Cougars Thwart Aztecs' Upset Bid on Homecoming Night, 29-26
SAN DIEGO – Upset-minded San Diego State gave visiting Washington State all it could handle Saturday but was unable to build on a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter before dropping a tough 29-26 decision on Homecoming Night at Snapdragon Stadium.
Despite maintaining the edge in total yards (414-371), the Aztecs surrendered two fourth-quarter touchdowns allowing the Cougars to escape.
With the setback, SDSU slips to 3-4 on the season, while WSU moves to 7-1 overall.
Marquez Cooper rushed for 78 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns, marking his 13th career game with multiple scores.
In addition, the Aztecs received season highs of 10 receptions and 80 yards from Ja’Shaun Poke, while Danny O’Neil finished with 22 completions on 34 attempts for 195 yards and one interception.
Trailing 14-12 midway through the third quarter, SDSU caught a major break when the Jelani Whitmore pounced on a muffed punt by the Cougars’ Tony Freeman at the WSU 43. Three plays later, SDSU reached into its bag of tricks, as Jordan Napier connected with a wide-open Nate Bennett on an option pass for a 27-yard touchdown that put the Scarlet and Black in front, 19-14.
Following a Cougar punt, the Aztecs increased their lead to 26-14 early in the final period when Cooper’s one-yard plunge into the end zone punctuated an 11-play 69-yard march. Earlier, Cooper sparked the drive with a 20-yard scamper around left end, while O’Neil completed a pair of third-down passes to Bennett and Michael Harrison, respectively.
WSU needed just three plays to respond, as John Mateer hit Carlos Hernandez for a 34-yard touchdown strike, narrowing the gap to 26-21 with 12:09 remaining in the contest.
San Diego State seemed poised to hold serve on its next possession after Napier made a spectacular grab in tight single coverage for a 31-yard gain on a third-and-nine situation, while Harrison followed with a 13-yard grab that gave the hosts a first down at the Cougar 17.
However, the momentum abruptly shifted three plays later when Taariq Al-Uqdah stepped in front of an O’Neil pass and returned the ball 20 yards to the WSU 37.
Despite the turnover, the Aztecs still had the Cougars reeling somewhat in a second-and-long position courtesy of a holding penalty, but Mateer escaped an almost certain sack and scrambled 18 yards for a first down.
Later in the drive, the WSU signal-caller found Hernandez once again for a 15-yard gain before twice calling his own number on a 15-yard keeper and a 2-yard touchdown run. Adding insult to injury, Mateer caught the ensuing two-point conversion from receiver Kris Hutson on a fumbled reverse.
SDSU reached the Cougar 47 on its next drive, but a personal-foul penalty thwarted the advance, as the Scarlet and Black elected to punt from its own 41 with 2:19 left.
WSU gained one first down, forcing the Aztecs to use their final two timeouts. With just 28 seconds left, the Cougars punted, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the visitors an automatic first down to seal the game.
Defensively, SDSU was led by Tano Letuli, who finished with a career-high 10 tackles, while Chris Johnson totaled eight stops of his own, including six solo efforts. In addition, the Aztecs registered three sacks of Mateer.
The Cougars marched 65 yards in five plays on their first possession when Mateer dialed up a flea flicker and connected with Cooper Mathers on a 26-yard scoring strike.
Shortly thereafter, the Aztecs responded with Gabriel Plascencia’s 46-yard field goal at the 8:54 mark of the opening quarter. Earlier, SDSU kept the drive alive on a fake punt when DJ Herman flipped a shovel pass to Poke, who scampered around right end for 21 yards to the WSU 35.
Plascencia also split the uprights from 28 yards out as the first-quarter clock expired to cap a 10-play, 60-yard advance. Previously, Cam Davis swept around right end for a 38-yard gain to the Cougar 27 after Javance Tupau’ato-Johnson temporarily replaced a shaken-up O’Neil at quarterback.
WSU reached the red zone on its ensuing possession, where a potential interception by William Nimmo Jr. at the SDSU 18 was negated by a defensive pass interference penalty. Three plays later, Mateer scored on a 1-yard sneak, putting WSU in front 14-6.
After the teams exchanged fourth-down stops late in the second period, O’Neil returned to the Aztec huddle and directed a 6-play, 60-yard scoring drive, capped by Cooper’s 7-yard touchdown burst with 17 seconds left before intermission. However, the conversion attempt went awry, leaving SDSU two points behind at 14-12.
Mateer totaled 257 yards on 19-of-27 passing with a pair of touchdowns and gained 42 yards on the ground with two additional scores to pace the Cougar offense. Elsewhere, Kyle Williams caught five passes for 74 yards, while Hernandez finished with four catches for 65 yards and one score.
The Aztecs return to action on Friday, Nov. 1, when they travel to the Gem State to battle No. 17 Boise State in a key Mountain West showdown at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT, with the contest airing live on FS1.