Aug. 30, 2014
Aztecs make strong first impression in blowout of NAU
By Michael Klitzing, GoAztecs.com @mikeklitzing
SAN DIEGO --- If there's any one constant about San Diego State football home openers through the years, it's that the students always show up en masse. On the first Saturday of the season, they invariably come streaming out of trolley cars and roommates' cars and file into Qualcomm Stadium, where they pack the seats in the lower bowl's south corner.
Their ranks are typically bolstered by newly-arrived freshmen, kids hailing from all over the state who are still trying to figure out the cultural norms of life on Montezuma Mesa. On Saturday afternoon, an odd "San Di-ego" chant briefly audible during the first half was testament to the greenness of the student section.
But when it comes to the Game 1 throng of students, the question has always been this: Will they like what they see enough to make Aztec football a habit?
One has to wonder, for instance, how many students decided to check out on college football altogether after last season's stunning opening loss to Eastern Illinois. This year, no such speculation is necessary. After students returned to campus Saturday night to wash off sweat and sunscreen, warm and fuzzy feelings about their football team undoubtedly remained.
In starting the 2014 season with a 38-7 win over Northern Arizona, SDSU didn't just notch its first win, it did so in aesthetically-pleasing fashion.
The Aztecs flashed their athleticism on offense early in building a 24-point halftime lead against the Lumberjacks. Sophomore running back Donnel Pumphrey, in his first appearance as SDSU's featured back, accounted for two of those scores while running for 90 of his 116 yards before halftime. His understudy, junior Chase Price, impressed as well, setting up his own touchdown with a 21-yard romp that showcased both his elusiveness and his ability to plant smaller defensive backs into the turf.
Meanwhile, senior receiver Ezell Ruffin added another one-handed catch to his ever-expanding highlight reel.
The electricity also extended to special teams, as sophomore Lloyd Mills (who also added a 33-yard run on a reverse that set up the Aztecs' second touchdown) weaved his way for a 67-yard punt return that accounted for the game's final score.
Meanwhile, it was a big play on defense that brought the house down and ultimately secured the win.
With Northern Arizona down 24-7 but showing signs of life late in the third quarter, sophomore linebacker Calvin Munson snuffed the Lumberjacks' hopes in spectacular fashion. Munson - a 2013 special teams standout who was one of eight players on defense making his first career start - stepped in front of a Kyren Poe pass and returned it 64-yards to the Northern Arizona 1. Those final few yards came with a 205-pound Lumberjacks running back desperately clinging to Munson's ankle, looking like a terrier who just caught the bumper of a pickup.
"I saw (the end zone) - it was right there," Munson said. "And that one dude had my leg and I was trying to hop out of it, but I couldn't get in.
"I really wanted to punch it in and get a touchdown because I miss the offensive days back in pee-wee football."
Unfortunately, there is certainly no pee-wee football upcoming for SDSU. The next two games on the slate are tough road contests at North Carolina and Oregon State, meaning we'll soon see how much of Saturday's dominance was real, and how much was the illusion often provided by a game with a Football Championship Subdivision foe - even a top-tier FCS foe like the Lumberjacks.
The Aztecs themselves certainly weren't basking in victory's afterglow.
Quarterback Quinn Kaehler deemed his 18-of-29, 205-yard effort as "sub-par," while poor tackling and a pair of dropped interceptions clearly tempered head coach Rocky Long's enthusiasm for his young defense's effort.
"I think our players are all mature enough and want to be good enough that they realize we should win," Long said. "And we went out and played good enough to win convincingly. But we know there's better teams on the horizon, too."
Meaning better performances will be needed in the weeks ahead.
But to intrigue those getting their first taste of Aztecs football? This will do nicely.