A San Diego State season that began on a positive note reached its unofficial end Saturday with a 22-19 defeat on the road against Colorado State.
After starting the season with two wins, Saturday’s loss, their third in a row, dropped the Aztecs‘ record to 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the Mountain West. With only two games left in the season, that means SDSU is guaranteed a losing season, their first since 2009.
They also will fall short of the six wins needed to qualify for a bowl game.
“Obviously, they were playing better than we were,” said coach Brady Hoke. “We got to do a better job.”
Hoke said the team played hard, but lamented that the offense had trouble converting third downs.
“We couldn’t get in gear,” he said. “We started getting things going in the second half and I was really proud of how that offense came back.”
The 22-19 score made it seem closer than it really was. The Rams’ defense stifled the Aztecs throughout most of the matchup. Meanwhile, SDSU’s defense was at times overwhelmed by Colorado State’s hurry-up offense.
The game started as a defensive struggle, with both teams trading punts in the early going.
The Aztecs had a chance to gain momentum when they downed a punt at the Rams’ half-yard line. But Colorado State was able to run for a first down on their first play and then drive down the field out of their own territory, before having to punt.
A 36-yard punt gave the Aztecs the ball on their own four-yard line. But the Aztecs’ continuing offensive woes would hurt them, as they were unable to advance the ball, leading to quarterback Jalen Mayden getting sacked in his own end zone for a safety and a 2-0 Colorado State lead.
After the kickoff to Colorado State, SDSU forced a punt. But a special teams mistake
proved costly. Returner Mekhi Shaw touched the ball, but failed to hold onto it and Colorado State recovered the muffed punt on San Diego State’s 18-yard-line. After three plays, the Rams kicked a field goal to hike their lead to 5-0.
The Aztecs offense was able to make only one first down upon getting the ball back, forcing another punt. As time ran down, the numbers made San Diego State’s struggles on offense in the first quarter crystal clear:
- 17 total yards
- 6 passing yards
- 11 rushing yards
In the second quarter, the Aztecs continued to die by a thousand cuts as Colorado State took 14 plays to drive 75 yards in a little over five minutes to notch another field goal, bumping their lead to 8-0.
The bad news continued for the Aztecs. After a short possession, the Aztecs punted the ball back to Colorado State, and the Rams drove for their first touchdown of the game, to lead 15-0. They were aided by a pass interference call on the Aztecs and a couple of trick plays that racked up big yardage.
The halftime statistics showed the carnage for San Diego State, which had:
- 55 total yards, compared to 264 for the Rams.
- More punts (5) than first downs (4).
Yet the Aztecs finally broke through in the second half. A huge 39-yard run by Kenan Christon took them into Rams territory. But the momentum soon died, and they had to settle for a field goal by Gabriel Plascencia.
Still, the score meant they would avoid a second shutout loss on the season as they cut the lead to 15-3.
But the Rams answered back on their next drive, going 75 yards in seven plays to get a rushing touchdown from Justin Marshall and go up 22-3.
The Aztecs responded with their longest drive of the game, but couldn’t convert on third down at Colorado’s 21 and settled again for a field goal to make it 22-6.
SDSU finally showed some life at the start of the fourth quarter.
After four pass completions and a face mask penalty against Colorado State, the Aztecs were in the red zone. Mayden avoided a rushing defender and ran it in 8 yards for a touchdown.
Because of a penalty against the Rams, the Aztecs had two chances to make a two-point conversion. But the reprieve didn’t help, putting the score at 22-12 with over 11 minutes to play.
Colorado State got the ball back and seemed like they were driving for another score, but fumbled. The Aztecs recovered with less than eight minutes to go.
That gave new life to an SDSU offense that had been quiet most of the game.
The Aztecs launched an 80-yard, 14-play drive. Four straight runs starting at the two-yard line finally resulted in a score, with running back Jaylon Armstead rushing in for a touchdown.
The extra point made it 22-19, but with about two minutes left in the game, the Rams (4-6, 2-4 MW) were able to run out the clock to preserve the win – and their bowl chances.
As time winds down on SDSU’s season, Hoke said the team will look ahead.
“The one thing I know is they’re going to come to work on Monday and they’re going to go out there and they’re going to work together. They’re going to have a lot of pride in representing San Diego State and San Diego State football. We’re going continue to play hard for our seniors.”
