Jan. 11, 2016
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State football junior running back Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas), who needs just 318 yards to pass Marshall Faulk as the all-time Aztec rushing leader, will return for the 2016 season, he announced today.
"It was an easy decision on coming back (for his senior season)," Pumphrey said. "I love my teammates and I love my coaches, and without them I wouldn't even be in the situation that I am in today. I signed up to be here four years, not to leave after three. I've had incredible success here, but I want to have another good year, hopefully win another conference championship and graduate as well."
A two-time first-team all-Mountain West pick and the reigning 2015 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, Pumphrey rushed for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns last season on 309 attempts (5.3 avg.), while adding a team-high 28 catches for 416 yards (14.9 avg.) and another three scores. His 2,069 all-purpose yards were the second most in program history, while his 1,653 rushing yards ranked fourth.
Pumphrey, who was also named a Sports Illustrated Honorable-Mention All-American this year, trails only Faulk for program records in rushing yards (4,272 (Faulk is at 4,589)), 100-yard rushing games (22 (Faulk is at 23)), rushing touchdowns (45 (Faulk is at 57)), all-purpose yards (5,145 (Faulk is at 5,595)) and total touchdowns (50 (Faulk is at 62)).
"I would like to break all of (Marshall) Faulk's records," Pumphrey said. "He's an NFL Hall-of-Famer and had a terrific college career, and it would be a great accomplishment for our team if I was able to achieve that."
San Diego State will return the MW Offensive Player of the Year (Pumphrey), the MW Defensive Player of the Year (Damontae Kazee) and the MW Special Teams Player of the Year (Rashaad Penny), as well as six first-team all-MW selections and 13 starters from a team that tied a school record with 11 victories in 2015.
The Aztecs (11-3, 8-0 MW), who ended their season with a 42-7 win over Cincinnati in the Hawai‘i Bowl on Dec. 24, defeated Air Force, 27-24, on Dec. 5 for their second MW title since 2012, first outright league championship since 1986 and 20th conference crown in program history.