SDSU Routs Hawaii; BYU Showdown Next

Poorly rated television shows have had a longer survival rate than Hawaii did against San Diego State on Saturday night.

SDSU knocked Hawaii out of the picture with 28 first-quarter points in winning, 35-5, before 23,838 fans in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

If the Aztecs win at home next week against Brigham Young, they will win their first Western Athletic Conference championship since joining the WAC in 1978.

SDSU played BYU for the WAC championship in 1979 and lost, 63-14. But that was long before Denny Stolz, in his first yeasr as SDSU coach, or any of his players were associated with the Aztecs.

“This is it, right here,” said Mike Hooper, an SDSU defensive end. “It’s unbelievable. As long as I’ve been here, we’ve never been in this position.”

Suddenly, there seems to be a distinct ring to SDSU’s fortunes.

Aztec players have had a designed drawing of their potential Holiday Bowl rings displayed outside their locker room in the past week. They used it as a motivational tool for Saturday’s game.

“Those rings really fire us up,” safety Steve Lauter said after Friday’s practice. “They make us want to win even more.”

Evidently, the ring design provided plenty of motivation for SDSU. The Aztecs, 6-1 in the WAC and 7-3 overall, this season had not won a game by more than seven points before Saturday.

Early on, it became evident that halfback Chris Hardy would be a key man when he scored the game’s first three touchdowns.

Hardy, who rushed 20 times for a game-high 119 yards, rushed for a 66-yard touchdown on the game’s first play, breaking two tackles at scrimmage and two more downfield.

On SDSU’s next possession, Hardy rushed for a one-yard touchdown just 5:07 into the game.

Hawaii (3-4 and 6-4) added to its misery by snapping the ball well over its punter’s head on the next possession. Brett Faryniarz of SDSU recovered the loose ball at Hawaii’s six.

Two plays later, Hardy scored his third touchdown on a four-yard sweep of right end, providing SDSU with a 21-point lead with 7:43 left in the quarter.

Quarterback Todd Santos had a hot hand early, completing his first 8 passes for 91 yards. He finished the evening completing 21 of 27 passes for 193 yards and 1 touchdown with 1 interception.

Santos didn’t throw his first incomplete pass until SDSU’s fourth drive. The Aztecs still scored on the possession on a five-yard pass from Santos to Kerry Reed-Martin. Reed-Martin was replacing regular tight end Robert Awalt, who was sidelined midway through the first quarter with a slightly sprained left ankle and did not return.

SDSU’s 28-point quarter was quite an accomplishment considering that it came against the WAC’s best defense. Hawaii, ranked third nationally in total defense, had been allowing an average of 17.1 points a game.

The Aztecs neutralized Hawaii’s defense by throwing numerous short passes, limiting the Rainbows’ ability to put pressure on the quarterback. Meanwhile, SDSU’s defense was playing similar to the way Hawaii usually plays.

The Aztecs put constant pressure on quarterback Gregg Tipton, sacking him three times in the first half. Sacks were recorded by Levi Esene, Duane Pettitt and Hooper.

Hawaii did not even penetrate Aztec territory until six minutes into the second quarter.

The drive ended on a 27-yard field goal by Rodrigo Valverde, making the score 28-3 with 6:20 remaining in the half.

Though neither team scored again before halftime, SDSU did have two noteworthy plays.

Jim Plum, the backup quarterback, made his first career reception on a nine-yard pass from Santos. Plum has been a backup receiver for the last three weeks.

Late in the half, Hardy had a long gain on what appeared to be a short run from Hawaii’s 48. He was hit at the 40 by Pete Noga but the ball rolled forward to the 15 before it went out of bounds. Hardy was credited with 33 yards rushing on the play.

The drive didn’t have such a fortunate ending when Kevin Rahill missed a 20-yard field goal attempt.

It appeared that Hawaii might be gaining momentum when it drove to the Aztec two on the second half’s first possession.

But on third down, Harold Hicks intercepted a pass two yards deep in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown.

According to college rules, Hicks could only be credited with 100 yards on the return. He tied the school interception return record set by Dave Croudip against Cal State Long Beach in 1982.

After Hicks’ return, Hawaii still wasn’t finished creating its misfortunes.

On the Rainbows’ next possession, linebacker Richard Brown returned an interception 26 yards to the Hawaii 37.

This time, SDSU couldn’t help itself. When the Aztecs stalled at the 30, Stolz played it safe and punted instead of attempting a field goal.

Finally, with one minute left in the third quarter, Hawaii received an unusual break.

Gary Triplett of SDSU intercepted a pass deep in Aztec territory and retreated into the end zone. He was tackled by Marco Johnson for a safety, cutting the margin to 35-5.

By then, the Aztecs were no longer concerned with the Rainbows of Hawaii. Instead, they were dreaming of the rainbow that will be chased when they play BYU next week.