Despite the Aztecs’ loss to Navy in the 10th annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23, it was still a memorable season on Montezuma Mesa for the San Diego State University football team.
The Aztecs made their fifth consecutive bowl game appearance, a school record. SDSU also tied Fresno State for the top spot in the Mountain West Conference’s West Division standings.
Despite the Aztecs’ loss to Navy in the 10th annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23, it was still a memorable season on Montezuma Mesa for the San Diego State University football team.
The Aztecs made their fifth consecutive bowl game appearance, a school record. SDSU also tied Fresno State for the top spot in the Mountain West Conference’s West Division standings.
“Very few teams are going to a fifth straight bowl game and our players have worked hard to get there,” Aztec head coach Rocky Long said. “It shows how successful our program has become.”
Long said his players were “excited” about being home for the holidays, so their family and friends could “come watch them play.”
SDSU (7-6 overall) made it exciting to the end of the game. The Aztecs lined up for a potential game-winning field goal with 20 seconds left on the score clock, but Donny Hageman’s 35-yard attempt was wide to preserve a 17-16 victory for the Midshipmen.
SDSU led by scores of 10-7, 13-7 and 16-14 at various junctures of the game.
The game marked the final appearance in an Aztec uniform for seniors Sam Meredith and Joel Alesi, both former East County high school standouts.
Meredith, a defensive lineman from Helix High School, appeared in 12 regular season games with 26 tackles, including 18 solo stops, 2.5 sacks, one pass deflection and seven quarterback hits.
Christian High School alumnus Joel Alesi averaged 36.3 yards on 55 punts during the regular season, with a longest boot of 50 yards and placing 21 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Two other East County standouts also contributed to the Aztecs’ success in 2014:
Robert Craighead, a junior tight end from El Capitan High School, appeared in 12 regular season games this past season with four catches for 42 yards and one touchdown. His longest reception of the season was 27 yards.
Spring Valley’s Micah Seau, a sophomore linebacker who wears No. 55 in homage to his late uncle, San Diego Chargers’ great Junior Seau, appeared in five games this season and was credited with one tackle and one pass break-up.
Poinsettia Bowl
Meredith was credited with four unassisted tackles, including one for a loss, and one forced fumble in the Poinsettia Bowl game loss to Navy (8-5) while Alesi averaged 34.3 yards on three punts, including a longest effort of 44 yards.
Donnel Pumphrey, who entered the bowl game with a SDSU sophomore record 1,755 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, earned First Team All-Mountain West honors. He rushed 21 times for 112 yards to set a new SDSU single-season rushing record with 1,867 yards, eclipsing the old record of 1,842 yards by George Jones in 1995.
Pumphrey scored on a five-yard run in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7. It was the Aztecs’ lone touchdown of the game.
Pumphrey later fumbled the ball at midfield. Navy recovered and drove down field for what proved to be the game-winning field goal.
SDSU out-gained Navy 327-271 in total yards in the loss. However, the Aztecs suffered three turnovers in the game, including two interceptions.
Conversely, the Aztecs recovered four Navy fumbles in the game. The four-fumble recoveries set a new SDSU school record.
A key turning point in the contest occurred when SDSU, then leading 16-14, elected not to attempt a short field goal when facing fourth-and-five from the Navy 12-yard line. Instead, Aztecs quarterback Quinn Kaehler attempted a pass to Mikah Holder than fell incomplete. A field goal could have extended the Aztec lead to 19-13.
Ironically, Hageman had set a new SDSU school record for most field goals in one season with 20, tied the bowl game record for most field goals in one game with three, and set a new bowl game record with a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter. However, the junior kicker missed his final attempt that could have won the game.
“If we score points down there when we have turnovers and short fields, if we score points, it doesn't come down to a field goal,” SDSU coach Rocky Long told the media in a post-game press conference. “You got to give Navy's defense credit for that.”
Extra points
With Navy joining the American Athletic Conference for the 2015-16 season, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl could lose one of its star attractions. San Diego Bowl Game Association Executive Director Bruce Binkowski said the Poinsettia Bowl currently does not have a contract with the AAC.
Navy has made four appearances during the Poinsettia Bowl’s first 10 years, drawing more than 30,000 fans each time. Navy is 2-2 in its four trips to San Diego with wins over Colorado State in the inaugural game in 2005 and San Diego State in the 10th anniversary game.
SDSU and Navy combined to draw more than 48,000 fans to the 2010 game—a 35-14 SDSU victory.
“Having Navy play SDSU might be the last time we have these two teams play each other here, as Navy is set to join the AAC and we don’t have a contract with the AAC,” Binkowski said.
Despite the loss of Navy for the short term, Binkowski said opponents for the bowl game’s Mountain West Conference entrant have been set through 2019. They include Army, BYU (twice)—both pending bowl eligible status—and teams from the Mid-America Conference (twice).
The 2014 game between Navy and SDSU—a 17-16 win for the Midshipmen—attracted 33,077 fans.
