Aztecs take on winless Warriors

by Ethan Bailey • November 14, 2013

Photo by Jordan Owen, Senior Staff Writer

Fresh off a comeback win against the San Jose State University Spartans, the San Diego State Aztecs travel to Hawaii this weekend to take on the winless University of Hawai’i Warriors.

After outscoring San Jose 22-7 in the fourth quarter and coming back to win the game, the Aztecs look to continue firing on all cylinders when they play the Warriors, who have the No. 113 ranked defense and No. 99 overall offense in the nation. The game against Hawai’i marks the sixth-straight Mountain West Conference contest for the Aztecs, who are 4-1 against conference opponents and 5-4 overall in the season.

They currently control second place in the West Division of the MWC and would officially be bowl eligible with a win on the road this Saturday against the Warriors.

Offense

While the offense struggled in the first three quarters against the Spartans—the Aztecs were held to 12 points on two touchdowns with both extra point attempts being blocked—it rallied late and provided a spark the entire team needed in the fourth quarter. For the second-straight week, junior running back Adam Muema led the Aztecs’ rushing attack with 113 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. He displayed great vision and speed when running through the middle of the Spartan defense for a 12-yard touchdown to give the Aztecs the first lead of the game.

Freshman running back Donnel Pumphrey also had a decent game, posting 78 yards on 10 carries and a 34-yard touchdown run at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Quinn Kaehler continues to improve each week. Against the Spartans, Kaehler completed 18 of 31 pass attempts for 235 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. While the Aztecs trailed the Spartans most of the game, not once did he seem down or nervous. Both of his touchdown passes came at clutch times in the fourth quarter when the team needed them most.

The Warriors’ defense has allowed 37.7 points per game to opponents this season, so Kaehler and company should have plenty of opportunities to make big plays throughout the game.

Edge: Aztecs

Defense

After allowing 20 points to the Spartans in the first half, the Aztec defense played well in the third and fourth quarters. Senior linebacker Nick Tenhaeff intercepted Spartan senior quarterback David Fales’ first pass and junior defensive back J.J. Whittaker picked off another Fales pass late in the fourth quarter.

If that isn’t encouraging enough for you, consider this: The Spartans were held to just 81 total rushing yards the entire game. That statistic doesn’t bode well for the Warriors, who average 2.8 yards per carry this season.

Edge: Aztecs

Intangibles

If there’s any area where the Warriors edge the Aztecs, it’s definitely in special teams. During the game against San Jose, SDSU missed one field goal from 38 yards, had one other field goal blocked and two blocked point-after attempts.

Although the offense scored enough points and converted a two-point conversion to power through for a win against the Spartans, the problems with the kicking game can’t be ignored. To the special teams’ credit, the unit did convert on two crucial extra-point attempts in the late stages of the fourth quarter.