Overmatched UNLV drops home finale to San Diego State, 52-14

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Published Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 | 5:49 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 | 11:03 p.m.

FINAL: San Diego State 52, UNLV 14

The UNLV football team never had a chance.

The Rebels surrendered 31 unanswered points to open the game Saturday against San Diego State, dropping their home finale 52-14 to the Mountain West Pacific Division champion Aztecs.

San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey, a Canyon Springs High graduate, rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries in his homecoming. He rushed for more than 100 yards for the seventh straight game, the second-longest active streak in the nation.

UNLV received a pair of touchdown passes from Kurt Palendech in the second half, including a 14-yard scoring strike to Kendal Keys to snap San Diego State’s streak of more than 107 minutes without giving up a touchdown. His other touchdown went to Xzaviar Campbell.

The Rebels (3-8, 2-6 Mountain West) close the season next week at one-win Wyoming.

Check back later for more.

San Diego State 45, UNLV 7, 5:26 Third Quarter

To the credit of the UNLV football team, it continues to fight.

It may trail San Diego State 45-7 with 5:26 left in the third quarter, but the Rebels are still playing with energy. The three-win team hasn’t stopped trying.

That, however, is one of the few positives.

The Rebels trailed San Diego State by 31 points at halftime, but scored on its initial possession of the second half on a Kurt Palandech to Kendal Keys touchdown.

San Diego State quickly responded when quarterback Maxwell Smith hooked up with Chase Price for a 17-yard touchdown and 38-7 advantage. And when UNLV punted on its next possession, SDSU's Damontae Kazee returned the kick 66 yards for a touchdown and 45-7 lead.

San Diego State 31, UNLV 0 Halftime

The UNLV football team surrendered 279 yards in the first half tonight against San Diego State, including 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Canyon Spring grad Donnel Pumphrey in falling behind 31-0.

The Rebels have just 112 yards on 33 plays, struggling to move the ball with backup quarterback Kurt Palandech at the control. He’s completed just 7 of 15 passes for 73 yards with one interception. UNLV also lost a fumble for the first time in two years when Lexington Thomas coughed up the ball.

San Diego State 28, UNLV 0, 4:43 left in Second Quarter

San Diego State needed just two plays to score this touchdown.

DJ Pumphrey continued to dominate his hometown university, breaking free for a 60 yard rush to bring the ball to the UNLV 4. On the next play, he scored a 4-yard touchdown for a 28-0 lead.

The scoring drive was just two plays, both from the Canyon Springs product Pumphrey.

He now has 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, rushing for more than 100 yards for a seventh straight game. He’s got 21 games of more than 100 rushing yards in his three-year career.

Meanwhile, UNLV has continued to struggle moving the ball. Kurt Palandech has completed just 7 of 15 for 73 yards.

San Diego State 14, UNLV 0, End of First Quarter

The final two minutes of the first quarter haven’t been kind to the UNLV football team tonight against visiting San Diego State.

The Rebels thought they stopped San Diego State short of a touchdown on a fourth down play, but replay officials determined Donnel Pumphrey reached the ball into the endzone before his knee went down to give the Aztecs a 14-0 lead.

Then, on the first play of UNLV’s ensuing possession, freshman Lexington Thomas fumbled to give San Diego State another possession. And get this, it was the first lost fumble for UNLV in exactly two years and 653 carries.

UNLV gained just 50 yards in the first quarter, using Kurt Palandech at quarterback for the injured Blake Decker.

San Diego State 7, UNLV 0, 10:21 first quarter

Well, that was fast.

San Diego State needed just five plays and 1 minutes, 56 seconds to take a 7-0 lead against the UNLV football team in the home finale at Sam Boyd Stadium.

DJ Pumphrey, a Canyon Spring High product, had a 42 yard run to bring the ball inside the UNLV 10. Two plays later, San Diego State quarterback Maxwell Smith scored on a 3-yard run to cap the 75-yard drive.

UNLV failed to pass midfield on its first possession.

Pregame

A victory today by the UNLV football team against visiting San Diego State in the final home game of the season could be worth more than the Rebels’ fourth win of the season.

San Diego State and UNLV battle for players on the recruiting trail, and a win today against the Aztecs — the first place team in the Mountain West’s Pacific Division – would be great ammunition for coach Tony Sanchez and his staff when courting prospects.

San Diego State, because multiple coaches on their staff have ties here, has five players on their roster from Southern Nevada.

That group, of course, is led by running back DJ Pumphrey, a Canyon Springs High product who picked the Aztecs over the Rebels in 2013 and has become the one of the league’s best. He’s rushed for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, and has 40 career touchdowns in three seasons.

Two former UNLV head coaches, Jeff Horton and Bobby Hauck, and Hunkie Cooper, a popular local high school coach, are part of the San Diego State staff. They’ve already beat UNLV for a local recruit this fall when Green Valley wide receiver Isaiah Macklin committed for the 2016 signing class over UNLV.

San Diego State already has clinched a spot in the Mountain West championship game and enters as a 15-point betting favorite against the Rebels. UNLV’s season concludes next week at Wyoming.

I’ll keep everyone started once the game gets started. I’m interested to see how Hauck, who left UNLV last November and is the San Diego State special teams coordinator, will be received by Rebel fans.

Brewer’s prediction: Rebels, motivated on Senior Day, keep it close before losing another close game: San Diego State 31, UNLV 27

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21