SAN
DIEGO, Calif., Sept. 12 - Southern Utah's offense was inconsistent and the
defense struggled to stop San Diego State early in the game Saturday night as the Aztecs spoiled
SUU's attempt to open 2-0 for the first time since 2006 with a 35-19 victory.
Southern
Utah had an inauspicious start, to say the least. And, at least early on, even
when things did go right for the Thunderbirds, they seemed to go wrong.
"We
made a lot of mistakes early in the ballgame and in so doing we robbed ourselves
of an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with a very good team," SUU Coach Ed Lamb
said.
On
their first play from scrimmage the T-Birds lost the ball on an interception,
then after getting it back on a fumble at their own two, SUU quarterback Cade
Cooper stumbled backing away from the line of scrimmage, and fell down in the
end zone for a safety.
After
SDSU took a 9-0 lead on a 14-yard Ryan Lindley pass to Robert Wallace the
Thunderbirds pulled back within 9-6 when Cooper found Fesi Sitake in the left
corner of the end zone. Once again, however, a good thing turned against the
Thunderbirds as SDSU's Leon McFadden blocked the extra point attemp. Jose Perez scooped
up the ball, then lateralled back to McFadden, who scrambled all the way down the
field for two points to give the Aztecs an 11-6 advantage.
SDSU
marched the length of the field on its ensuing drive to go up 18-6 on a
one-yard Ryan Lindley push up the middle but SUU countered with a 28-yard Ryan
Griffith field goal to pull within 18-9 with 8:33 to go in the second quarter.
SDSU then took a 25-9 lead on a 22-yard Lindley-to-Vincent Brown pass.
The
Thunderbirds missed a chance to cut into the lead at the end of the half. On
first down at the SDSU three-yard line Major Gray got inside the one but then the
Aztecs stuffed SUU three straight times to maintain a 25-9 advantage going into
the break.
San
Diego State tacked on a field goal and a touchdown in the third period to hold
a 35-9 lead at the end of three periods.
Griffith
hit his seventh consecutive field goal of the season early in the fourth
quarter, a career-long 49-yarder at the 13:25 mark, which brought SUU within
35-12.
Five
minutes later Austin Minefee scored his first collegiate touchdown on an
11-yard run up the middle to bring the Thunderbirds within 35-19. Minefee
finished the game with 12 carries for 112 yards and the score, giving him
back-to-back 100 yard ground games and 259 rushing yards on the season.
SUU
finished with 279 yards of total offensive to 436 for SDSU. Cooper completed
15-of-29 passes for 165 yards but also threw three interceptions. Sitake was
his favorite receiver for the second straight game, with seven receptions for
74 yards and a score. Mitch Jessop and Jared Ursua each had three catches, for
55 and 18 yards, respectively.
NOTES: Colin Pretlow led
the defense with 11 tackles, including nine solo stops. Robert Takeno
and Dion Turner each had seven tackles.
Jessop had good night in just his second collegiate game. The true freshman from Mountain Crest
High School had three receptions for 55 yards, including the team's long catch
of the night, a 33-yarder.
For
SUU it was a case of too much Vincent Brown early in the game. By the 4:58 mark
of the second quarter, when he caught a 22-yard touchdown pass, Brown had 110
receiving and 36 return yards. The Thunderbirds limited his effectiveness in
the second half, however, as Brown wound up with six catches for 142 yards, one
punt return for 28 yards and two kick returns for 36.
After
not being sacked or throwing an interception in the first game Cooper was
picked off three times and sacked three times Saturday night. Freshman Ammon
Olsen, playing late in the game, was also sacked once.
