Aztecs Let Miami Get Away : College football: Opportunity to hurt Hurricanes turned into a big play that helped defeat San Diego State, Coach Al Luginbill says.

Call it the Accidental Punt Return.

San Diego State Coach Al Luginbill has some names he would use, but none should be mentioned.

It came with just more than 2:00 to play in the first quarter during top-ranked Miami’s 39-12 romp over SDSU Saturday. Luginbill called it the turning point.

“I thought we competed very well after that, but what it did was change the field position,” Luginbill said. “The difference was us having the ball inside of their 20 to them having the ball on our two. That’s a tremendous field change.

“It set the tone all night long.”

The Aztecs had held Miami to a field goal after the Hurricanes moved from their 29 to the Aztec four on their opening drive. It was a time of hope for SDSU. The 14-play drive gobbled up 5 minutes 41 seconds--it was Miami’s longest drive of the season, in terms of time. The Aztecs defense, ranked No. 100 nationally, was able to prevent the touchdown.

Seven minutes later, with the score still 3-0, Aztec hopes quickly began to evaporate.

Jason Savorn punted from SDSU’s 35 and Kevin Williams, who already had set a Hurricanes season record for punt return yardage with 538 entering the game, tried to field a wobbly punt on the hop. The ball bounced off of Williams’ hand at the 19, bounded away and off at least one SDSU player and suddenly, out of the pack came . . . Williams.

With the ball. And running toward the right side of the field, which just happened to be wide open.

By the time Terrill Steen caught up with him 82 yards later, he was at the SDSU two.

“What bothers me is that we’ve worked on quick-change ever day of the week for three years,” Luginbill said. “The ball was just laying there on the field, and we don’t come up with it. . . .”

But the inevitable--Miami seizing control of the game--would be delayed a few more minutes. On the next play, Hurricanes running back Larry Jones fumbled, and SDSU’s Damon Pieri pounced on it at the one.

But the Aztecs had lousy field position and worse luck. Four plays later, SDSU quarterback David Lowery dropped back, passed, and the ball slipped through H-back Larry Maxey’s hands. Another Williams--defensive back Darryl--hurt SDSU further by grabbing the ball and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown. Miami led, 10-0, and the night began to get longer.

One more key play eliminated the Aztecs. It came on Miami’s next possession, and it was one of the more inexcusable Aztecs plays this season.

Miami had the ball. It was third-and-35 from the Hurricanes’ 34 with close to 12:00 left in the second quarter. Hurricane quarterback Gino Torretta faded back to pass . . . Horace Copeland started his route . . . SDSU freshman defensive back Eric Sutton made a wrong turn . . . and Copeland hauled in a 66-yard touchdown pass. It was 17-0, Miami.

“We were in a zone,” Luginbill said of the third-and-35 touchdown. “We were in a three-deep zone. You can’t get beat in a three-deep zone, but we did.

“That’s where youth gets us in trouble. You don’t see freshmen playing (for Miami). Not one.”

Sutton said he simply blew it.

SDSU free safety Damon Pieri was weak with the flu--he had a 102-degree temperature Friday and struggled through the flight to Miami--and, although Pieri played most of the way, Darrell Lewis made his first appearance at free safety. But this isn’t what hurt the SDSU secondary.

Sutton’s miscue, and three or four more by sophomore cornerback John Louis, were most costly.

Torretta set a Miami school record with 485 yards passing. He completed 23 of 44 passes, four of them for touchdowns. In its past two games, SDSU has allowed Brigham Young’s Ty Detmer and Torretta to throw for a combined 1,084 yards passing.

Miami had 579 total yards, and SDSU had 427. The Aztecs, led by Marshall Faulk’s 154, rushed for 214.

“If somebody had told me that we would come into the Orange Bowl and rush for 200 yards and get beat by 27 points,” Luginbill said, “I would have said, ‘Impossible.’ ”

The bottom line was, on a night the Aztecs needed to be perfect, they weren’t even close. Their quarterback threw for his second-fewest yardage total--213--since becoming the starter eight games ago. Against the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense, Lowery hit on 22 of 53 passes, with one touchdown and four interceptions.

“You’ve got to give credit to the Miami defense,” Luginbill said. “I said earlier in the week, I felt whichever defense made the plays would win.”