Falcons Knock Air Out of the Aztecs : Football: SDSU’s offense goes feeble in 21-20 loss to Air Force. Missed point-after attempt dooms the Aztecs.

There were no NCAA records for San Diego State on Saturday at Air Force. Not even any school records. And there were no heroics by untested freshmen.

There were two key blown pass coverages allowing the Falcons big gains. There were some badly thrown passes by SDSU quarterback Cree Morris. There was a mix-up on a kickoff return.

And maybe most crucial of all, there was a back-breaking missed conversion kick.

The Aztecs (2-1), who began the afternoon with as much hope as momentum, ended it with their seventh consecutive loss in Colorado Springs, 21-20, in their Western Athletic Conference opener in front of 43,011.

“It stinks, because we’re better than them,” SDSU defensive end Ramondo Stallings said. “We just messed up.”

The Aztecs messed up all right, especially when Andy Trakas missed wide right on the conversion kick after SDSU’s third touchdown. That left the score 20-14, and it was like leaving your wallet behind at a poker game. Nothing like asking for trouble.

Sure enough, Air Force (4-0) seized the opportunity and scored the deciding touchdown 3 1/2 minutes later, when third-string fullback Joe Parisi capped an 80-yard drive with a two-yard dive with 8:35 to play. Falcon kicker Joe Wood made the conversion.

Extra points this season haven’t been as automatic as they once were for Trakas. After a streak of 91 in a row, the senior missed two against Cal State Long Beach and one last week against Pacific.

But neither was as costly as Saturday’s.

Trakas, who is working with new holder Scott Oatsvall and new long-snapper Thom Fletcher this year, sat quietly in front of his locker afterward and declined interview requests.

“What can you say?” he said. “No comment. Talk to (kicking coach Evan) Arapostathis about it. It’s like a blur.”

He paused.

“I’m sick of it.”

But there were other reasons SDSU is still winless here since the Jimmy Carter Administration. The Aztecs messed up? They had only 94 yards passing. In the past, that’s been about average--for one quarter. Morris completed only 10 of 28 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

“We didn’t move the ball like I wanted to,” Morris said. “I seemed to mess things up a couple of times. We’ve just got to start doing things right.”

The Falcons, who pass about as often as they climb trees in their underwear, gained 93 yards through the air.

Air Force had 321 total yards to SDSU’s 218. Embarrassing for the Aztecs? Three weeks ago, Division I-AA Weber State gained 621 yards of total offense on this same field against Air Force.

“We just didn’t execute offensively in the second half,” SDSU Coach Al Luginbill said. “I just talked to our football team about it. We just didn’t get it done. I don’t want to take anything away from Air Force--maybe it was because of them and maybe it was because of us.

“But then we did the things on defense that you can’t do against this football team and that’s give up the long passes. Everything else was fine.”

Air Force quarterback Rob Perez completed only three of six passes, and the Falcons got 83 of their 93 yards passing on two of them.

“Those just killed us,” SDSU free safety Damon Pieri said.

The first came on Air Force’s first drive of the second half, when the Falcons were trailing, 14-7. Falcon Coach Fisher DeBerry called the drive the key point in the game.

On first and 10 from the SDSU 49, Clarence Hopkins got behind SDSU defensive back John Louis and caught a 45-yarder from Perez. One play later, Wayne Young scored from the four, and the game was tied.

“We were in man-to-man coverage, and I was reading the running backs,” Louis said. “Right when (Hopkins) got past me, I turned and chased instead of being on top (in front of Hopkins).”

The second pass play devastating to SDSU came with the Aztecs ahead, 20-14, and with about 11 minutes to play. On first and 10 from the Falcon 33, Perez threw down the right sideline to tight end Peter Wilkie for a 38-yard completion.

The pass was underthrown, but it caught Pieri out of position, and then Pieri turned the wrong way.

“I thought the pass would be a little deeper,” Pieri said. “By the time I got my head around, it was too late.”

Five plays later Parisi, a sophomore, scored on the first carry of his career.

There was still 8:35 to play, but for all the Aztec offense did, the scoreboard clock may as well have read “0:00.”

On the ensuing kickoff, SDSU freshmen Marshall Faulk and Darnay Scott miscommunicated and both attempted to field the ball at the goal-line. Faulk got it, but he lost a few seconds in the mix-up and SDSU took over at its eight-yard line.

“That’s the problem when you have two freshmen playing for the first time in front of 40,000,” Luginbill said. “They’re going to make mistakes. It didn’t kill us, but it certainly didn’t give us good field position.”

After a running play and two incomplete passes, SDSU punted.

The Aztecs got the ball back with 3:40 left but again couldn’t move. Morris threw incomplete on first down; Faulk gained a yard on a draw play on second down; and Morris threw incomplete on third and fourth downs. On first and third downs, Morris had receivers open over the middle. On fourth down, he attempted a pass down the left sideline to tight end Ray Rowe but overthrew him by a good 10 yards.

Morris completed only one of six passes in the fourth quarter for six yards. In the second half, he completed only two of 10.

Luginbill said he did not consider inserting back-up quarterback David Lowery for the final drive. Asked if Morris may lose his starting job next week, Luginbill replied, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

Luginbill assessed Morris’ performance Saturday “average at best.”

Said Morris: “I don’t know, everything went by so quick.”

Faulk, who set an NCAA record by rushing for 386 yards against Pacific a week ago, carried 25 times for 114 yards against Air Force.

Only one of SDSU’s three touchdowns came as a result of any kind of sustained offensive drive. The Aztecs’ first touchdown drive was only 22 yards after linebacker Lou Foster recovered a fumbled snap. Their third touchdown drive covered only 16 yards after Foster recovered another fumble.

SDSU’s most impressive drive came in the second quarter, when the Aztecs went 91 yards in eight plays. Morris passed across the middle to Larry Maxey on a 25-yard play for the touchdown.

Otherwise, not much went right for SDSU. Morris even set up Air Force’s first touchdown by fumbling a snap and giving the Falcons the ball at the SDSU 28.

“If you can’t move the ball and you can’t stop the ball . . .” Foster said. “I’m not blaming anyone. We beat ourselves.”

Now the Aztecs are faced with UCLA on Thursday, followed by their annual uphill climb in the WAC race. At 0-1, they will spend the next several weeks chasing others--never an easy task. Air Force is already 3-0 in the conference.