By Michael Barzee
So much for history. For the first time in 17 years, BYU lost on the road to San Diego State 31-10 late Saturday night.
?I give San Diego State credit,? BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. ?I think San Diego State performed well and outperformed us in every phase of the game, from beginning to end. I give their coaches and their players credit. They were the better team tonight.?
The game started off slow when both teams failed to score in the first quarter. In their first three games the Cougars have scored more points in the first quarter than any other quarter, including 21 points last week against TCU.
Unlike the Cougars? offense, the Aztecs made adjustments to the defense which allowed SDSU to score 17 points in the second quarter. At one point in the second quarter, SDSU quarterback Kevin O?Connell had completed 12 consecutive passes. The Cougars answered the Aztecs? 17 points with a field goal to make it 17-3 at halftime.
Aztec receiver Jeff Webb turned in another big game against the Cougars. Webb ended the game with 13 receptions for 129 yards, most of them coming in the first half. The Cougars? defense made an adjustment at halftime to prevent Webb from having a successful second half but that is when the running game took off for the Aztecs.
When Webb wasn?t catching the ball, SDSU running backs Lynel Hamilton and Brandon Bornes were moving the ball down the field. Hamilton had a season-high 161 yards on 30 carries. In 29 previous meetings, the Cougars? defense had allowed only Marshall Faulk and Larry Ned to rush for more yards in a game. Bornes rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries. He gained more yards against BYU than the previous three games this season combined.
?With the offensive line blocking the way they did, it was great,? O?Connell said. ?They really went to work on BYU. It was fun to watch Lynell get behind those guys and run as hard as he did.?
The Aztecs? offense compiled 508 total yards with 265 yards coming on the ground. In the previous three games this season, no running back has rushed for more than 87 yards in a game. Just as staggering as the total yards was the fact that SDSU converted on 14 of their 20 third down conversions.
?Our third-down conversions, the possession down, were really a key tonight,? San Diego State head coach Tom Craft said. ?We controlled the ball well and kept our defense off the field.?
The BYU defense had key injuries that allowed SDSU to gain that many rushing yards. Cameron Jenson, Paul Walkenhorst and Manaia Brown, who have 60 combined starts, were among key defensive players who did not play. However, back-up middle linebacker Markell Staffieri led the Cougars with 12 tackles.
More impressive than the Aztecs offensive statistics against an injured and fatigued Cougar defense was their defense. The BYU offense came into the game averaging 33 points and 461 total yards per game. The SDSU defense held the Cougars? offense to 10 points and 305 total yards. A good chunk of yardage came when SDSU was already leading 31-10 in the fourth quarter and the Aztecs? defense was playing more conservatively.
“San Diego State”s defensive staff did a nice job both in scheme and in personelling different sets,? Mendenhall said. ?And it”s to their credit,?
Part of the Aztecs? defensive success came from keeping BYU receiver Todd Watkins from having a big game. Last week against TCU, Watkins had 176 yards receiving and three touchdowns. But this week he was held to just one reception for nine yards.
?There was a mixture in coverage and looks and the Aztecs did a nice job in keeping him off balance,? Mendenhall said. ?I know they made a clear effort to make sure he was out of the game and their plan worked.?
The Cougars will have a week to fix their inconsistencies on offense and nurse their injuries. They travel to Albuquerque to take on New Mexico this Saturday.
