SDSU Posts Some Big Numbers in 55-20 Victory

Except for nearly 50,000 empty seats at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, everything was like the good old days Saturday night for San Diego State.

The Aztecs had their most productive game in four years as they concluded their home schedule by beating New Mexico, 55-20, in front of 10,343 fans.

While SDSU scored its highest total since a 59-14 win over Texas El Paso in 1981, several Aztecs had memorable nights.

--Todd Santos passed for a career-high 423 yards while completing 34 of 44 attempts for three touchdowns with one interception. Santos, a sophomore, moved into third-place on SDSU’s career passing list with 4,849 yards.

--Chris Hardy rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown, becoming the fifth Aztec to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Hardy has 1,059 yards with one game remaining.

--Webster Slaughter had 13 receptions for 183 yards and 1 touchdown. He also returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown.

--Vince Warren had 10 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown.

--Chris O’Brien kicked two field goals, extending his streak to 24 straight. O’Brien also set school records for field goals in a season (16) and in a career (27).

In addition, SDSU surpassed 500 yards in total offense for the seventh time in the last nine games. It had 551 total yards.

The Aztecs have won two straight, improving their record to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the Western Athletic Conference. New Mexico finished 3-8 overall and 2-6 in the WAC.

Things had not looked so good for SDSU when Slaughter fumbled away the opening kickoff at SDSU’s 28. New Mexico took the lead two plays later on a nine-yard quarterback option run by Billy Rucker.

On the Aztecs’ first possession, they moved 68 yards to the New Mexico 12 before Santos was sacked on third down. O’Brien concluded the drive with a 38-yard field goal.

Santos, who completed his first eight passes, finished the next drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass play to Warren. After catching the ball at the 10, Warren sidestepped Troy Clewis before scoring.

New Mexico lost the ball on its next possession when Steve Lauter hit receiver Kevin Burgess and Jack Eaton recovered at the Lobo 47. Santos threw a 43-yard pass to Warren on the next play, then Casey Brown scored two plays later on a two-yard run.

Santos passed for 176 yards in the first quarter as the Aztecs built a 17-7 lead. Hardy went over the 1,000-yard mark with 1:30 remaining in the quarter on a six-yard run.

Slaughter gave SDSU a 24-7 lead with eight minutes left on the half on a six-yard Santos pass. At the end of the drive, Santos had completed 19 of 24 for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Warren later had an apparent 38-yard touchdown reception called back by a holding penalty.

But shortly thereafter, there was no denying Slaughter’s 76-yard punt return for a touchdown. Slaughter went virtually untouched as he took the ball down the right sideline.

Santos was 22 of 28 in the half for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. Slaughter had 8 receptions for 93 yards and 1 touchdown, and Warren had 7 receptions for 112 yards and 1 touchdown.

Early in the second half, two New Mexico quarterbacks enjoyed their passing game. Rucker threw a 60-yard touchdown to Ned James, who is listed as the team’s second-string quarterback.

SDSU increased its lead to 24 points, 38-14, on its second special teams touchdown midway through the quarter. Chuck Nixon recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown after Lobo punter Ron Keller was unable to handle a high snap.

Hardy gave the Aztecs a 45-14 lead, scoring on a five-yard run with 1:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Through the third quarter, Santos had completed 30 of 40 passes for 356 yards. Slaughter had 10 receptions for 132 yards, and Warren had 10 receptions for 129 yards.

Santos went over the 400-yard mark on a 15-yard pass to Brett Blanchard early in the fourth quarter. Blanchard scored the next play on an 11-yard pass from Santos.

Steve Svitenko intercepted Rucker’s pass after New Mexico took over, returning the ball 22 yards to the Lobo 5. O’Brien kicked an 18-yard field goal after the offense stalled, giving SDSU a 55-14 lead.

New Mexico scored on a 12-yard pass from Barry Garrison to Terance Mathis with 1:42 remaining, but the game had long been decided before then.