CARSON, Calif. – San Diego State scored two long touchdowns in the second quarter on Jordan Byrd's 93-yard kickoff return and BJ Busbee's 90-yard punt return just 90 seconds later, as the Aztecs registered a 29-17 triumph over Colorado State on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Making his first career start, quarterback Jordon Brookshire tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jesse Matthews, while Matt Araiza tied a career-high with three field goals to help SDSU (4-3, 4-2 MW) snap a two-game losing streak.
With their two special teams scores, the Aztecs became the first school to record a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in the same quarter since Tennessee accomplished the feat in the third period at Kentucky on Oct. 31, 2015.
After an exchange of punts on the first three possessions of the game, SDSU jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the 4:41 mark of the first quarter on Brookshire's first career touchdown pass, capping a 12-play, 81-yard march that consumed 4:52 of the clock. The redshirt junior carried twice for 19 yards on the drive and added 42 yards through the air, including the final eight on a swing pass to Matthews, who waltzed into the end zone untouched.
CSU (1-3) narrowed the gap to 7-3 on a 43-yard field goal by Robert Liss with just under three minutes elapsed in the second period, setting the stage for the Aztecs' special teams blitz.
On the ensuing kickoff, Byrd gathered the football along the near sideline and cut across to the far side of the field, outracing the Rams pursuit for his first career kick return for a touchdown, an electrifying 93-yard jaunt that gave SDSU a 14-3 advantage.
After holding CSU to a three-and-out, lightning struck once again for the Scarlet and Black just 1:30 later when Busbee back-pedaled to field Ryan Stonehouse's punt and weaved 90 yards through the coverage on his way to the end zone. Despite missing the extra point, the Aztecs increased their lead to 20-3 with 10:24 to go before halftime.
With his burst, Busbee became the first SDSU player to return a punt for a touchdown on his first career attempt since Rashaad Penny completed the trick vs. Nevada on Oct. 28, 2017.
The Rams attempted to ignite some special teams fireworks of their own, as Thomas Pannunzio returned Araiza's kickoff 58 yards to the Aztec 45. Six plays later, Marcus McElroy Jr. hit pay dirt from a yard out, cutting the deficit to 20-10 with 8:22 remaining.
Not to be outdone, Byrd added to his all-purpose total on the ensuing kickoff with a 55-yard return to the CSU 39. SDSU quickly advanced on a nine-yard pass to Ethan Dedeaux and an eight-yard run by Brookshire. However, the drive stalled an Araiza was summoned for a field-goal attempt, splitting the uprights from 40 yards out to give the Aztecs a 23-10 bulge at the 5:48 mark.
It took just three plays for the Rams to pull within striking distance, as McElroy provided some tough running on his way to the end zone on a 37-yard touchdown that provided the contested with its 23-17 score at intermission.
CSU threatened on its second foray down the field in the third quarter, advancing to the SDSU 19 after a 15-yard run by A'Jon Vivens on a 4-and-1 situation. However, the Aztecs stood their ground, with Jonah Tavai sacking Ram quarterback Patrick O'Brien for a nine-yard loss on third down, while Liss came up short on a 47-yard field goal attempt.
SDSU subsequently took strategic control of the game, driving 68 yards on 15 plays over seven minutes and change before Araiza drilled a 21-yard field goal to put the host school up 26-17 with 12:21 left in the fourth quarter. Brookshire keyed the advance with a 19-yard completion to Kaegun Williams before hooking up with Daniel Bellinger for another 15-yard gain.
Moments later, Darren Hall recorded his sixth career interception, leaping in front of a pass from O'Brien intended for Dante Wright and returning the ball 15 yards to the CSU 19. The turnover set up Araiza's third field goal of the game, increasing the Aztec lead to 29-17 with 9:17 to go.
SDSU held the Rams to just 32 yards on their final two drives of the contest, with Tayler Hawkins picking off a pass from reserve quarterback Todd Centeio at the Aztec 35 with 3:35 remaining for his first career interception.
Tavai registered a career-high seven tackles on the night, sharing the team lead with Trenton Thompson and Cameron Thomas.
On the other side of the ball, Brookshire completed 14 of 24 passes for 130 yards, including one touchdown, while rushing 23 times for a team-high 38 yards. With his performance, he became the fifth Aztec quarterback to win his starting debut over the last six opportunities.
Elsewhere, Bellinger tied for game-high honors with five receptions for 53 yards, while Matthews, Dedeaux and Dominic Benson had two catches apiece.
San Diego State closes out its regular-season campaign next weekend when it travels to Provo, Utah, for a non-conference clash with No. 8/8 Brigham Young on Saturday, Dec. 12. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT and the contest will be aired on ESPN2.
Long Returns Help Aztecs Beat CSU, 29-17
