The San Diego State Aztecs came within 10 yards of upsetting the No. 21 University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, which is especially upsetting because the Aztecs had a real chance at winning in clutch time.
The problem is the Aztecs weren’t clutch when they needed to be, and I’m talking about more than just senior quarterback Quinn Kaehler’s interception in the end zone with less than a minute on the clock.
We’ll start this anti-clutch voyage with the Aztec offense’s final drive of the first half. Up 14-7, the Aztec defense forced a Tar Heel punt leaving Kaehler and company with both time on the clock and timeouts to put together a scoring drive. Senior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin found a soft spot in the UNC defense and Kaehler delivered the ball to him for what would’ve been a 31-yard gain. Except an Aztec offensive lineman was called for a facemask on the play, negating the pass and setting off a chain-reaction that ultimately resulted in a SDSU punt.
Not clutch, Aztecs.
The second anti-clutch moment came early in the fourth quarter after—ironically enough—a clutch 48-yard field goal by junior kicker Donny Hageman. A Tar Heel penalty came on the ensuing kickoff, forcing UNC to begin its drive at its own 9 yard-line.
Backed up against his own end zone, North Carolina junior quarterback Marquise Williams took the snap from shotgun and took what the defense gave him—a 91-yard touchdown pass.
It’s hard to pick on the SDSU defensive backs too much. For the most part, the unit played a great game against the Tar Heels. But playing great for most of a game isn’t how games are won, unfortunately, and in this situation the cornerback simply got beat for nearly the entire length of the field.
Not clutch, Aztecs.
Our third stop on the anti-clutch train takes us to even deeper in the fourth quarter, when Kaehler threw his second interception of the evening.
After a big gain on a pass to junior wide receiver Paul Pitts, Kaehler rolled to his left and threw a head-scratching interception to a linebacker he assumingly didn’t see. It’s important to note Kaehler threw his first interception while rolling to the left, too. This one falls on both him and offensive coordinator Bob Toledo for repeatedly calling left-rolling play action passes.
Not clutch, Aztecs.
Luckily the defense was able to hold UNC to just a field goal after the interception which, in the Aztecs’ defense, was pretty darn clutch.
But if this column was about what the team did right it would have a completely different tone.
Remember Kaehler’s third interception of the game in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock? Good, because it’s our final destination in anti-clutch land and it’s a doozy.
While many will point directly at Kaehler on this one, the truth is it isn’t all his fault. Did he throw the ball? Yes. Is it ultimately his decision to throw the ball where and how he did? Absolutely.
But the truth of the matter is the play-calling at the end of SDSU’s final drive was terrible. After a first down pickup by junior running back Chase Price, the Aztec offense went no huddle which was the first mistake. There were less than 30 seconds left in the game and the Aztecs smartly saved two timeouts, yet neither of them were used. Instead, the offense regrouped at the line with Kaehler in shotgun waiting to hike the ball.
Tick tock, there’s less than 25 seconds on the clock.
It’s like the coaching staff forgot their running back duo had combined for more than 170 yards on the ground. Sophomore DJ Pumphrey sliced the UNC defense for 100 rushing yards and Price added another 71. Inside the 10 yard-line with two timeouts, it seems just plain silly not to try running the ball at least once. Instead, the play call had Kaehler move and throw to his left. The heartbreaking ending to this game falls on Toledo and head coach Rocky Long as much as it does anyone else.
Not clutch, Aztecs.
