Despite a fast start on offense, the San Diego State Aztecs were unable to keep up with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels as they lost by a final score of 45-19.
[quote]“Obviously we played very poorly,” head coach Rocky Long said after the game. “I think they played really well. UNLV, got to give them credit, they played extremely well while we played poorly on all sides of the ball.”[/quote]
Rebels’ senior quarterback Caleb Herring epitomized the Aztecs’ evening when he hit junior wide receiver Devante Davis for a 6-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to increase UNLV’s lead to 45-13. It was Davis’ fourth touchdown reception of the game.
Herring had no trouble moving the ball against the Aztecs, completing 20 of 30 pass attempts for 270 yards and five touchdowns. Herring also rushed for 60 yards and had one rushing touchdown in the game. Davis was Herring’s favorite target, accumulating 171 yards and four touchdown grabs.
While the Rebels’ offense moved the ball at will, the Aztecs’ offense couldn’t seem to find any rhythm outside of its first drive of the game. Senior wide receiver Tim Vizzi returned the opening kickoff to the Aztecs’ 31 yard line, and two plays later junior quarterback Quinn Kaehler found senior wide receiver Colin Lockett wide open for a 39-yard touchdown pass to give SDSU an early seven-point lead. Kaehler finished the game completing 24 of 46 pass attempts for 239 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Special teams issues plagued the Aztecs during the game, as senior kicker Wes Feer missed an extra point in the third quarter that would have cut the Rebels’ lead to 17. But the biggest special teams blunder came in the second-half kickoff when a would-be safety was nullified by an Aztecs’ offsides penalty. The ball was re-kicked and UNLV marched down the field to score a touchdown on a 5-yard quarterback keeper by Herring. On a brighter note, Vizzi returned a punt 71 yards for an Aztec touchdown. It was the second consecutive game he returned a punt for a score.
Unfortunately, SDSU’s defense, which had played well during the past two games, simply couldn’t keep up with UNLV’s high-powered offense. The defense only registered one sack and the secondary was consistently tested and beaten deep and short by the 6-foot-3-inch Davis.
Herring provided a dual threat that caught the Aztecs’ defense off guard several times as he used his legs to avoid pressure and get first downs in clutch situations throughout the game.
The Aztecs’ offense was held in check by the Rebels’ defense, producing just 88 total rushing yards in the game. Junior running back Adam Muema totaled 11 yards on 12 carries. Las Vegas native and freshman running back Donnel Pumphrey had a decent game, running hard for 87 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown. Kaehler and junior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin both had negative rushing yards in the game. The offensive line struggled to protect Kaehler, who was sacked once and consistently had to roll out of the pocket to avoid pressure from the Rebels.
[quote]“We were bad in the kicking game, we were bad on offense, we were bad on defense,” Long said. “When you can’t get a fourth and half a yard to keep your drive alive obviously you’re not doing what you need to do to try and stay in the game offensively. And then on defense our corners got chewed up. We got beat on some deep passes that got the game out of whack early on by giving up those passes, so it was a total team effort. We played extremely poorly, ” Long said.[/quote]
UNLV broke up the Aztecs’ four-game winning streak, causing SDSU’s overall record to fall to 7-5 and 6-2 in the Mountain West Conference. However, they will still get the opportunity to play in a bowl game for a school-record fourth straight season. Which one, however, is yet to be determined.
Photo by Jordan Owen, senior staff photographer
