Spartans run over by Aztecs
San Diego State gains 293 yards on ground, 460 yards overall
SAN DIEGO — One week after containing Nevada in its finest defensive performance of the season, San Jose State was no match for San Diego State, losing 42-3 in a Mountain West game in front of 25,613 at Qualcomm Stadium on Friday night.
The Spartans couldn’t stop the run as the Aztecs’ Donnel Pumphrey Jr., who came into the game as the nation’s leading rusher, ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Rashaad Penny added 105 yards and three touchdowns in nine attempts. One of those runs was a 73-yarder for a touchdown.
Pumphrey increased his career totals for rushing touchdowns (58) and total touchdowns (63), breaking Marshall Faulk’s school records.
Overall, San Diego State rushed for 293 yards and had 460 yards of offense.
“You’ve got to be able to attack them and stop their run game,” Spartans coach Ron Caragher said. “They hit some big runs, which I thought was a shame, a crying shame because I thought, defensively, we did a good job of containing the ball.”
Pumphrey’s biggest run came after a second-quarter hit by San Jose State safety Trevon Bierria that resulted in Bierria being ejected for targeting. A pass intended for Pumphrey had been knocked incomplete just before Bierria met Pumphrey with a helmet-to-helmet hit that sent Pumphrey’s mouthpiece flying.
Pumphrey scored on a 27-yard run on the next play.
“That was just a big hit,” Pumphrey said, downplaying the incident. “That’s why we wear helmets.”
San Diego State quarterback Christian Chapman had an efficient night, completing 13 of 18 passes for 167 yards. He began the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown pass to David Wells in the first quarter.
Penny and Pumphrey ran for touchdowns in the second quarter to make the score 21-0. San Jose State’s lone score came on a 26-yard field goal by Bryce Crawford with three minutes to go in the half.
For the game, San Jose State was limited to 209 yards, and the Aztecs extended to 12 quarters their streak of not giving up a touchdown to a conference opponent.
“We just didn’t execute on offense,” Caragher said. “That’s the bottom line. We just didn’t do enough to give ourselves a chance to be in the ballgame the way we hoped to. Even when we had some good field position, we just weren’t able to execute.”
San Jose State (2-6, 1-3 Mountain West) theoretically must run the table to have any hopes of becoming bowl eligible with six wins. The remaining schedule includes No. 14 Boise State on the road.
The Spartans’ other longshot hope of reaching a postseason game would be for the 2015 scenario to play out. That year, there weren’t enough teams with six wins to fill the massive bowl lineup. SJSU wound up in the AutoNation Cure Bowl with a 5-7 record and defeated Georgia State 27-16.
San Diego State (6-1, 3-0) has won 14 in a row in the Mountain West.