Time to Unfold Hands, Fold Up Aztec Tent

The play was called 73X.

That’s X as in exit.

“All it is,” said DeAndre Maxwell, “is a Hail Mary.”

Maxwell was one of the receivers looking for a prayer to be answered. He was the one who got his hands on the ball. For the briefest of seconds, it seemed the whole world was in his hands.

It got away.

“I went up and thought I had it in my hands,” he said, “but a DB knocked it away. I made a second attempt, but I just couldn’t reach it.”

He was glum. He was dejected. He was unfulfilled.

“The game,” he said, “shouldn’t have come down to that one play.”

Amen.

Again and again, amen.

San Diego State will not play in the Holiday Bowl this year. San Diego State will not play in any bowl this year. It’s home for the holidays, and home is no place a football player or team want to be for the holidays.

Fresno State took care of that Saturday afternoon. Fresno State took care of that with an 80-yard drive to the winning touchdown with 14 seconds to play. Fresno State took care of that by a 45-41 score.

Deja vu tastes just awful to these Aztecs.

A year ago, when they also needed one victory to win the Western Athletic Conference championship and earn a Holiday Bowl berth, they went out and scored 52 points. That was not enough. That one ended in a 52-52 tie with Brigham Young.

That tie felt like a loss.

Saturday’s outcome was a loss.

This season began with such fantastically high hopes. What was fantastic was that these highest of hopes seemed so realistic. This team would surely finish ranked in the Top 25 and go to the Holiday Bowl. This team might lose to a USC or UCLA or Miami, but it would be untouchable in its conference.

Instead, the Aztecs have been battered and beaten within their conference by first Air Force and then Wyoming and Saturday’s ultimate insult at the hands of Fresno State.

“This emotional roller coaster of a season has been frustrating to all of us,” said Al Luginbill, the head coach. “And it’s certainly been disappointing.”

This is a roller coaster with the deepest of dips and Saturday’s low may have been the lowest.

The offense did some wonderful things, even with Marshall Faulk injured for all but two carries on the first series. It kept going after Wayne Pittman, Faulk’s understudy, went out during a most critical time of the game with a fractured leg.

David Lowery, the emotional quarterback, threw touchdown passes of 73, 39 and 41 yards. Darnay Scott caught seven passes for 204 yards. Ray Peterson returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown.

However, nothing the offense (or special teams) did could put this game away. The defense, the villain of so many of these pieces, would not let this game be put away.

For one spectacular moment, for one spectacular play, it looked like the Aztecs might survive their own defense. On a third and five from Fresno State’s 41, Lowery passed to Scott at about the 30. Johnny Johnson jarred him, but he got away. Brian Porter was after him, but Curtis Shearer delivered a crushing block. Tommy Jones had an angle, but Scott outran him into the end zone.

SDSU had a 41-38 lead . . . but an ominous 4 minutes 32 seconds remained in the game.

Could the defense make just one stand?

It forced a third and two, but Fresno State gained three. It forced third and 17, but Fresno State gained 19. It forced fourth and nine, but Fresno State gained 11. Fresno State scored.

“To win championships,” Luginbill said, “you have to make the plays down the stretch and we didn’t do it.”

A mere 14 seconds remained on the clock, time enough for a miracle or a prayer or, better yet, both.

Eight seconds remained after the kickoff and Lowery used seven of those with a 47-yard pass to Scott at the Fresno State 18. This was a miraculous catch in the midst of four defenders.

One second remained.

Time for a prayer.

Time for 73X.

“David throws it up and me and Darnay go and get it,” said Maxwell. “If it’s tipped, Keith Williams gets the tip.”

Maxwell had it for just a second before it was tipped away from him. It was almost close enough to reach.

“That’s as close as you can get,” he said. “I should have caught it.”

But it should never have come to that, even if it seems like it always does.