SDSU vs UNLV Recap: Aztecs’ Defense Prevails in 26-7 Win Over UNLV
The first conference game for SDSU this season was quite impressive.
UNLV was coming off of a big conference win against Fresno State and was looking to keep that ball rolling. San Diego State however, was able to shut them down in virtually every aspect of the game.
The Aztecs pulled away early and didn’t look back, as they rolled over the Rebels 26-7 with an impressive running game.
Prior to the game I wrote about how good Dalton Sneed was in his very first start, and if SDSU wanted to win, they needed to prevent him from being able to make passes and force the team to run.
That is exactly was State did, and they did it well. Sneed didn’t complete a pass during the entire first half of the game. In fact, his first completed pass didn’t come until he connected for a four yard pass with 4:08 left in the third quarter. He completed one more pass to make him two for 12 before being taken out of the game at the end of the third quarter. They forced him to run 12 times for a team-leading 56-yards. The entire UNLV offense was held to just 122 yards all game, with only nine of those yards coming through the air.
San Diego State’s offense was rolling as usual on Saturday. D.J. Pumphrey (141-yards) and Rashaad Penny (110-yards) both put up 100 yards rushing, and a touchdown each. Meanwhile, Christian Chapman put up 215 yards through the air on 15-20 passing, and a touchdown. Mikah Holder and Chapman were able to rejuvenate their relationship, connecting on a total of three passes for 68 yards, one of them being a nice 28-yard gain.
Pumphrey and Penny were able to add to the game through the air as well. Penny put up a scoreboard opening 41-yard receiving touchdown. He caught one more for nine yards to put him at two receptions for 50-yards in the game. Pumphrey was able to lead the team in receiving with seven catches for 57 yards.
Player of the Game
D.J. Pumphrey. Surprised? Me either.
D.J. led the team in both rushing and passing for a combined 198 yards and one touchdown. He was also able to outgain the entire Rebel offense by 76 yards. He continues to add to his 100-yard rushing games, making it 26, putting him 2nd on the MWC all-time list for 100-yard rushing games. He continues to impress week after week, and look more and more like the Heisman contender that he is.
Derek is a 22-year-old out of Lemon Grove, California. A burning passion for San Diego sports led him to pursue an opportunity to write and share about what’s going on with the teams in America’s Finest City. A young and aspiring sports journalist looking to grow his knowledge and expand his experience at any opportunity.