Idaho once again competitive, failed to win in San Diego
For Idaho, the first half of Saturday’s game was the Chad Chalich show. The sophomore quarterback ran all over San Diego State’s defense en route to 80 yards rushing for the half.
Ilya Pinchuk | Idaho Athletic Department
Idaho running back Jerrel Brown gets tackled by two Aztecs in the first half of the Vandals 35-21 loss Saturday at San Diego State. Idaho returns to the Kibbie Dome to play Troy Saturday for Senior Day.
His performance had the Vandals tied with SDSU at halftime, 14-14 — but football is a game of adjustments, and Aztec coach Rocky Long did just that in the second half.
Chalich, who started for the first time since midway through the 2013 season when he went down with an injury, didn’t gain another yard on the ground, and Idaho only found the end zone one more time. San Diego State scored three more touchdowns, and ultimately won 35-21.
“He played really well and ran really well,” Idaho coach Paul Petrino said of Chalich. “I don’t think he could run as well in the second half because he hurt his groin … If he wouldn’t have done that, he probably would’ve ran more that way in the second half … Hopefully he’ll be OK.”
Chalich started in place of regular starter freshman Matt Linehan, who has struggled since he went down with a concussion against New Mexico State Oct. 18. Linehan played sparingly against San Diego State, going 6-of-11 for 41 yards.
The Aztecs improved to 5-4, while the Vandals dropped to 1-8. Both teams play in the state of Idaho Saturday as Idaho returns to Moscow for Senior Day against Troy, and SDSU travels to Boise to take on Boise State.
Idaho had its shot to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. Down by seven, on the SDSU seven-yard line, senior running back Jerrel Brown fumbled the ball and gave possession back to the Aztecs, who then closed out the win.
“Until we quit hurting ourselves in key situations, we’re not going to get over the hump,” Petrino said. “To come in here, at their place and play them that competitive, again it shows how far we’ve came, but it’s time to go to the next level and quit hurting ourselves and not beat ourselves and find a way to win.”
Ilya Pinchuk | Idaho Athletic Department
Idaho quarterback Chad Chalich runs the ball at the San Diego State game.
Petrino said the offense played great in the first half, while the defense didn’t, but in the second half, it was the other way around. He said the offense struggled to get anything going, while the defense played well enough to keep the game competitive.
San Diego State, known for its smash mouth approach on offense, took to the air in the second half. Aztec quarterback Quinn Kaehler connected with wide receiver Eric Judge four times in the second half for 107 yards and one touchdown.
“They look like they had a lot of time, and any time you have that much time, it’s hard to cover people that long,” Petrino said of the SDSU passing game.
The Aztec’s rushing attack was also effective. Sophomore running back Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 146 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. SDSU is now 8-1 when Pumphrey eclipses the century mark.
The Vandals have been contenders in the majority of their games this season, and have had their fair share of chances to win.
“We had a chance to win our last five games, but we didn’t,” Petrino said. “We better get ourselves to do it and win these last two.”
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]