San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
TALE OF TWO HALVES IN LOSS TO ’PACK
SDSU gains just 41 yards in second half in woeful showing
San Diego State debuted a new quarterback on Saturday afternoon’s nationally televised game at Nevada.
CBS broadcaster Gary Danielson called him Lance. His first name is Lucas. Lucas Johnson.
And he immediately made a name for himself against Nevada, passing and running San Diego State to a first-half lead.
In doing so, Johnson provided a glimpse of what could be for the Aztecs offense. The second half was an all together different story. Johnson tweaked his left hamstring sometime in the third quarter and missed much of the fourth.
Johnson was in for the finish, though, a last-gasp drive that ended with his fourth-down pass from Nevada’s 5-yard line going out of bounds as SDSU lost 2621 to the Wolf Pack at Nevada’s Mackay Stadium.
An interception by SDSU cornerback Darren Hall had given SDSU the ball back at Nevada’s 26-yard line with just more than three minutes remaining and the Aztecs trailing by five. SDSU advanced the ball to the Nevada 5, but four straight plays failed to get them into the end zone.
“Obviously, we didn’t play well enough to win the football game,” SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said. “I’m very proud how our team stayed together, fought together. We just couldn’t get it done in the end.
“Obviously, we’ve got to play better defensively in the first half. We had four penalties that hurt us. The other thing is that in the first half we dropped two interceptions. We had some opportunities to get great field position and get the ball back for the offense.”
The offense never took advantage of its opportunities, failing to score after assuming a 21-16 halftime lead. In four of five games this season, SDSU has failed to score more than seven points in the second half. The Aztecs’ eight possessions Saturday in the second half ended with seven
punts and Johnson’s fourthdown incompletion. SDSU had just 41 yards of total offense in the last two quarters.
SDSU (3-2) lost crucial ground in the Mountain West title race while Nevada (5-0) continued its best start since Colin Kaepernick led the 2010 team to a 6-0 start (and 13-1 finish).
The Aztecs now find themselves looking up at four teams in the loss column — Nevada, San Jose State (4-0), Boise State (3-0, with late game at Hawaii) and Fresno State (3-1) — with two conference games remaining.
“You’ve got to be able to win games like this sometimes,” said Nevada head coach Jay Norvell, whose team defeated SDSU for the third straight season. “Our defense was outstanding in the second half . ... Whenever you can beat this team, it’s a good thing.”
Nevada’s dynamic duo of quarterback Carson Strong and wide receiver Romeo Doubs were the thorn in an otherwise standout effort by the SDSU defense.
Strong, No. 2 in the nation in passing yards per game, completed 31-of-46 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Doubs, the nation’s leader in pass receiving yardage per game, caught five of Strong’s passes for 133 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown pass.
“They had a few big plays that blew the top off us, and they scored,” SDSU linebacker Caden Mcdonald said. “Overall, it’s a team sport. It’s not based on one person.
“We’ve all got to play better as a whole, and they played better than us today.”
Johnson was 10-for-14 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He completed just 4 of 10 in the second half for 26 yards.
Meanwhile, SDSU’S running game was limited to 109 yards and 35 carries. Rushing leader Greg Bell carried just nine times for 28 yards, ending a streak of four straight games with more than 100 yards rushing. Bell suffered an ankle injury on the third play of the game that greatly limited his effectiveness.
It appeared Johnson was the answer to the Aztecs’ offensive struggles the way the first half unfolded.
He scored SDSU’S first touchdown of the game on a 35-yard run midway through the first quarter.
The legs people knew about. It was Johnson’s arm everyone wanted to see.
A shoulder injury had limited the graduate transfer from Georgia Tech during preseason competition for the starting QB job that went to sophomore Carson Baker.
Baker’s recent struggles presented Johnson with this opportunity, and his shoulder seemed sufficiently improved for the occasion.
Johnson connected on a range of passes in the first half, from screens and short outs to mid-range passes over the middle and down the sideline.
A 35-yard pass that wide receiver Jesse Matthews gathered in on his fingertips positioned SDSU for Johnson’s touchdown run one play later.
Johnson’s first SDSU touchdown pass went 7 yards to wide receiver Kobe Smith and provided the Aztecs with a 14-6 lead one play into the second quarter.
Johnson began the game with three straight completions totaling 35 yards before throwing a backward pass that Bell mishandled for a fumble that Nevada recovered at the SDSU 43yard line.
Adding injury to insult, Bell rolled his right ankle on the play when he was tackled
by Nevada defensive back EJ Muhammad. Bell had his ankle rewrapped but watched from the sidelines for most of the first half.
He returned late in the second quarter and gained 35 yards on five carries on a drive that ended with his 2yard touchdown run that provided the Aztecs with the halftime lead.
One series that particularly smarted came with SDSU leading 14-9 midway through the second quarter.
The Aztecs stopped Nevada on a third-and-10, but the drive stayed alive when Mcdonald bumped Strong long after he had released the ball.
SDSU was called for face mask and pass interference penalties later in the drive, which also included a 59yard pass from Strong to Doubs, before Nevada scored a touchdown for a 1614 lead.
Before that, SDSU’S defense had limited the Wolf Pack to three Brandon Talton field goals.
The Aztecs kept the pressure on Strong, and Hall harassed Doubs in the first half.
In the second half, Doubs pushed back — literally — including a little third-quarter shove of Hall before hauling in a 50-yard TD pass from Strong that gave Nevada a 23-21 lead. A Talton field goal with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter added to the lead.
How significant the injuries are to Johnson and Bell, and whether they would be sidelined next week, wasn’t immediately known.
kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com