A defensive gem. This game was worthy of mud, broken teeth and twisted fingers. The Aztec defense was exceptional. Consider:
Stanford’s first three possessions were three and out.
The tree throws for a mere 64 yards on a bad 9/20 with 2 interceptions (thank you, Ron Smith and Kameron Kelly).
Stanford’s total offense at the end of the first quarter: 3 yards.
Stanford’s time of possession in the first quarter: 2:19. Yeah, I know you can credit the Aztec offense as well.
Total tree offense at the half: 88 yards.
The Aztec defense stops Stanford inside the ten resulting in three points as opposed to seven at the end of the third quarter.
And, of course, the Kameron Kelly pick with 54 seconds remaining.
Final total yardage for Stanford: 238.
Proof enough.
Now for the Aztec offense. First, Christian Chapman throwing in the pocket is as effective as using bare hands to remove a hot dish from the oven. Christian needs to move to be successful. No more pocket stuff. 21/29/0 and one touchdown was a solid performance. Mikah Holder had his best game of the season. 7 catches for 85 yards and besting his twin brother makes for a fine evening. Rashaad Penny running against a quality defense for 175 yards (5.5 yards per carry) is testament to his place as a top-ten running back. The final drive post-electrical collapse is further proof of a team on course to have another fine year. David Wells insisting on the end-zone and game winning touchdown will be a 2017 season favorite.
John Barron misses a field goal. Who knew?
Brandon Heicklen needs to be much more consistent with his punts. To date, his effort is as scattered as his punting. Also, the offensive line struggled against the Stanford defense. Mr. Chapman was often on the run on behalf of his own safety. Clean up that mess now.
Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed Hunkie Cooper yelling at David Shaw for touching Aztec players as the two teams were leaving the field at the half. Don’t touch Hunkie’s kids. Speaking of kids, great to see the student section storm the field at game’s end.
As a side note to the city of San Diego, what more proof do you need to maintain the stadium other than the lights going off for 25 minutes? Game interruption on national television is not helpful to either SDSU or the city of San Diego. Seems minor league. Invest in something new and spiffy while keeping the lights on.
3-0. Go Aztecs.
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