AZTEC NOTEBOOK : Falcons ‘Hold’ Faulk to 114 Yards

Marshall Faulk’s day was a little duller this Saturday than it was last Saturday.

Although he scored two touchdowns in San Diego State’s 21-20 loss at Air Force, the freshman tailback didn’t set any NCAA records.

Last week, he set the NCAA record with 386 rushing yards. Saturday he gained 114 yards on 25 carries. He was impressed with Air Force’s defense.

“They never quit,” he said. “They’re aggressive. They’ve got good inside backers who attack you every play. They really flowed with the running backs and pursued the ball real good.”

Faulk’s longest run was a 32-yarder in the second quarter. He nearly broke it for what would have been a 56-yard touchdown run, but he was pushed out of bounds by a lunging Shannon Yates, a Falcon defensive back.

SDSU’s defensive line was ready to retreat by the end of the game. Because of ankle injuries to ends Turaj Smith and Ramondo Stallings, Tyrone Morrison, George Glaze and Steve Matuszewicz played more than expected in the second half.

Both Smith and Stallings suffered what Dr. Robert Straumfjord, SDSU team doctor, called minor right ankle sprains. Straumfjord said they will be tender for a while and will know more today.

Also, tight end Judd Rachow suffered a second-degree medial collateral ligament sprain and will be sidelined two to four weeks, Straumfjord said, and linebacker Andy Coviello suffered a first-degree right shoulder separation. Straumfjord said Coviello, who also has been hampered by left knee tendinitis, should be available for Thursday’s UCLA game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.