Dec. 24, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
Past Mick McGrane 2014 football features
Kaehler: A Thinking Man's Game (Aug. 5)
Whittaker: Long Time Gone, Never Forgotten (Aug. 6)
Life in the Weight Room: Hall's Strong Suit (Aug. 15)
Roberts: A Career Comes Full Circle (Aug. 21)
The Season's in Session, Take Your Seats (Aug. 29)
How Quickly We Forget (Sept. 7)
Looks Can Be Deceiving (Sept. 19)
O-Line has Aztecs' Running Game in High Gear (Oct. 23)
Falling Short is no Longer an Option for Aztec Football (Nov. 29)
Winds of Change: "Rise To 25" Fuels New Direction for Football (Dec. 23)
Donnell Pumphrey is in Need of a Playing Partner
By Mick McGrane (@MickOnTheMesa)
Donnel Pumphrey is a star, a stud and Tuesday night was a stiff-arm away from becoming the Mountain West's all-time single-season rushing leader.
His gifts are myriad, his feet magic, a player who shoved aside one of the most bruising running backs in San Diego State history in George Jones to become the school's single-season rushing leader in 2014.
And while the 5-foot-9, 170-pound sophomore proved that size is but another stat to be discarded with due haste, Pumphrey needs a playing partner. Desperately. Immediately. Yesterday.
Running backs of Pumphrey's stature can hoist a team to heady heights, posing problems for defenses that leave coordinators covering their eyes and holding their breath til they're blue in the face.
Yet unless he also can hone his skills as a passer, too many games will conclude with Pumphrey trying to stifle a tear, much as he was in the aftermath of Tuesday night's 17-16 loss to Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
No one is pointing fingers, particularly Pumphrey. But at some point, even an offense blessed by a talent of Pumphrey's caliber needs a passer, a quarterback to lighten the load, a playmaker capable of periodically removing the focus from the running game and placing it on the forward pass.
"Honestly, it's great (becoming SDSU's single-season rushing leader), but we didn't get the win," an emotional Pumphrey said in the team's postgame press conference. "It was a hard one."
It was a hard one, in part, because Pumphrey, who posted his 10th 100-yard game of the season, rushed for only 29 fewer yards (112) than the Aztecs had passing yards. It was hard because Pumphrey even provided a glimpse of human frailty, fumbling with just under six minutes left, a miscue that ultimately led to Navy's game-winning field goal.
But also know this: SDSU, which ranks 104th in passing offense among the nation's 125 FBS teams, had 56 yards passing through three quarters. Simultaneously, Pumphrey had 96 yards rushing.
Balance being the objective on offense, establishing the run via pass or vice versa, was clearly not a strong suit of the Aztecs in 2014. Injury and inexperience at the quarterback spot, compounded by lapses on the part of a receiving corps that produced but five catches Tuesday night, too often left SDSU relying on Pumphrey for purposes of rescue.
Fortunately, there are arms --- and legs --- waiting in the wings. Oregon junior transfer Jake Rodrigues, arguably the most significant quarterback transfer in program history, was dubbed a Rivals four-star recruit coming out of Whitney High in Rocklin, Calif. True freshman Nick Bawden made two starts this season and coaches have their eye on redshirt freshman Christian Chapman. SDSU also could pick up some high school or JUCO quarterbacks on signing day in February.
The Aztecs return four of their five starting offensive linemen in 2015. Donnel Pumphrey has become a star. The time has arrived to complete the cast.