Hardy Gains 223 Yards as Aztecs Snap Losing Streak

After five weeks of losing, San Diego State finally devised a winning formula Saturday night. It was called the “Hardy” team rushing effort.

Chris Hardy rushed 19 times for 223 yards and 1 touchdown, leading the Aztecs past Texas El Paso, 34-6, in front of 10,876 fans at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

SDSU rushed for a season-high 324 yards. The Aztecs had rushed for 318 yards in a 48-23 win over Colorado State seven weeks ago.

Hardy was the common denominator in both games. He rushed for 235 yards against Colorado State, including a 92-yard touchdown. Against UTEP, he also had a 92-yard touchdown. His rushing efforts against Colorado State and UTEP are the fourth- and fifth-best in SDSU history.

With two games remaining, Hardy needs 27 yards to become the fifth Aztec to rush for 1,000 yards.

“I’ve been thinking about 1,000 yards since the beginning of the season,” Hardy said. “I knew I needed a big game tonight to assure it. I didn’t plan on getting 200 yards, but I planned on getting at least 130 yards.”

Much of Hardy’s success could be attributed to the fact UTEP underestimated SDSU’s running game.

UTEP often dropped eight players deep defensively, leaving huge holes up the middle. In the Miners’ 23-16 upset of Brigham Young three weeks ago, they often dropped nine players.

“They were defending us primarily for the passing game,” Aztec Coach Doug Scovil said. “They dropped all four linebackers and only rushed three people. We thought we had certain running plays that could exploit that.”

The Aztecs had 504 yards in total offense. It was the sixth time they have surpassed 500 yards in the last eight games, yet they have won only three of them. SDSU is 4-6 on the season and UTEP is 1-9.

However, the biggest factor was that SDSU did not commit any turnovers. The Aztecs had committed 19 turnovers in their previous three games.

Scovil has been hearing rumors lately that he might be fired. When asked about the situation, Scovil answered somewhat tersely.

“This week has been really hard,” he said. “You have to win games and just block out all the criticism.”

Hardy began SDSU’s winning effort with his 92-yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage. He bounced off one defender at the Aztec 15 and faked another at the 20, then outran the defense for 80 yards.

SDSU took a 14-0 lead on its next possession, driving 44 yards in 7 plays. Todd Santos concluded the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brett Blanchard.

The Aztecs scored again on Drive No. 3 on a one-yard run by Casey Brown. Vince Warren had set up the touchdown with 25- and 47-yard receptions on consecutive Santos passes.

In the first quarter, SDSU netted 237 yards on 18 plays. UTEP had 43 yards on 15 plays.

While trailing, 21-0, UTEP drove 77 yards to the Aztec 5-yard line early in the second quarter. However, Nicky Combs fumbled when he was hit by Jack Eaton. Chris Davis made the recovery in the end zone, giving SDSU’s defense its first turnover in 12 quarters.

On Drive No. 4, the Aztecs were stopped for the first time when Brown was held for no gain on fourth and 1 from UTEP’s 45. The Aztecs scored again on their next possession, taking a 28-0 lead on a four-yard pass from Santos to Brown with 39 seconds remaining in the half.

In the half, SDSU outgained UTEP, 354 to 167.

In the third quarter, SDSU’s defense reverted to the form which had seen it allow 160 points in the previous 4 games. The Aztecs let UTEP drive 57 yards in 15 plays covering 8:07, concluding with a one-yard touchdown run by Dennis Robinson on fourth down. The two-point conversion pass was dropped by Eric Anderson, thus letting SDSU hold a 28-6 lead.

True to form, SDSU was burned in long-yardage situations on the drive. The Aztecs allowed an 18-yard pass on first and 25, a 23-yard pass on third and 19 and a 10-yard scramble by quarterback Sam Garza on third and 7.

Later in the quarter, UTEP successfully executed a short snap from punt formation. On fourth and one at the SDSU 46, Vic Stagliano ran six yards on the fake punt.

However, UTEP’s drive was cut short when Steve Svitenko sacked Garza on third down.

Chris O’Brien scored the last six points for SDSU on 30- and 19-yard field goals in the fourth quarter. O’Brien had made 22 straight field goal attempts, eight shy of tying the NCAA record.

If nothing else, UTEP took pride in the fact it came much closer than last year when it lost to SDSU, 51-2.

“I thought we played them better than last year, that’s for sure,” Coach Bill Yung said. “They had a lot of speed and made the big plays.”

It had been quite a while since SDSU made those plays.