Ex-Canyon Springs RB Pumphrey excelling at San Diego State

Donnel Pumphrey isn't quite "lost between two shores," as Neil Diamond famously sang about New York and Los Angeles, but in that song, Diamond was anguished because couldn't call either city truly his.

The opposite is true for Pumphrey.

He spent his early childhood in San Diego before moving to Las Vegas in eighth grade, going on to star for Canyon Springs High School.

UNLV wanted him to stay home. San Diego State wanted him to return home.

In the end, it was San Diego State that won out, and now Pumphrey and the Aztecs will be in Las Vegas, facing the Rebels at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"They're a good program and they recruited me as well, but I felt San Diego State was a better fit for me," Pumphrey said. "It's not really a rival. I look at them as another game. I just want to do my best."

Pumphrey (5-9, 180 pounds) has more than lived up to expectations in his three seasons at San Diego State.

He played immediately as an incoming freshman in 2013, rushing for 752 yards and eight touchdowns. Then came last year's breakthrough season when Pumphrey gained a school-record 1,867 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry and rushing for 20 touchdowns.

This season began quite a bit slower, but it wasn't all on Pumphrey.

The Aztecs ran a balanced offense early on, but after mixed results, they went all in with the running game. Since then, San Diego State has not thrown even 20 times in a game, and Pumphrey has ripped off six 100-yard games in a row.

San Diego State went from averaging 37.5 rushing attempts over the first four games to averaging 54.3 over the past six.

"That tells you a little bit about what they're committed to," UNLV coach Tony Sanchez said.

Pumphrey, who has 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing this season, is one of four players nationally to lead his team in rushing and receiving. He also has 24 receptions for 325 yards and two TDs.

With all he has accomplished, the natural question is whether Pumphrey would leave after his junior season for the NFL, but he put that to rest last month by telling a San Diego radio station he would return in 2016.

"I really just wanted the college experience," Pumphrey told the Review-Journal this week. "I'm not really thinking about the NFL right now. Me and my family talked about graduating before I even got to college."

There's also the matter of becoming the school's all-time leading rusher, which Pumphrey has a great chance of accomplishing with another season. He has 3,790 yards, just 800 from breaking legendary Marshall Faulk's record set from 1991 to 1993.

But that's next season.

First, there is this week's return to Las Vegas. But it's not like Pumphrey completely left the city. His coach at Canyon Springs, Hunkie Cooper, is the Aztecs' wide receivers coach. San Diego State's special teams coordinator, Bobby Hauck, recruited Pumphrey to UNLV when Hauck was the Rebels' head coach. All have plenty of motivation for wanting to beat the Rebels.

But Pumphrey downplayed that as a factor, and said he also looked forward to returning to Las Vegas and reuniting with family members.

"I can't wait," Pumphrey said. "I'm excited."

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65