Aztecs Find a Way : McGwire, with 510 Yards Passing, Just One Star of Victory Over Utah

San Diego State found out Saturday night that its best defense was a great offense.

The result was a 38-27 Western Atheltic Conference victory over Utah in front of 29,595 at Rice Stadium.

The victory was Coach Al Luginbill’s first with the Aztecs (1-2-1, 0-1 in the WAC) in a game that made a passing star out of quarterback Dan McGwire and provided a comeback opportunity for several Aztecs.

McGwire completed 24 of 37 passes for 510 yards, the fourth-highest game total in Aztec history. He also had two touchdown passes and threw one interception in a performance in which he came back from a rough first half and several hard hits.

But while McGwire provided the gaudy numbers, this game really was one of redemption for everyone. It was one of those nights when it seemed that no sooner did an Aztec do something to possibly lose the game, he would find a way to make up for it.

The honor roll in a game that lasted 3 hours 42 minutes was long and impressive, and it started with Luginbill himself.

He made a series of potential tactical mistakes in the first half, including one that led to a 54-yard field goal on the last play of the half that gave Utah a 13-7 lead. But when it was all over, Luginbill’s game plan worked, and he walked away with his first victory as a major-college coach.

The were comebacks on offense, too.

Freshman Andy Trakas, who missed two field goal attempts in the first half, came back to put the Aztecs ahead for good on a 26-yarder with 13:46 left to play.

Redshirt freshman running back Darrin Wagner, whose fumble the week before helped push Cal State Fullerton into a 41-41 tie with the Aztecs, lost a fumble again, this time with the Aztecs headed for a potential touchdown at the Utah five in the second quarter.

But Wagner more than made up for his one mistake, scoring three touchdowns in the second half to break the game open. Wagner scored on runs of four and 19 yards and on a 57-yard pass from McGwire.

Even the Aztecs’ much-maligned defense found a way to stage its own sort of comeback.

Often using a five-man front, it harassed Utah quarterback Scott Mitchell with a season-high six sacks for 55 yards in losses. And when they needed a big play, they found a way to make one.

With the Aztecs leading, 31-21, and the Utes threatening, nickel back John Wesselman made the first interception of a Mitchell pass, at the SDSU 41 with 5:24 to play.

That effectively sealed Utah’s fate in a game that provided more than enough offense on both sides.

Mitchell was 25 of 58 for 409 yards for Utah (1-4, 0-2).

The first half was half of what seemed promised from two teams with highly ranked offenses and bad defenses: There was plenty of offense, just not much scoring.

The Utes led, 13-7, at halftime on a career-long 54-yard field goal by junior Wayne Lammle as time expired.

But the score could have been much higher if not for several missed scoring opportunities by both sides.

The Aztecs blew three chances, twice on missed field goals of 30 and 44 yardsby Trakas in the second quarter and once when Wagner fumbled at the Utah five.

The Utes missed a good scoring chance when defensive tackle Brad Burton blocked Lammle’s 29-yard field goal attempt with 54 seconds left in the half. The block was Burton’s second in three games, the miss Lammle’s first in six attempts this year.

Aztec cornerback Kevin Drayton picked up the loose ball at the eight and returned it to their 29. But a clip brought the ball back to the 14, and what should have been the beginning of the end of the half instead was the start of series of events that would result in Lammle’s half-ending field goal.

Pinned deep in their own territory with less than a minute to play, Utah holding only two timeouts and McGwire slightly hobbled, the Aztecs could have elected to hand the ball off and run out the clock. But they chose to gamble and lost.

On first down, McGwire went back to pass but was forced to scramble out of bounds for no gain, stopping the clock with 46 seconds. Wagner was stopped for a two-yard loss on second down. Then, with the clock running and with no apparent requirement to run another play, the Aztecs called a timeout on third-and-10 with 21 seconds left.

McGwire then passed incomplete to wide receiver Robert Claiborne, forcing the Aztecs to punt with 10 seconds left.

Joe Santos, who has not been showing the form with which he averaged 42.8 yards per kick last season, got off a 38-yard punt that was fair caught by Utah’s LaVon Edwards at the SDSU 48 with six seconds left.

Mitchell had one play to get the Utes in field-goal territory and stop the clock. He did both. He completed a pass to tight end Dennis Smith along the left sideline, and Smith slipped out of bounds at the SDSU 36 with one second remaining.

Lammle, whose best field goal was 46-yarder, then ignored a low snap to kick his 54-yarder. It was the second longest ever against the Aztecs, behind only 56-yarder by New Mexico’s Rick Walsh last year.

The choice not to attempt to run out the clock was one of several unnusual coaching actions by Luginbill. Two might have been contributing factors to the Utes’ first two scores.

In his four-game tenure, Luginbill has earned a reputation for having an emotional sideline decorum. This cost him and his team on the opening drive.

Luginbill became incensed when he apparently believed Utah cornerback Sean Knox interfered with Claiborne on a long pass attempt down the right sideline from McGwire. Luginbill began berating an official in front of the Aztec bench and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 15-yard penalty forced the Aztecs into a third-and-25 at their own 14.

What made the penalty ironic was that Luginbill ran afoul of his own teaching. Luginbill has emphasized repeatedly to his players not to take unnecessary penalties and has disciplined those who have. On the next play, McGwire’s pass for wide receiver Jimmy Raye was intercepted by Knox and returned seven yards to the SDSU 25.

Three plays later, Mitchell completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to U-back Mike Anglesey.

The Aztecs tied the game at 7-7 on their next possession when McGwire found Claiborne open at the Utah four-yard line, and Claiborne slipped in to complete a 12-yard touchdown play.

But on the Aztecs’ next possession, another decision by Luginbill backfired. Facing a fourth-and-inches from his 15, he elected to line up in an apparent try for a first down. But the decision went awry when a lineman jumped and was called for illegal procedure, forcing the Aztecs back to their 10.

That forced Santos to punt from his end zone, and the Utes ended up taking over at the SDSU 41.

Their drive reached the Aztec nine before a seven-yard loss on Wesselman’s sack of Mitchell forced the Utes to settle for Lammle’s 33-yard field and a 10-7 lead with 2:26 left in the first quarter.

After both teams squandered their best scoring chances in second quarter, it appeared that would be the score at halftime before Lammle’s 54-yarder.

The scoring again heated up in the third quarter as the lead changed twice and the game was tied in a busy 2:24.

SDSU scored first when McGwire lofted a pass down the left sideline for a streaking Wagner at the Utah 45. The ball landed in Wagner’s outstretched hands, and he accelerated away from strong safety Bob Bonifacio, completing a 57-yard touchdown play. Trakas’ extra point gave the Aztecs their first lead at 14-13 with 9:26 left in the third quarter.

Utah did not take long to take the lead back, covering 76 yards on two plays, the final 33 yards on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Darrel Hicks from Mitchell at 8:51. Mitchell then passed to running back Clifton Smith for the two-point conversion and a 21-14 lead.

The Aztecs answered five plays later on a four-yard touchdown run by Wagner. Trakas added the extra point to tie the game at 21-21.

Aztec Notes

San Diego State wide receiver Monty Gilbreath extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to a school-record 29 when he caught a four-yard pass on the second play of the game. . . . Wide receiver Dennis Arey left the game in the first quarter with an apparent hamstring injury. . . . Damon Baldwin started at offensive guard despite a dislocated left elbow sustained the previous week in a 41-41 tie with Cal State Fullerton. Senior Kevin Drayton started his first game as an Aztec at cornerback in place of Marlon Andrews (dislocated shoulder). Mitch Burton started for Ray Rowe (separated shoulder). Pio Sagapolutele made his first start at defensive tackle in three games after starting nine of the previous 10. . . . After some midweek questioning, Coach Al Luginbill decided to stick with freshman Andy Trakas on the opening kickoff, buthe replaced him in the second half with senior Tom Wurth. . . . The Aztecs play at Hawaii Saturday in their third Western Athletic Conference game of the year.