New Mexico, Bye Week, Just What the Doctor Ordered for Aztecs

With their second and final bye of the season on Saturday, San Diego State will be able to lighten up a little this week.

Besides starting a run of seven consecutive Western Athletic Conference games Saturday by drubbing New Mexico, 49-21, the Aztecs (2-1-1, 2-0 in the WAC) spent last week attempting to exorcise the ghosts of UCLA.

“We played a bad game,” said Marshall Faulk, who carried for 200 yards against the Lobos, in reference to the UCLA game. “We were embarrassed. We just wanted to show we could play the game of football.

“Everybody was on edge in practice last week.”

Consider the Aztecs to have stepped off that edge. Reliving the first four games and looking ahead to the next seven:

* The Aztecs are off until Oct. 17, when they play host to Texas El Paso (0-4, 0-2). It is SDSU’s first home game since Sept. 5, when the Aztecs tied USC, 31-31.

“We’re looking forward to getting back to our own house,” Coach Al Luginbill said. “It seems like it’s been forever.”

* Faulk, who continues to make a strong showing as a Heisman Trophy contender, now has 837 yards in four games. He continues to lead the nation in rushing (209.2 yards per game), scoring (13 1/2 points per game) and in all-purpose yardage (222.25 per game). He is averaging 7.6 yards per carry.

* Faulk’s career rushing average is 174.3 yards per game. The NCAA record is 174.6, set by Cornell’s Ed Marinaro from 1969 to 1971.

* One Luginbill quote from Saturday night is worth repeating: “Our team is going to have to screw this up for Marshall Faulk not to be the best player in the country.”

* The Aztecs, 2-0, are tied with Hawaii for first in the WAC. Utah is next at 1-0. The Utes concern Luginbill because the Aztecs do not play them. SDSU needs someone else to defeat Utah. Hawaii is at Utah this week, so one team should fall from the undefeated ranks.

* SDSU is undefeated in its past eight WAC games. The only non-victory in those eight games was last season’s epic 52-52 tie with Brigham Young. Since 1990, the Aztecs are 13-3-1 in WAC games.

* SDSU has now defeated New Mexico nine consecutive times.

* The Lobos were good for the Aztec defense. SDSU, now yielding 433.5 yards per game, moved up to 96th nationally (from 106th) in total defense.

* After suffering through the first three games with a weak--by their standards--passing attack, the Aztecs were thrilled with quarterback David Lowry’s performance Saturday. The junior completed 28 of 39 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

“He was throwing real sweet,” receiver Keith Williams said. “We went out as a group wanting to get the passing game down. We know we’ve got to balance it out with Marshall.”

* Before Saturday’s game, in which 10 different Aztecs caught passes, SDSU’s passing attack consisted mainly of throws to Darnay Scott. He had caught 15 passes; Williams and Faulk were next at six apiece.

Scott led the Aztecs with seven catches against New Mexico, but previously invisible Larry Maxey grabbed five, Williams caught four and Curtis Shearer and DeAndre Maxwell had three each.

“That’s the balanced type of look we want to (have),” Luginbill said. “We got to see we have more receivers than Darnay Scott.”

* The Aztecs had 317 yards passing against New Mexico and 280 rushing.

“That’s the balance we like to have,” Luginbill said.

* This passing stuff maybe isn’t as difficult as it seemed.

“Once you get the game plan going and get back in sync, it all works together,” Lowery said.