San Diego State beats Houston in 25th Las Vegas Bowl, 34-10
It looked bleak for Donnel Pumphrey to break Ron Dayne’s FBS all-time rushing record in his hometown.
The San Diego State running back was going backward in his chase to 6,397 yards against Houston, which was playing like the No. 3 rushing defense in the nation to start the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Pumphrey, who needed 108 rushing yards to break the record, was at minus-1 yard to begin the second quarter. Then, in a flash, the shifty running back from Canyon Springs High was loose on the left side of the field for 30 yards.
The big gain got the ball rolling for Pumphrey’s record-breaking performance, and the Aztecs cruised to a 34-10 victory after trailing by 10 in the second quarter. Pumphrey ended his homecoming with 115 yards on the ground, an NCAA record and the Most Valuable Player trophy of the 25th Las Vegas Bowl.
An announced crowd of 29,286 filled Sam Boyd Stadium to witness Pumphrey’s historic day.
“To experience all this with my teammates, family and friends, it’s amazing,” Pumphrey said. “This is where it all started. To end my college career here is amazing.”
It started rough on offense for the Aztecs, but the defense kept them in the game before Pumphrey struck gold.
The San Diego State defense recorded four interceptions and seven sacks to hand Houston’s explosive quarterback, Greg Ward Jr., a nightmare performance in his final collegiate game and a sour debut for head coach Major Applewhite, who was promoted from offensive coordinator last week.
Ward went 25 of 34 for 229 passing yards and gained 57 rushing yards on 22 carries, but lost every rushing yard because of San Diego State’s seven sacks. Ward did rush for a 2-yard touchdown to put the Cougars ahead 10-0 late in the first quarter. It was his 39th career rushing touchdown, tying a program record with Bryce Beall.
The Aztecs, who lead the nation in interceptions with 26, picked off Ward on Houston’s first three drives of the second half. Ward entered with only nine interceptions this season.
“We kept giving them opportunities and putting them in favorable territory with the miss-communication and turnovers,” Applewhite said. “When you give a great back (Pumphrey) that many at-bats and that many opportunities, one is going to spit at some point, and it did.”
Pumphrey was stuck at minus-1 rushing yard after seven carries before his 30-yard burst. Pumphrey ripped off a 32-yard rushing touchdown with 3:14 left in the third quarter to give San Diego State its first lead at 13-10.
San Diego State’s Ron Smith returned a Ward interception 54 yards for a touchdown and a 20-10 lead, and the rout was on. Kameron Kelly picked off Ward twice, and Calvin Munson also recorded an interception.
“This win should say we belong in the top 25,” San Diego State coach Rocky Long said. “Hopefully people will know we’re a good program. There was a lot of talk about Houston and how they beat Louisville and Oklahoma.”
Pumphrey broke the record held by Dayne, a former Wisconsin running back, on a 15-yard carry with 12:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. Pumphrey now sits ahead of Dayne on the all-time list with 6,405 career rushing yards.
San Diego State’s Christian Chapman completed 10 of 14 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown to Curtis Anderson.
Houston, which led 10-6 at halftime, was without its best wide receiver, Chance Allen, who was suspended Saturday for the game for missing curfew.
San Diego State, the back-to-back Mountain West champion, made a statement against a Houston program with aspirations to join the Big 12 Conference.
“It stinks,” Applewhite said about grading his debut. “It’s not what what we wanted.”
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.
