Aztec Update / Steve Dolan : Going Out in Style in Home Finale : San Diego State’s Seniors Have Games to Remember

Webster Slaughter does not have to wear any charms for good luck on the field.

The San Diego State wide receiver simply turns to the best charm of them all--his mother.

“She has been to three games this year,” Slaughter said late Saturday night. “She came to Stanford, Oregon and this game. I’ve done well each time she has been here. She’s my good luck charm.”

When Slaughter’s mother came from Stockton on Saturday, she saw her son catch 13 passes for 183 yards and 1 touchdown as SDSU beat New Mexico, 55-20. In the other two games she attended, Slaughter had 19 receptions for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Slaughter seems to be catching a lot of attention this year. Jack Jordan, Slaughter’s former coach at Delta Community College, said several pro scouts have told him that Slaughter may be a first-round NFL draft choice.

But before Slaughter thinks about pro football, he must concern himself with Saturday’s season finale at Hawaii. He will enter the game second in the nation in touchdown receptions, fourth in overall receptions and ninth in all-purpose yardage.

Slaughter has 79 receptions this season and 119 in his Aztec career. He needs eight catches against Hawaii to set a school single-season receiving record.

In the home finale against New Mexico, Slaughter certainly went out in style. Besides the 13 receptions, he also scored on a 76-yard punt return.

“I had been thinking all week about it being my last home game,” Slaughter said. “Plus, I knew my mother was coming down. I wanted to do well.”

Slaughter was among 18 seniors playing their last home game for SDSU at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Vince Warren, a fifth-year senior, had 10 receptions for 129 yards and 1 touchdown. He has 2,115 career receiving yards and needs 74 yards to move into second place on SDSU’s career list.

Warren is among three fifth-year seniors from Coach Doug Scovil’s first SDSU recruiting class in 1981. The others are running back Casey Brown and linebacker Jack Eaton.

“Since this was our last home game, we wanted to have a little remembrance,” Warren said. “This is something you can always hold your head up for.”

Eaton kept SDSU’s head above water defensively. He had five unassisted tackles, including two sacks and one fumble recovery. He also stopped a New Mexico ball carrier for no gain on a fourth-and-one play in the third quarter.

George Holland, a long-time Aztec booster, kidded Eaton about how he would miss him in the training room after this year. Eaton has missed games every year at SDSU with a variety of injuries.

However, he had one of his healthiest performances ever in the final home game.

“This really meant a lot to me,” Eaton said. “It was the last game in the Murph, Jack Murphy Stadium. This makes up for a few things--getting a victory and having a good game.”

Senior Chris O’Brien kicked two field goals to extend his Western Athletic Conference record streak to 24. He set school records for field goals in a season (16) and career (27).

“I thought at halftime about how my two years here have gone real fast,” O’Brien said. “I started on the ‘up’ and stayed up. My line’s blocking was unbelievable, and so was Jim Plum’s holding. They have done everything right all year.”

As the 18 seniors reflect on 1985, they will consider it a season of what could have been. The Aztecs are a disappointing 5-6.

Without a doubt, SDSU’s season took a turn for the worse in the 39-37 loss to Utah. The Aztecs had the ball with five minutes remaining and led, 37-27, but they lost on a field goal on the final play of the game.

The Utah loss was SDSU’s second in a streak of five straight defeats.

“Losing to Utah hurt a lot,” O’Brien said. “It’s hard to come back after a game like that. When we win a game like (New Mexico), it’s the ‘what-if’ syndrome again.”

‘I had been thinking all week about it being my last home game. Plus, I knew my mother was coming down. I wanted to do well.’