Aztec Games And Sports
Oct0
The only even-remotely possible way the Aztecs can lose is if a freshman quarterback who has led his team to only one touchdown in the past four games suddenly starts shredding the SDSU secondary. On top of that, the Aztecs will need not only a complete meltdown offensively, but they’ll also need to mix-in a blocked, chip-shot field goal and a fumbled kickoff.
It all happens. And Wyoming scores 24 straight points to pull off a stunning 30-27 victory. The site on the stadium scoreboard showing “Wyoming 24, San Diego State 0” in the fourth quarter burns in the mind.
Now for Sunday, on the very same field with the very same stadium scoreboard lit up overhead. Playing one of their most-complete games of the season, the Chargers roll to a 28-9 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles heading into the fourth quarter.
With the Denver Broncos having lost earlier in the day, the Chargers have locked up not only their fourth consecutive win, but have remarkably pulled even with Denver in the AFC West standings.
But not so fast. Facing 3rd-and-18 at the San Diego 34 on the final play of the third quarter, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb throws one up for grabs into double-coverage. Interception. Officially game over. Nothing but garbage time for the final 15 minutes.
Only the Chargers don’t intercept it, and Philly’s Jason Avant pulls in the ball with one hand for a 21-yard gain. Well…no matter. Time to go to the fourth quarter, still holding a 19-point lead.
LeSean McCoy opens the fourth with a short run up the middle but the Eagles are handed a first down because of an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Bolts’ Stephen Gregory. No biggie. Yeah…the Chargers have just made two bonehead plays in a row, but c’mon…it’s still 19 points!
Three plays later the lead is 13 as McNabb hits Jeremy Maclin for a 5-yard touchdown. Now the Eagles can pull within 11 points — a touchdown, two-point conversion and a field goal — by going for two. But instead, coach Andy Reid astonishingly brain-cramps and settles for a David Akers extra-point.
The scoreboard shows “Philadelphia 7, San Diego 0” in the fourth quarter linescore. But it’s still a 28-16 game. Not for long.
The Chargers go three-and-out, use up only 1:41 off the clock, and punt it back to Philadelphia. Then they do something that every football team since the beginning of time does. They go into the prevent defense — even with 12:19 remaining in the game.
Counting Thomas' freshman numbers at Pepperdine, the Aztecs played without a trio of players that combined to average 29.2 points and 17.3 rebounds in their last season of Division I basketball.
A fourth Aztec player, Kawhi Leonard, did not play in the second half due to illness. Leonard, who was ill yesterday in practice, connected on his first three field-goal attempts and scored eight points and added three rebounds and two assists in just 19 minutes of action.
San Diego State returns to action next Tuesday night when the Aztecs play host to Point Loma Nazarene. Game time is set for 7 p.m. PT. SDSU opens the regular-season on Sat., Nov. 14th against UC San Diego.
For more information on single-game tickets, season tickets and mini-plans, contact the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-7378.
NOTES: San Diego State dressed just 10 players for tonight's game, two of whom played in the spring semester of 2009 as scholarship players (D.J. Gay and Mehdi Cheriet)... The Aztecs starters were junior guard D.J. Gay, senior guard Kelvin Davis, sophomore forward Tyrone Shelley, freshman forward Kawhi Leonard and junior center Brian Carlwell... Other than Gay, Davis was the only San Diego State player that has started a regular-season game for the Aztecs... Davis started five games during the 2007-08 campaign... The Aztecs starting five scored a total of 237 points for SDSU last season (an average of 6.6 points per game)... The NIT national semifinal banner will be unveiled at the regular-season opener against UC San Diego on Sat., Nov. 14... The Lancers scored the first 12 points of the game... Cal Baptist scored 10 points before the Aztecs had attempted a shot... San Diego State's first basket of the game came at the 16:37 mark on a three-pointer from Davis... Leonard scored his first Aztec points at the 16:01 of the first half... Leonard made his first three field goal attempts before having a 16-footer rim out on him from the right wing... The Aztecs took their first lead of the game with 41 seconds remaining in the first half on a pair of free throws from Davis... San Diego State led 25-24 at intermission... Tonight's attendance was 4,365.