SB Nation Denver - San Diego State Upends Colorado State, 24-19https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48907/denver-fave.png2010-11-07T05:45:44-07:00http://denver.sbnation.com/rss/stream/15590922010-11-07T05:45:44-07:002010-11-07T05:45:44-07:00San Diego State Defeats Colorado State, 24-19
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<p>San Diego, CA (<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/events/57702/recap?article_id=121436" target="_blank">Sports Network</a>) — <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/88716/ronnie-hillman">Ronnie Hillman</a> ran for 151 yards and a touchdown as he helped lead the San Diego State Aztecs to a 24-19 win over the Colorado State Rams in Mountain West Conference action at Qualcomm Stadium.</p>
<p>Hillman, who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, became just the third freshman in SDSU (7-2, 4-1 MWC) history to reach that plateau following Marshall Faulk (1991) and Lionel Hamilton (1994). Quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12894/ryan-lindley">Ryan Lindley</a> converted 14-of-23 for 171 yards and a score, but he was also picked off two times in the meeting.</p>
<p>The Rams (3-7, 2-4) were led by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113284/pete-thomas">Pete Thomas</a> who converted 22-of-40 passes for 266 yards in the setback. Thomas was picked off once and sacked five times as the SDSU defense came up with more than a dozen tackles for loss.</p>
<p>Colorado State kicker <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35811/ben-deline">Ben DeLine</a> started off the night's scoring as he booted a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter and then knocked through a 33-yard effort with five minutes left to play in the first half to give the visitors a 6-0 advantage.</p>
<p>On the ensuing possession the Aztecs moved the ball 60 yards on 11 plays, capped by a one-yard TD run by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12905/brandon-sullivan">Brandon Sullivan</a> to give the hosts a slim 7-6 lead at the break.</p>
<p>San Diego State kicker <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114492/abel-perez">Abel Perez</a> made good on a 31-yard field goal to make the score 10-6 in the third period.</p>
<p>With SDSU inside the red zone later in the frame it appeared the Aztecs would be building on their lead, but <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12666/mychal-sisson">Mychal Sisson</a> broke in on Lindley and slapped the ball out of his hand, scooped it up and ran 88 yards to the end zone to give the Rams a 13-10 edge.</p>
<p>Lindley and the Aztecs bounced back immediately, moving the ball 56 yards on five plays and getting a 26-yard rushing touchdown out of Hillman to put them back on top at 17-13. Lindley then combined with Sullivan on a nine-yard scoring pass to lift the team to a 24-13 advantage.</p>
<p>Thomas managed to guide the Rams back down the field and into the end zone with a 28-yard TD pass to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12708/zac-pauga">Zac Pauga</a>, but a two-point conversion attempt was thwarted and CSU eventually ended up with the five-point setback.</p>
<p>The win for the Aztecs was just the second at home against Colorado State since 1993 and the current four-game win streak for the squad is the longest since 1998, the team's 7-2 record matching the squad's best in the last 33 seasons as well. Now with 11 victories since Brady Hoke took over as head coach, the team has matched the number of wins they had in the 39 games prior to his arrival.</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-st-rams/2010/11/7/1798972/san-diego-state-defeats-colorado-state-24-19Jeremy Mauss2010-11-06T21:33:08-06:002010-11-06T21:33:08-06:00Colorado State Vs. San Diego State: Aztecs Score Late Second Quarter Touchdown
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<p>So far, Colorado State has shut down a high powered San Diego State offense, well the Aztecs have gifted the Rams two turnovers. However, the Aztecs were finally able to put a touchdown on the board by a one yard touchdown run by Brandon Sullivan. That drive was an 11 play 60 yard drive to eat up four and a half minutes on the clock.</p>
<p>So far, the first half the Rams Pete Thomas has 136 yards compared to San Diego State's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12894/ryan-lindley">Ryan Lindley</a> who has 44 yards in the first half. One would think that would be the opposite the way each of the two teams have played this season.</p>
<p>Below are the first half stats, and San Diego State gets the ball to start the third.</p>
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https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-st-rams/2010/11/6/1798643/colorado-state-san-diego-stateJeremy Mauss2010-11-06T20:25:40-06:002010-11-06T20:25:40-06:00Colorado State Vs. San Diego State: Rams Take Early 3-0 Lead
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<p>The Colorado State Rams are trying to remain in the hunt for a bowl game, and started off tonights game on the right foot by taking an early 3-0 lead over San Diego State. The Rams scored on a long 13 play drive that had Ram quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113284/pete-thomas">Pete Thomas</a> going five-for-five throwing the ball. The end result was a 27 yard field goal by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35811/ben-deline">Ben DeLine</a>.</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/colorado-st-rams/2010/11/6/1798567/colorado-state-san-diego-state-footballJeremy Mauss2010-11-04T21:22:17-06:002010-11-04T21:22:17-06:00Colorado State Attempting To Stay Alive For A Bowl Game As They Take On San Diego State
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<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">(<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/events/57702/preview?article_id=120780" target="_blank">Sports Network</a>) Riding a three-game win streak, the San Diego State Aztecs play host to the Colorado State Rams in Mountain West Conference action at Qualcomm Stadium this weekend.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">If not for a pair of three-point setbacks to nationally-ranked Missouri and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/byu-cougars">BYU Cougars</a>, the Aztecs would be one of the premier teams in the nation. As it stands, the squad has earned nine votes in the most recent AP poll and sits in third place in the MWC standings with a 3-1 mark. Already eligible for postseason play, the Aztecs had a bit of a fight on their hands last weekend against Wyoming on the road, but managed to pull out a 48-38 victory nonetheless. The 38 points allowed were the most this season by SDSU, yet the squad still captured its fourth win in five tries.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">As for the Rams, a team that has just three total victories in 2010, they clashed with winless New Mexico last weekend in Fort Collins and responded with a 38-14 triumph, the second in the last three outings for the program.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Ahead in the all-time series now with a mark of 16-13, SDSU put up a 42-28 victory in their last meeting a year ago in Fort Collins.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77119/leonard-mason">Leonard Mason</a> lit up the New Mexico defense last weekend for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries as he and the Rams logged their second conference win of the season. In fact, the running game was operating at full capacity for CSU as the unit generated 328 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The 328 yards were easily the most by the team this season and were a far cry from the mere 28 yards on 24 attempts produced by the Rams against Utah a week earlier. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113284/pete-thomas">Pete Thomas</a> also had strong numbers completing 17-of-25 passes for 256 yards and a score as well. Thomas, who has been thrown into the fire this season, has responded rather well with 67.8 percent accuracy and 223 ypg through the air, yet he has just as many interceptions (nine) as he does TDs, so there's still some work to be done in that regard. Mason has come on strong in three of the last four games for the Rams, posting three 100-yard rushing efforts and scoring a total of five touchdowns to give Thomas someone to lean on.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Taking care of the winless Lobos last weekend began with knocking out UNM starting quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38801/b-r-holbrook">B.R. Holbrook</a> (shoulder injury). However, the Rams did find out that backup signal-caller <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114412/stump-godfrey">Stump Godfrey</a> was no slouch as he converted 8-of-16 passes for 82 yards and a score and also ran for a team-best 72 yards, but none of that was relevant to the final outcome. Having a huge game for the Rams on this side of the ball was <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12666/mychal-sisson">Mychal Sisson</a> who finished with 12 tackles, three behind the line of scrimmage, and a pair of forced fumbles. Sisson, who is second on the team in total tackles this season with 65, is first in TFLs (11) and forced fumbles (three) and is second in sacks (2.5), trailing <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12742/guy-miller">Guy Miller</a> who has 6.5 sacks and nine TFLs thus far in 2010. One particular area in which the Rams have struggled this year is against the pass and at the moment the squad is last in the conference and 118th in the nation with a pass efficiency defense rating of 168.97.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Running back <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12905/brandon-sullivan">Brandon Sullivan</a> carried the ball a grand total of six times against Wyoming, resulting in 15 yards, but the real end result was three touchdowns for the Aztecs in their defeat of the Pokes on the road. However, Sullivan was not the only player to grab headlines on offense for SDSU as <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12894/ryan-lindley">Ryan Lindley</a> completed 16-of-32 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/12900/demarco-sampson">DeMarco Sampson</a> earned MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors by converting seven catches into 175 yards and two TDs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/88716/ronnie-hillman">Ronnie Hillman</a>, who ran for a season-low 44 yards last week, is still the primary back for the Aztecs despite the scoring burst by Sullivan. Hillman has had two games with more than 200 rushing yards and is currently ranked first in the league and 10th nationally with 113.1 ypg. The efforts of Hillman have given Lindley the ability to choose from a number of offensive options, to the point where the QB is first in the conference in total offense with 282.4 ypg.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">While it may not fall directly under the umbrella of the defense, having a strong punting game certainly helps aid a defense in pinning an opponent deep in their own end, and that's exactly what happened on the one time <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38682/brian-stahovich">Brian Stahovich</a> was forced to kick away for SDSU. The junior recorded the longest punt in school history, and 89-yard effort in the second half, which also stands as the longest in FBS play this season and the second-longest in MWC history. Because of that effort, SDSU is ranked first in the league and 18th nationally with an average now of 39.4 yards per punt. Certainly that phase of the game can only enhance what the defense is able to accomplish and right now the Aztecs sport the second-best pass efficiency defense (101.73) in the league, a number that places SDSU seventh in the country overall. Getting strong pressure at the line of scrimmage this season, San Diego State is first in the MWC and 18th nationally with 7.38 TFLs per outing.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">With all the aspects of the offense working together right now, to pick against the Aztecs at home would be foolish, especially against an opponent that has been so unpredictable.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Sports Network Predicted Outcome: San Diego State 35, Colorado State 17</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">Saturday, November 6th, 10:00 p.m. (et).</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; padding: 0px; border: 0px initial initial;">TV: The Mountain West Sports Network</p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/2010/11/4/2323742/colorado-state-attempting-to-stay-alive-for-a-bowl-game-as-they-takeJeremy Mauss