, it also marked the beginning of the Adam Dingwell era. Senior quarterback Ryan Katz will most likely be out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ankle fracture early in last week’s action against Nevada. Losing the starting quarterback and an experienced leader can be devastating for a team, but the injury opened up a window of opportunity for Dingwell. Behind Dingwell’s 231 yards passing and two touchdowns, SDSU defeated UNLV 24-13 at home, moving to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference.
The action started a bit slow, as the Aztec offense punted during its first two possessions and lost a fumble on its third. As a result, the Rebels jumped out to a 6-0 lead when junior running back Tim Cornett rushed for a 64-yard touchdown on UNLV’s first series. The extra point was no good.
In response to the Rebels’ scoring drive, the Aztecs fought back, when Dingwell used his mobility and junior tight end Gavin Escobar to create some offensive progression. With fewer than three minutes to go in the first quarter, Dingwell found Escobar for a 52-yard gain down to the Rebels’ 12-yard line. On the ensuing play, Dingwell went back to Escobar for the 12-yard touchdown pass to give the Aztecs a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“I feel like we have good chemistry,” Dingwell said about Escobar. “I’ve been throwing to him since I’ve been here. I feel like he trusts me and I trust him tremendously. He’s a a big target for us.”
Staying with the ground game, sophomore running back Adam Muema converted on fourth-and-one early in the second quarter to keep the SDSU offense moving. Three plays later, senior running back Walter Kazee leapt over the line for a one-yard touchdown to give SDSU the 14-6 lead at the half.
Statistics show that during the Rocky Long era, the Aztecs have not lost a game when leading at the half. This statistic held true as the second half kicked off with some immediate action.
Dingwell quickly led the offense down the field again. After dropping the snap, Dingwell calmly picked the ball up and threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Colin Lockett to give the Aztecs a 21-6 lead in the third quarter.
But the Rebels had an answer.
On the ensuing series, sophomore wide receiver Devante Davis reeled in a 25-yard touchdown reception to make the score 21-13 Aztecs at the end of three quarters of play.
With the momentum swinging in the Rebels’ direction, the SDSU defense held strong and stopped UNLV on its final two possessions of the game. Muema sealed the deal with a 48-yard run, capped off by a 28-yard field goal by senior Chance Marden to make it 24-13.
“We had a pretty good offensive night and then the turnovers killed us every time,” Dingwell said. “We just shot ourselves in the foot tonight. Give credit to the defense. They played a heck of a game and they kept us in this one.”
With the victory, SDSU is now bowl-eligible for the third consecutive season. Dingwell, in his first career start, finished the game throwing 13-for-26 for 231 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Muema (143) and Kazee (105) each finished with more than 100 yards rushing, the second time this season SDSU has had multiple 100-yard rushers in the same game, while Escobar hauled in four catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
“Being eligible to go to the third bowl in a row is a record,” Long said. “I guess it’s never happened at San Diego State. So that’s exciting. To be honest with you, we still got three games to play. So we’re going to enjoy this win and worry about whoever we play next tomorrow.”
