Boiled Down: Our Aztecs Are Inconsistent

You can look at Saturday’s loss to Boise State and see two totally different Aztec teams. Early in the game, the Aztecs were dominant – unstoppable on offense; impenetrable on defense.

An exaggeration? No. Take a look at the first-quarter stats. Aztecs had 135 yards to only 27 for the Broncos. Six first downs to one. The score was 10-0, and that increased to 20-0 in the second quarter. Then the game changed.

Remember the Nevada game, where the Wolf Pack first lined up to punt on a fourth down near midfield, then took a time-out and went for it. They made it and it changed the momentum. Well, this time it was a fourth down deep in their own territory and the Broncos took a big gamble. Their faked punt worked. They ran for 24 yards and a first down. It was almost like a switch was thrown. Then, with only 17 seconds left in the half, they scored a TD to cut our lead down to a more manageable 20-10.

The second half offensive numbers – 236-140 – tell the story, and the Broncos ran away with a 38-29 win, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter.

You can find some encouraging signs. Not surprisingly, DJ Pumphrey ran for 147 net yards, averaging 6.1 a carry and scoring on TD runs of 32 and 34 yards. Quinn Kaehler hit 17 of 23 for 173 yards and one TD. But had one damaging INT.

Let’s face it, the Aztecs need to be more consistent and play a solid game through four quarters. It better start Friday night at home because Air Force is a much improved team this season, as witness their win over the Nevada Wolf Pack Saturday.

DJ Pumphrey scores the Aztecs first TD on a 32-yard run; JJ Whittaker returns an INT 26 yards as Damontae Kazee leads the way (photos by Ernie Anderson)

GO AZTECS!