Just hours after Qualcomm being flooded, the San Diego Aztecs beat Navy 35-14 in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl with a great performance by freshman RB Ronnie Hillman. The win gave the Aztec's the first bowl victory in 41 years.
Hillman rushed for 228-yards, ran for three touchdowns and caught another as the Aztecs totaled 555 yards of offense. WR Vincent Brown also had a great game, catching eight balls for 165 yards and a touchdown.
The Aztecs led wire-to-wire with a balanced attack that accounted for 279 rushing yards and 276 passing yards, averaging 8.7 yards per play. Navy was limited to 235 yards on the ground by the Aztecs' defense, which pitched a second-half shutout.
Aztecs' QB Ryan Lindley was interception-free going 18-of-23 for 276 yards and two scores.
Hillman was names offensive MVP, he set the Poinsettia Bowl rushing record. Safety Andrew Preston was named defensive MVP with 10 tackles. Vincent Brown also set the Poinsettia Bowl record for most receiving yards, he had six catches for 143 yards.
The win gave the Aztecs, playing in their first bowl game since 1998, their most victories since the 1977 team went 10-1. It also snapped a three-game losing streak in bowl games.
The win gave the Aztecs, playing in their first bowl game since 1998, their most victories since the 1977 team went 10-1. It also snapped a three-game losing streak in bowl games.
The Aztecs scored first when Hillman broke free on a 22-yard touchdown run on the Aztecs’ second offensive possession. Hillman accounted for 37 of the 59 yards on the drive. SDSU stretched the lead to 14-0 in the first quarter on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Lindley to Brown. It was the longest touchdown pass Navy had allowed all season.
For all the talk about Navy’s running game, it was the passing game that gave the Aztecs fits in the first half. Ricky Dobbs (107 yards rushing, 147 passing) connected twice with Greg Jones on big plays. The first was a 30-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter that cut SDSU’s lead to 14-7. The second, a 40-yarder in the closing minute of the half, set up Dobbs’ 1-yard touchdown run make the score 21-14 SDSU at the break.
Navy opened the second half with a long drive that was thwarted on fourth-and-goal at the SDSU 3 when Dobbs couldn’t connect with Bo Snelson. Both coaches called that a critical turning point in a scoreless third quarter.
Navy opened the second half with a long drive that was thwarted on fourth-and-goal at the SDSU 3 when Dobbs couldn’t connect with Bo Snelson. Both coaches called that a critical turning point in a scoreless third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Hillman scored his first receiving touchdown of the season after Lindley faked a handoff to fullback Brandon Sullivan. Hillman slipped out uncovered for the 15-yard TD and a 28-14 SDSU advantage.
He added a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:07 to play.
He added a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:07 to play.
Congratulations to the SDSU Aztecs for a great performance.
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