It is hard to imagine not being satisfied with a 35-7 victory, but in the case of the SDSU Aztec Football Team and especially their fans, that seems to be the case following their latest victory. This win, their fifth on the year, came at the expense of the University of New Mexico Lobos. Heading into their Nov. 5 matchup at Qualcomm Stadium, the Lobos had the dubious distinction of being the lowest ranked Division I football team in the entire nation. In their three most recent outings leading up to last Saturday’s game, the Lobos were outscored 160-7. The Aztecs (5-3) were favored to win by a whopping 35 points so naturally, the Aztec faithful were expecting a walk in the park. That is not however, what they witnessed, at least not in the first half. 

   The Aztecs by design seemed determined to move the ball almost entirely on the ground and the Lobos defense did a pretty good job of stacking the line and containing San Diego’s primary ball carrier, Ronnie Hillman. Decimated by injuries, the overmatched Lobos put up a pretty good fight in the first half. Following two Aztec touchdowns on short runs by Walter Kazee, the Lobos cut the Aztec lead in half to 14-7 just before the intermission when Crusoe Gong-bay scored a rare Lobos touchdown from seven yards out. For the second week in a row the Aztec faithful expressed their displeasure with a chorus of boos as the teams trotted into the locker rooms.

   Aztecs Head Coach Rocky Long no doubt had some choice words for his charges at halftime. It may have been just the wakeup call that his players were needing. Whatever the reason, the Aztecs were much more effective on offense in the second half.

   Running back Walter Kazee started the ball rolling when he scored his personal best third touchdown with 9:56 left in the third quarter. That was followed by a one-yard Hillman run to make it 28-7 three minutes later. Fullback Chad Young finalized the scoring at 35-7 with 10:42 left in the game. To their credit, the defense limited the Lobos to just seven points, eight first downs and a paltry 162 yards of offense. Linebacker Miles Burris led the defensive charge with nine tackles. 

   Despite being keyed upon all night long Hillman added another 141 rushing yards to his impressive season totals and scored one of the five touchdowns. Quarterback Ryan Lindley started poorly, but eventually warmed up to throw for 271 yards while completing 16 of his 24 passes.

   Tomorrow, the Aztecs visit Colorado State (3-5) in what appears on paper to be a very winnable game. The Rams are led by quarterback Pete Thomas who has completed over 62% of his passes.  Their defense, which is allowing 32 points per game offers an opportunity for Lindley and company to pad their statistics, provided of course, that they play up to their ability. A win here will put the Aztecs in good position for a bowl berth.