Sept 20, 2003
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SAN DIEGO (AP) - Freshman Lynell Hamilton rushed for 220 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead San Diego State to a 37-17 win over Samford Saturday.
Hamilton, starting his third collegiate game, carried the ball 31 times and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run that put San Diego State ahead to stay 24-17 late in the third quarter. He added an 8-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
Hamilton joins Marshall Faulk as the only Aztec freshman to run for more than 200 yards in a game. Faulk ran for a then-NCAA record 386 yards in his second collegiate game against Pacific in 1991.
San Diego State improved to 3-1 for the first time since the 1996 team started the season 4-1.
Samford (2-1) broke San Diego State's streak of nine consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown when Ray Nelson threw a 9-yard scoring pass to Josh Brennard early in the second quarter.
San Diego State's Matt Dlugolecki completed 20-of-37 passes for 234 yards and threw touchdown passes to DeAngelo Nedd and Devin Pitts in the first quarter.
The Aztecs, who added a 30-yard field goal by J.C. Mejia for a 17-7 halftime lead, saw Samford come back to tie the score in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to 17-10 on Ty Neil's 26-yard field goal. Samford then tied the game at 17 on a disputed 51-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Cortland Finnegan. Hamilton, who had fumbled, appeared to have been already down.