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The Daily Aztec
Sports
Sept. 15 - 21, 2021 EDITOR: Jason Freund • sports@thedailyaztec.com
Aztecs maul Arizona Wildcats 38-14 by Jayden Hanzy CONTRIBUTOR
After an explosive start, San Diego State football were able to crush the Pac-12’s Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. With a heavy dose of run game, the Aztecs (2-0) were dominant over the Wildcats (0-2) all game in a 38-14 victory. Following a game where he recorded his career high in rushing yards, senior running back Greg Bell exploded for another big running game. Bell had 125 yards on only 17 carries and set the tone with a 55-yard rushing touchdown on the second play of the game. Other rushers such as senior running backs Chance Bell and Kaegun Williams also provided valuable yards which gave the Aztecs 271 total rushing yards on the night. After the game, Bell credited a lot of his success to his offensive line. “My O-line looked great tonight,” Bell said. “They looked great last week. They opened up a lot of holes tonight and we got the victory.” Led by the team’s commanding rushing attack, the Aztecs were able to put up 35 points in the first half. Just like the running game, the team was also able to be explosive through the air as well. Quarterback Jordan Brookshire — who seemed much more confident than last game — went 10 for 15 for 183 yards and two touchdowns, while spreading the field for the Aztecs. Brookshire connected with his tight end Daniel Bellinger three times for 113 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown. When asked about how he was able to improve his game from last week with
SDSU’s heads into their week three matchup versus Utah with a 2-0 record.
New Mexico State, Brookshire explained further. “I think it’s more getting comfortable and being prepared for the game,” Brookside said. “Not that I wasn’t prepared for last week’s game, but I just felt more confident in this week’s game. I got a lot of supporters behind me saying pick it up. Having a lot of people with you backing you up makes it a lot easier.” Not only did the Aztecs excel on offense, but they also did great work on the defensive side of the ball. The Aztecs defense only allowed seven points to a talented Wildcat offense. SDSU shut down the run by allowing only 49 rushing yards the whole day while the front seven got to the quarterback with ease. They put constant pressure on
Photo by Noelani Sapla
redshirt freshman quarterback Gunner Cruz, making him uncomfortable in the pocket. This resulted in the Aztecs secondary playing with confidence. Junior safety Patrick McMorris snagged his first career interception in the third quarter and was able to return it 16-yards While the Aztecs improved how they started the game from last week, they were unable to do much offensively in the second half. The team’s defense did a great job of maintaining control of the Wildcat’s offense, but the Aztecs must do a better job of keeping their foot on the throttle. Head coach Brady Hoke says he was pleased with what he saw in the first half, but would have liked to have seen more in the last half of the game. “We played well for the first half, and
didn’t quite match where we needed to be in the second half,” Hoke said. “A week ago, we played well in the second half and this week we played well in the first. We have to put a game together.” While the Aztecs improved how they started the game from last week, they were unable to do much offensively in the second half. The team’s defense did a great job of maintaining control of the Wildcat’s offense, but the Aztecs must do a better job of keeping their foot on the throttle. Alongside the team’s strong game on both sides of the ball, the Aztecs special teams also were outstanding. Junior Tyrell Shavers returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the first quarter, which helped set the tone for the rest of the game. After defeating a Pac-12 team, the Aztecs will hope to do the same thing next week against the Utah Utes (1-1), The Utes are coming off of a tough loss to BYU and the Atztecs will look to go 2-0 in their temporary home stadium in Carson, California and 3-0 on the season. The team finished the game with eight penalties, giving up 84 free yards because of it. This is unacceptable if the Aztecs want to uphold their success and remain one of the best teams in the Mountain West Conference. “Speaking of discipline, I really need to have a good talk with our football team because we had too many penalties,” Hoke said. “We have to respond better at times, but from that standpoint we will take care of that and move forward.” Through a good week of practice, the Aztecs will hope to clean up their mistakes and record their second straight win against a Pac-12 team.
Volleyball battles, falls to two Top-25 teams
By Daniela Ramirez CONTRIBUTOR
San Diego State women’s volleyball is hopeful their early-season struggles won’t define the rest of their season. The Aztecs had two losses against UCLA 3-0 (17-25, 18-25. 13-25) and USD 1-3 (25-20, 2025, 20-25, 18-25). The Scarlet and Black competed with ranked universities in the top 25 during 9/11 weekend. In honor of those who lost their lives on Sep. 11, 2001 a moment of silence was held before the first serve. For the past month, the Aztecs (17) have been competing against heavy competition with teams in the top rankings in college volleyball. UCLA (5-1, No. 19 AP poll) and USD (5-2, No. 21 AP poll) are non-conference opponents. Head coach Brent Hilliard said he felt good about how his athletes performed the past weekend against two of the top 25 teams in the country. Despite back-to-back losses over the weekend, the players still have a growth mindset and are prepared mentally for their first conference match on Sept. 23
Photos by Andrew Finley
(Top left) Senior Noa Miller sets up to serve against USD. (Right) Senior leader Victoria O’Sullivan spikes the ball against USD. The Aztecs would lose that match 3-1.
against Nevada. Senior Victoria O’Sullivan is one of few players who has been on the team since her freshman year. The team consists of new players and they’ve only been practicing together for two months. A new group of athletes comes with its benefits. O’Sullivan says this team has a lot of potential. “This year’s team has the most talent I’ve seen,” O’Sullivan said. O’Sullivan also said she’s starting to
get acclimated with her new teammates resulting in better communication on the court. Coach Hilliard is confident going into the conference. He said his athletes have great attitudes and they use this as a learning experience to get better, despite not seeing much success on game night. Aztec volleyball can keep up with the NCAA ranking teams. On Sept. 4, the Aztecs fell just short in a game against Pepperdine University, currently ranked
No. 24 in the AP Poll. With a score of 25-18 in the fourth set, Aztecs were still competing well against Pepperdine. The team was just points away from beating most of the teams they competed against in the pre-season. Having the experience to go head to head with ranked teams should give the Aztecs an edge when it comes to the schools in the Mountain West Conference. The next home game will be held on Sept. 30 against New Mexico.
