Bowl Hopes End for San Diego State After 41-20 Loss to UNLV
San Diego State , losers of four in a row after falling 41-20 in Las Vegas Saturday, have been eliminated from bowl contention in 2024.
UNLV's Hajj-Malik Williams threw a touchdown pass and ran for two more TDs to help outpace the Aztecs. He finished with 20-of-29 passing for 244 yards and ran for touchdowns of 12 and 7 yards.
SDSU (3-7, 2-3 Mountain West) forced a three-and-out to open the game against UNLV (7-2, 3-1 MW), but that auspicious start was immediately set aside as Danny O'Neill, on the second play of the ensuing possession, threw an interception.
Two drives later, Williams threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kaleo Ballungay to open the scoring with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
But things became painful in the second quarter as Greg Burrell capped a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a 20-yard TD run and Jai'Den Thomas ran for a 4-yard touchdown to give UNLV a 21-0 lead with 9:20 to go in the first half.
O'Neil threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Louis Brown IV but couldn't connect with Michael Harrison on the 2-point try and SDSU trailed 21-6 with 3:25 left in the second quarter.
The Aztec defense forced a punt, but UNLV picked off another pass from O'Neil to give UNLV possession at its own 47. Six plays later Williams scrambled for a 12-yard TD to make it 28-6 at halftime.
San Diego State went three-and-out on the first possession of the second, but somehow avoided a complete blowout with a gutty performance in the half.
After Williams capped an eight-play, 73-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, Ja'Shaun Poke answered with a 46-yard scoring reception — the West Virginia transfer's first TD for the Aztecs — a little more than a minute later.
Still, Caden Chittenden's 46-yard field goal made it 38-13 going into the fourth quarter.
O'Neil's quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1 for San Diego State made it 38-20 with 13:46 to play. The Aztecs might have added to the score, but couldn't convert after the defense forced a fumble with UNLV trying to push into the end zone from 1 yard out.
Dalesean Staley returned the ball 72 yards on the play, but SDSU, on 4th and 1, failed to score when Jordan Napier dropped a pass from O'Neill in the end zone with 1;27 left.
Head coach Sean Lewis credited his team for "scrapping," and also looked at the bright side of the season, which will end with the Nov. 30 game against Air Force at Snapdragon Stadium.
"We have these two weeks," he told San Diego Sports 760. "We going to cherish them and use them to get better." In a positive note for San Diego State, Marquez Cooper, with 111 yards on the night, became the first player in FBS history to log 1,000-yard seasons with three teams. He also played for Kent State and Ball State.
The Aztecs remain on the road next week, traveling to face Utah State.
