Oy, the first half was ugly. Or to paraphrase Redd Foxx, so ugly, we were hit with the ugly stick. Why was Jeff Horton running the majority of plays to the Aztec right? One stuff after another. We could not block on our right side the entire half. No momentum was developed less the opening drive (which was nice). Malik Smith loses his mind during the second quarter. Rocky should have removed him from the game. Mr. Smith was completely out of control. Shame.
Speaking of shame, 13-10 at the half.
We finally arrived to play in the second half. Maxwell Smith produced his best game as an Aztec quarterback. 11/14/180 yards. No interceptions. Plus, he averaged just shy of 13 yards per completion. Not bad. Donny Hageman nailing a 54 yard field goal was a team boost. Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny both averaged 6 yards a carry. Mr. Penny looked especially impressive against the CSU defense. Dakota Gordon rumbled (all fullbacks rumble) for 52 yards on 4 carries. The offense provided the most balanced performance of the season.
The Aztec defense started poorly, but ended well. Three picks. Damontae Kazee returning his interception for a touchdown was a spear to the Rams offensive heart. The back seven allowed the Rams a paltry 7.3 yards per completion. A solid second half effort. During the first half, I’m wondering “who are these guys?” Thankfully, they disappeared.
Next week is our off week. Soak the bumps and bruises. Enjoy next Saturday. Grab some sand. Three MWC games remain. 5-0 in conference play is stellar. Wyoming rolls into the Q Saturday, November 14. The Cowboys feature an above average running game. However, as long as Rocky keeps the boys focused, I’m leaning towards a 6-0 Mountain West result.
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