SB Nation - Ryan Lindley

Aztecs blow another late lead, Rebels come from behind to win, 28-24.

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:33:06 -0000

San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke looks on as his team blows a 4th QTR lead. Again. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

The Aztecs were unable to hold yet another late lead and the Rebels got revenge on SDSU for last season's loss that prevented UNLV from becoming bowl eligible. This season, although neither team had a chance to become bowl eligible, the Rebels wounded the moral of an Aztec team that was hoping to end the season on a high note. Although it seemed as though the Aztecs had improved from last season, the results in the win column really stayed the same. For UNLV, coach Sanford's last game after being fired was bittersweet. He was able to rally his team from a 17 point second-half deficit and ended his team's season on a high note despite a rough year. The Aztecs finish 4-8 while the Rebels finish 5-7; the Aztecs add two wins from last year's total and the Rebels repeat last year's performance.

Catch the rest after the jump

Final - 11.28.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
San Diego St. Aztecs	14	7	3	0	24
UNLV Rebels	7	0	7	14	28

Complete Coverage >

After blowing a 21 point 4 QTR lead against Wyoming, now the Aztecs blow a 17 point 3 QTR lead against UNLV. Ryan Lindley threw 2 interceptions, including one that was returned for a TD, and place kicker Lane Yoshida missed a FG. Some people may now call SDSU's coach Brady (c)Hoke until he proves otherwise. On a positive note, RB Walter Kazee amassed 106 yards on the ground which is a welcome change to the Aztecs usual tepid rushing offense. QB Lindley did throw for 341 yards and a TD including 106 and a TD to WR Roberto Wallace. The Aztec offense stalled after the half managing only 3 points in the final two quarters. They moved the ball well but were unable to turn that into points for one reason or another. The offense managed 445 yards of offense and outperformed the Rebels in most categories in the box score but that ultimately didn't turn into a win. Although the defense managed two interceptions including one for a score from Luke Laolongi, they weren't capable of playing a full game or at least a consistent one. They consistently forced UNLV into third downs but then gave up huge plays time and time again. Coach Hoke hopes to get some of his recruits into the system next season and teach his team how to limit mistakes and play more consistent football. Look for the Aztecs to play in a bowl next season.

QB Omar Clayton threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Payne with 1:24 to play to give the Rebels a win avenging last season's final game loss to SDSU that prevented the Rebels from playing in a bowl game. UNLV place kicker Kyle Watson missed a field goal with 3:29 to play that would have tied the game. The Rebels then forced the Aztecs to stall and to punt and the received the ball near midfield. The Rebels were able to drive down-field and punch it into the end-zone with ease and then stop a last minute bid by SDSU to win the game. Terrance Lee trimmed the deficit to three points in the initial minute of the fourth quarter with a interception return for a TD. The defense was able to come out in the second half and stop the Aztecs when it counted and allowed the offense to get them back into the game. The Rebels will spend the off-season looking for a new head coach and figuring out how to move forward and improve the team. A strong recruiting class will go a long way toward UNLV's bowl hopes for next season.

Utes rock Aztecs early, roll to 38-7 win.

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:16:42 -0000

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For the first few plays on the first drive it looked good for the Aztecs, but after an interception by Lamar Chapman it was all Utes from there on out. Utah scored 5 TDs on its first 6 drives en route to a 38-0 halftime lead and bled the clock to death in the second half with the running game while shutting down the Aztec offense. The Aztecs looked like their offense might come to life a couple times in the second half but only managed 7 points. SDSU actually ended up with more net yards passing than Utah, but the Utes racked up 189 yards on the ground to control the pace of the game and the game clock. The second half flew by and although the Aztec defense pitched a second half shut-out, the Utes did exactly what they wanted to do, which was bleed the clock. Catch the rest after the break.

Final - 11.21.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
San Diego St. Aztecs	0	0	0	7	7
Utah Utes	14	24	0	0	38

Complete Coverage >

Utah's offense led by freshman QB Jordan Wynn was explosive in the first half completing several deep passes to jump-start the offense. They even want to the back of the playbook for some trick plays with a double reverse that ended up back in the hands of the QB for a deep bomb which landed incomplete but drew an interference flag. RB Eddie Wide rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He came out of the game with what looked to be a knee injury but later returned to the game. I saw him grabbing his knee at first but I think it ended up being a muscle cramp in his thigh which he was banging on the sideline.

Shaky Smithson had the other rushing TD for Utah. Jereme Brooks led the way for the Utes WRs with 100 yards and 1 TD catch. After the first half the Utes went to the ground to eat up clock and racked up the yardage. Joe Dale led the Utah defense with a 30 yard interception return for a TD. The Utes held the Aztecs in check for most of the game and only allowed one score.

The few opportunities the Aztecs had were not capitalized on. Sophomore QB Ryan Lindley was off all night and the offensive line looked terrible; RB Brandon Sullivan started off strong and looked good at times but wasn't given much to work with. He had over 50 yards rushing in the first half but disappeared in the second half when SDSU was forced to go to the air.

Once again, the Aztecs failed to run the ball and were held to 55 yards rushing, although for some reason I think they count sacks because they gave Lindley -19 yards rushing. Demarco Sampson caught 76 yards and Dominique Sandifer caught the only TD of the night for SDSU to go with 74 yards receiving for him. The offense looked pretty good at times and the defense looked pretty good at times but poor execution and stupid mistakes once again kept the Aztecs from putting it together.

#23 Utah Looks To Bounce Back against San Diego State

BrysonCutla — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:38 -0000

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Next Game

San Diego St. Aztecs
@ Utah Utes

Saturday, Nov 21, 2009, 1:00 PM PST
Rice-Eccles Stadium

TV: Versus

Complete Coverage >

Utah is coming off its worst defensive performance since a loss to San Diego State 19 years ago. The Aztecs, though, certainly don't appear to be in any position to extend those struggles.

The 23rd-ranked Utes look to win their 17th straight at home as they face the stumbling Aztecs in a Mountain West Conference matchup Saturday.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is eager to see how his team comes back from a 55-28 loss to No. 4 TCU last Saturday. It was the most points the Utes (8-2, 5-1) had given up since a 66-14 loss to San Diego State on Nov. 3, 1990.

"The key thing now is how we respond," Whittingham said. "We're still working on a pretty good season."

Five wins at Rice-Eccles Stadium have helped Utah enjoy another successful season. The Utes have given up an average of 14.5 points in 16 straight home wins since a 20-12 loss to Air Force on Sept. 8, 2007.

Recent matchups with San Diego State (4-6, 2-4) haven't given Utah's defense much trouble, either. The Utes have given up a total of 28 points in three straight wins over the Aztecs, including a 23-7 home win Oct. 13, 2007

In the last meeting, Utah had 520 yards of total offense and never had to punt in a 63-14 victory Nov. 15, 2008. The Utes have an opportunity for another easy win over the Aztecs, who are allowing 30.0 points per game and have surrendered 85 in losing their last two.

Utah can take some solace from its last game in knowing it had a respectable performance offensively against TCU's vaunted defense. Though freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn was making his second start, the Utes' 28 points were the most allowed by the Horned Frogs all season.

"The game was a big positive for Jordan," Whittingham said. "He handled himself very well. He hung in there and showed a great deal of toughness and resiliency and was very poised. He did a solid job given the circumstances and learned a great deal. He will be a better quarterback because of this."

Wynn didn't get much help from Utah's running game. The Utes scored three TDs on the ground, but were held to 65 yards on 27 carries.

Eddie Wide was limited to 25 yards on 14 carries after reaching 100 yards in six straight games. He did manage to score, though, putting him in a tie for the MWC lead with nine TDs.

Wide has a good chance to rebound against a San Diego State team that has allowed 512 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground in its last two games. The Aztecs are allowing 167.4 rushing yards per game on the season.

San Diego State's defense was mostly to blame for its 30-27 loss to Wyoming last Saturday night. The Aztecs blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter, losing on a 43-yard field goal with 23 seconds left.

Brandon Sullivan was a bright spot for San Diego State, rushing for 105 y

ards and two touchdowns. The Aztecs had 157 yards rushing after averaging 58.5 in their previous four contests.

San Diego State is the seventh-worst rushing team in the nation, averaging 78.1 yards a contest.

The Aztecs rely heavily on sophomore Ryan Lindley, who has passed for 1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions in his last five games.

DeMarco Sampson has a team-high eight TDs catches, all over the last five games. Sampson has 38 receptions for 521 yards during that span.

Lindley was intercepted twice in last season's meeting with Utah. The Utes lead the series 15-12-1.

Cowboys pull out a thriller in San Diego

The Road — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:23:41 -0000

Final - 11.14.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Wyoming Cowboys	3	3	0	24	30
San Diego St. Aztecs	7	10	10	0	27

Complete Coverage >

Down 27-6 heading into the fourth quarter it looked like the Wyoming Cowboys dreams of a bowl berth were fading faster then the seconds counting down on the clock.

But suddenly things started to click for a team that had managed only 16 points in the last 15 quarters. QB Austyn Carta-Samuels scored on a 10 yard run on the second play in the fourth quarter to make the score 27-13 in favor of the Aztecs. The Cowboys stopped the Aztecs and got the ball back on their own 27. After working down the field and into Aztec territory Alvester Alexander busted a 33 yard touchdown run to make the score 27-20 with ten and a half minutes remaining in the game.

San Diego State got the ball back and put together a 11 play 5:29 long drive that stalled on the Wyoming nine yard line. A 28 yard field goal attempt by Lane Yoshida was blocked and recovered by Tashaun Gipson of the Cowboys and returned to the Wyoming 38. The Pokes put together a solid drive highlighted by long runs by Alvester Alexander and Brandon Stewart. Austyn Carta-Samulels found freshman TE David Tooley for a 9 yard TD pass and tied the game at 27-27 with 2 minutes and 3 seconds remaining.

The Cowboys kicked a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff that was fumbled by the Aztecs and recovered for Wyoming by Kenny Browder at the San Diego 44 yard line. Slowly the Cowboys crept down the field before Ian Watts kicked a 43 yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining to give the Cowboys an improbable 24 point come back and 30-27 victory.

With the victory the Cowboys improved to 5-5 (3-3 Mountain West) and kept their bowl chances alive. The Cowboys will now need to win one more of their remaining games: 11/21 vs TCU or 11/27 @ CSU to secure a bowl game.

San Diego State (4-6,2-4 MWC) was in control most of the game and looked they were cruising towards a victory with their 27-6 lead after three quarters. The Aztecs will have to beat Utah on the road next week and UNLV in Vegas if they want a shot at a bowl game. Buzz had been building the last couple weeks as the Aztecs had won some big games in the middle of the season over Colorado State and New Mexico that gave them hopes of playing in December.

QB Ryan Lindley didn't have the offense humming for the Aztecs like he usually does and finished 18 for 29 for just 200 yards and no touchdowns. The Aztecs did have one of their best performances on the ground this season as Brandon Sullivan rushed 18 times for 105 yards and two TD's in the first half.

The Cowboys had a rather balanced offense that put up 446 total yards compared to 357 for the Aztecs. Austyn Carta-Samuels went 16 of 22 for 246 yards passing plus 51 yards rushing. He also had one touchdown passing and one rushing.

The rushing attack for the Cowboys was impressive as they put up 200 yards on ground. They were led by Brandon Stewart with 7 yards and Alvester Alexander with 72. Alexander also had a 56 yard reception.

Dave Tooley had his best game of the season as he finished with 4 catches for 70 yards and the game tying touchdown.

The Cowboys won because they played their best in the fourth quarter and made some big plays on special teams. The Aztecs let this one slip away and their bowl chances probably went with it.

Preview: Wyoming at San Diego State

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:28:09 -0000

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The biggest game in the MWC this weekend that everyone will be watching is Utah and TCU, but the second biggest game in the MWC this weekend will be Wyoming at San Diego State. With Utah, BYU, TCU, and Air Force locking up bowl berths, likely only one more MWC team will be bowl eligible.

This game will most likely determine who that fifth and final team will be. Both teams are coming off blowouts by the hands of one of the big three; Wyoming by BYU and San Diego State by TCU. Both teams have identical records and need to win 2 of their last 3 to finish at .500 and have bowl eligibility. After this weekend, both teams have a game against one of the big 3 and a game against one of the bottom 3. Wyoming is vs. TCU and @ CSU, San Diego State is @ Utah and @ UNLV. Since nobody excepts Utah or TCU to lose, this is a must win game for both teams and that is why it is the second biggest MWC game this week.

Next Game

Wyoming Cowboys
@ San Diego St. Aztecs

Saturday, Nov 14, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
Qualcomm Stadium

TV: The Mtn HD

Complete Coverage >

Wyoming has a weapon in QB Austyn Carta-Samuels and will need to use him to their advantage on Saturday. The Aztecs are still learning Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense and haven't yet faced a mobile type QB like Carta-Samuels yet this season. The already suspect Aztec defense will likely have trouble with him, especially if Wyoming can complement him with a running game. However, Wyoming will have to step it up on offense if they want to win. SDSU's defense is awful, but BYU's strength is definitely NOT their defense; getting shut-out at home against BYU cannot be good for your offensive moral.

I'm positive coach Dave Christensen will have the Cowboys ready to play but SDSU was able to put up 28 points and the Cougars and 12 points on a TCU team that had allowed almost that same amount (13) in its last three games combined. This game is most likely going to be a shootout and the Cowboys will have to outscore the Aztecs on offense to win.

San Diego State is also coming off an embarrassing home loss, the Aztecs to TCU. The defense still cannot stop anybody, especially on the ground. Against teams other than the big 3 however, they will still give up yards but are competent enough in the 3-3-5 to be able to make some big turnovers and sacks. They will have to adjust to stop Carta-Samuels though. Even without star WR Vincent Brown, Ryan Lindley is still racking up the yards and touchdowns and tied the MWC record last week for most consecutive games with a TD pass.

In the absence of Brown, Lindley's favorite targets have become WR Demarco Sampson and TE Alston Umuolo. The Aztecs air attack is among the best in the nation, but the running attack is among the worst in the nation. Surprisingly though, RB Brandon Sullivan is finally healthy and had probably his best game of the season last Saturday against TCU. The offensive line also played surprising well on pass and run blocking. Brady Hoke will have them ready to play but a lack of spectators deprive the Aztecs of a real home-field advantage; who knows if this will affect the players or not.

Like I said, I'm going to predict a shootout. Both teams have equal records and probably pretty similar talent levels. I'd probably say that SDSU has the better offense and Wyoming has the better defense so it will come out pretty evenly. My prediction is that Ryan Lindley's pass attack will be too much for Wyoming to handle and the Aztecs will come out on top in the seniors last home game of their careers. Aztecs win 35-27.

Poll

Who will win the game?

SDSU in a close game.

13 votes

SDSU in a blowout.

8 votes

Wyoming in a close game.

9 votes

Wyoming in a blowout.

2 votes

32 votes | Poll has closed

What We Learned From Week Nine In Mountain West Football

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:52:08 -0000

Air Force

I could repeat last weeks entry, which said that Air Force is better off with QB Tim Jefferson running the show, but that is all I say about him. Do not let the 35-7 drubbing give the impression that Air Force whipped Army; the Black Knights actually were able to slow down the Falcon rushing attack. Air Force was held to 100 less yards then their average, and it was not because of Army running their triple option and just keeping Air Force off the field.

Colorado State

This is a real shipwreck they are no longer bowl eligible and have lost seven straight since their nice start of 3-0. Their loss to UNLV was not because of a second half melt down, but their defense and lack of quarterback play. The Rams are back to their preseason woes of choosing a quarterback and played Grant Stucker and Jon Eastman. The Rams out gained the Rebels but the defense was unable to make big stops. Lets see if Steve Fairchild will bring in some younger players for playing time with a bowl berth no longer in sight.

New Mexico

The Lobos actually showed a glimmer of a pulse against Utah by causing them early fits and tying the game at 7-7 in the first. Then the real Lobos showed up and were out scored 38-7 the rest of the way. What is there to say about the Lobos they still stink.

TCU

Horned Frogs showed their offense is legit as they are eighth in total offense and sixth in scoring offense. They took out San Diego State who was doing good -- by their standards-- by 38 points. TCU is just plain rolling and has only one real test left in Utah. There is some big time pressure with GameDay heading to Fort Worth, but the way coach Gary Patterson goes about coaching his team he will keep everyone in line and focused.

UNLV

The Rebels finally showed up and beat the reeling Colorado State Rams. The Rebel defense had their best game of the year --besides FCS Sacramento State-- by only allowing 16 points and recovering a fumble. The bad side of the defense was that they gave up 424 yards but stopped the Rams when needed. QB Omar Clayton stepped up his play he only passed for 147 yards but he seems to be more mobile then past games with 44 yards and a sore on the ground. The overall rushing attack for the Rebels was above average and balanced for one of the few times this year.

San Diego State

The passing giant Ryan Lindley was no match for the TCU offense. The Aztecs did get a better rushing attack, but that is still their weakness on offense; well that and their offensive line. SDSU is more along the level of Wyoming and UNLV and no where near the top three schools. Their rush defense was terrible and gave up 312 yards. This type of performance can not be repeated as the Aztecs are looking for their first bowl bid since joining the Mountain West in 1999.

Wyoming

Only thing really learned was that Wyoming got shut out and played the wrong team in BYU which used the Pokes as a punching bag after their loss to TCU. Everything was a mess Wyoming could not run or pass on offense and defense they could not stop anything. This seems more of a fluke game for Wyoming (not that they would have won) because there is not much worse they could have played.

TCU marches past SDSU toward BCS, 55-12.

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:04:56 -0000

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Final - 11.7.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
TCU Horned Frogs	14	17	21	3	55
San Diego St. Aztecs	3	3	6	0	12

Complete Coverage >

Missing Ladanian Tomlinson on the side lines didn't stop the Frogs from beating San Diego State at Qualcomm stadium. The Frogs dominated in all facets of the game, and the Aztecs didn't give TCU any trouble in San Diego as they had in the past. Andy Dalton used his arm and his feet to thrash the Aztecs defense, and the Frogs number one overall defense held the Aztecs to 12 points. Of course, those 12 points nearly matched the offensive output of TCU's last three opponents, but you won't hear Coach Hoke talk about moral victories.

TCU (9-0, 5-0 Mountain West) remained in the chase for a BCS bowl berth by staying undefeated. Since joining the Mountain West, TCU has never lost to SDSU (5-0). Over the last five seasons, TCU is also undefeated at Qualcomm Stadium, including last year's Poinsettia Bowl victory over Boise State.

The Horned Frogs jumped in front with touchdowns on five of their first six possessions. Dalton scored on runs of 13 and 7 yards as TCU held a 31-6 halftime lead. He also hit Ryan Christian on TD passes of 44 and 29 yards. TCU managed 312 yards on the ground against a meager SDSU run defense and 551 yards of total offense. The defense managed to pick off Ryan Lindley twice and hold the Aztecs to just 279 yards of total offense. Next week, TCU has a showdown at home against Utah.

There isn't much to say about the Aztecs who gave up 55 points and only scored 12, so I will stick to the positives, because there are a few. QB Ryan Lindley only had one TD pass, but has thrown for at least one touchdown in each of the last 15 outings, which ties the MWC record. The SDSU offensive line did its job too, TCU did not record a tackle for a loss or a sack this afternoon until the fourth quarter.

The Frogs finished with only three tackles behind the line of scrimmage, after entering the game with 45 (5.6/g) in its previous eight outings in 2009. Place kicker Lane Yoshida had a good game, hitting a 45 and a 48 yarder. Finally, the Aztecs scored a touchdown for the 35th straight game. The Aztecs complete a 3 came home-stand next weekend against Wyoming, in a game that will almost certainly knock one of the teams out of bowl contention.

Preview: #6 TCU @ San Diego State 11/07/2009

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:11:57 -0000

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Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs
@ San Diego St. Aztecs

Saturday, Nov 7, 2009, 1:00 PM PST
Qualcomm Stadium

Television: Versus HD

Series: TCU leads, 4-0

Complete Coverage >

TCU coach Gary Patterson thought it would be nice to reward his team for all their hard work this season with a nice trip to San Diego to relax and get ready for their match-up with Utah. Oh wait, they're coming for a football game? That's right, the Horned Frogs (8-0) are coming to play the Aztecs (4-4) who are .500 for the first time since 2003. Since joining the MWC, TCU and SDSU have matched up 4 times, and 4 times the Frogs have come out on top. However, the two games at Qualcomm have been much closer that the other two; TCU had to come back from a 17 point deficit in their last game at Qualcomm.

There might be ONE thing going for the Aztecs. Ladanian Tomlinson is in New York getting ready to face the Giants. Why does this matter? Over the past 5 seasons, TCU is undefeated at Qualcomm stadium (including bowl games) and over the past 5 seasons, LT has been on their sideline cheering them on.

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The Aztecs, who are playing .500 ball and riding a two game win streak for the first time in a long time, will face their toughest opponent all season. Since they probably aren't going to win, I'd say the Aztecs have two goals for this game.

1. Score points. TCU has outscored its last three opponents by a 123-13 margin. The Aztecs, even without Vincent Brown, have a pretty high flying air attack; they will try to find a weak link in the TCU defense.

2. Keep the streak going. Of course, they probably won't keep the winning streak going, but I'm talking about other streaks.

Ryan Lindley extended his consecutive games with a TD pass to 14 this past weekend against New Mexico. Lindley's streak is the longest current streak in the MWC and ranks tied for second all-time in league history. If he throws a TD pass on Saturday, he will tie the MWC record with John Beck of BYU. Also, the Aztecs have a really good punter.

The Frogs are undefeated and marching towards the BCS while stomping any team in their path. They have the top-ranked defense in the nation and are also putting up huge numbers on offense. They are trying to take the MWC to a BCS game for the second season in a row. They should be able to put up plenty of points on a suspect SDSU defense. On defense,

SDSU has little or no rushing game and the Frogs should be able to force Lindley to throw the ball and make mistakes. Coach Patterson has said that he is taking this game seriously, but the Frogs have plenty of experience winning at Qualcomm stadium and shouldn't have much of a problem winning a warm-up game before the big match-up with Utah.

San Diego State hangs on late against winless New Mexico 23-20

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:39:27 -0000

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Final - 10.31.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
New Mexico Lobos	3	7	10	0	20
San Diego St. Aztecs	0	16	0	7	23

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Tonight, New Mexico was the one with the "moral victory," something San Diego State is all too familiar with, and the Aztecs with the actual victory. New Mexico dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball; Lindley had to rush his throws all night (which was what I said they needed to do to compete) and the Aztecs were not able to get much pressure on Lobo QB Donovan Porterie, who ran for a TD and threw for another. San Diego State was dominated in time of possession as well; early 3rd down conversions for New Mexico kept their offense on the field.

After sustaining 3 early drives in SDSU territory and coming up with 10 points to show for it, the Lobos held the Aztecs scoreless in the first quarter. After giving up an 18 yard TD pass to Alston Umuolo, the Lobo's punter, Adam Miller, muffed the snap in his own end-zone and was crushed for a safety. Ryan Lindley lead a successful two-minute drill which ended on Demarco Sampson's first TD catch of the day, a fade route to the back of the end-zone.

The Aztecs took a 16-10 lead into the half, but New Mexico still lead the time of possession battle by a long shot, and SDSU could not stop the Lobo running game. After another FG, the Lobos took a 4th quarter lead at 20-16 that was short lived. Aztec QB Lindley drove down 80 yards finishing with Sampson's 2nd TD catch of the game, a beautiful catch in the back of the end-zone over the heads of two Lobo defenders. After the Aztecs took the 23-20 lead, New Mexico had burned all of their time outs and were forced to go to the air, where the quick Aztec DBs were much better suited at stopping.

The game ended on a quasi-controversy when a long 4th down conversion appeared to be made, but replays showed that not only did the WR not come down with the ball inbounds, Porterie had stepped past the line of scrimmage before throwing the ball.

After early 3rd down conversions, the Lobos finished 9/20, which is well above their average but not good enough to win. New Mexico gained more total yards than the Aztecs 383 to 303. An early attempt at a onsides kick and many mistakes by the Lobos probably cost them the game. Porterie and Miller's inability to hold onto the ball cost them as well. Today San Diego State snapped an eight-game losing streak to New Mexico, dating back to Nov. 4, 2000. The Aztecs also claimed their first victory over the Lobos in San Diego since Nov. 4, 1995.

"San Diego State improves to 4-4, marking the first time the Aztecs have been .500 or better this late in the season since the Aztecs ended the 2003 campaign with a 6-6 record. San Diego State snaps an eight-game losing streak to New Mexico and a six-game losing streak at home to the Lobos. The Aztecs improved to 21-15 all-time against UNM. Under Brady Hoke, SDSU has won four times in eight games (4-4). That is the same number of victories the Aztecs had in the 19 games prior to his arrival (4-15)." Game notes via Go Aztecs.com

Preview: New Mexico @ San Diego State on Halloween 10/31

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:04:49 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

3 months ago: San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley (14) throws a pass with protection from teammate Brandon Sullivan (23) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Southern Utah Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Next Game

New Mexico Lobos
@ San Diego St. Aztecs

Saturday, Oct 31, 2009, 4:30 PM PDT
Qualcomm Stadium

Preview: New Mexico @ San Diego State on Halloween 10/31

posted by Sam (sdsuaztec4) 16 minutes ago

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San Diego State defensive coordinator Rocky Long makes his first appearance against his former team, the New Mexico Lobos. San Diego State looks to move to .500 on the year as New Mexico is still searching for its first win of the season. Although the Lobos have yet to win a game this year, the Aztecs are taking them very seriously. Find out why after the jump.

The good news for the Lobos is that today, Coach Hoke has ruled star WR Vincent Brown OUT for the game on Halloween.

Series: SDSU leads 20-15

Time: 4:34 PST

TV: CBS College Sports HD (Yes, I can watch it!)

The Lobos have beaten the Aztecs 8 straight games, including the last 6 at Qualcomm and winning 70-7 last season at New Mexico. In fact, that was the last game the Lobos won.

The Aztecs will be looking to snap a bunch of streaks this week even after they snapped a bunch of streaks last week, where the Aztecs snapped a 10 game road losing streak, not to mention surpassed last year's win total. The Aztecs look to win back to back games for the first time since 2007 and look to reach .500 for the first time since finishing 6-6 in the 2003 season. With Vincent Brown out, the Aztecs will have to rely on Demarco Sampson, Roberto Wallace, Dominique Sandifer, and freshman Preston King. The Aztecs will once again try to get the running game going.

The Lobos will have coach Locksley back for the first game after his suspension, where he had a tough time away from football. They will also have to face former head coach Rocky Long, after he resigned last season. It should be an emotional game for both sides. Rocky Long has said he has not given any special information about his former team in preparation for this game. The Lobos haven't lost at Qualcomm stadium in 14 years and since the WAC days. As you can imagine at 0-7, not much is going right for the Lobos. The will have to stop the weak Aztec running game and force them to go to the air and try to get Ryan Lindley to make mistakes. SDSU has to contain quarterback Donovan Porterie. In the past four games, he’s scored six TDs and completed 60 percent of his passes. The defense of the Aztecs is definitely much weaker than the offense.