If San Diego State fans don't know by now, I'll be the bearer of bad news: the Aztecs got trampled 28-7 last Saturday by the Oregon State Beavers.
SDSU didn't lose this game at the hands of superstar quarterback Sean Mannion and the Beaver offense; Mannion only needed to toss 31 passes and OSU only gained 372 yards. The Aztec defense didn't look great, but holding a Mannion-led offense to 28 points is definitely not a shabby night.
Coach Rocky Long's squad lost because of its painfully anemic offense. Quarterback Quinn Kaehler played his worst NCAA game, completing 14 of 26 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions. His offensive line barely protected him, though, and his wide receiver corps definitely looks much less scary without Ezell Ruffin.
Sophomore running back Donnel Pumphrey played a solid game, however, carrying it 17 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. But Pumphrey probably would have been even more effective if his partner in the backfield, junior Chase Price, carried the ball more than once.
Yes, once. Price got one carry all night. He snagged two passes for 5 yards, as well.
SDSU runs a tandem-back system, and has done so very well in the last few seasons. Ronnie Hillman/Walter Kazee, Walter Kazee/Adam Muema, Adam Muema/Donnel Pumphrey. All effective duos that have averaged nearly 2,109 rushing yards per season.
These duos have most certainly been effective due to individual talent and help from the fullback and offensive line. But a large chunk of SDSU's running success comes from the two back's different styles. In other words, SDSU's running backs complement each other and make each other better.
Long uses a speedy, big-play back and a powerback. Hillman was a speedy guy, Kazee was a bulldozer and Muema played different roles in different seasons. Pumphrey is definitely a big-play speedster. But at 5'9" and 170 pounds, he can't be an every-down back and needs a powerback to tag him out more than Hillman or Muema ever did.
Enter Mr. Chase Price. Price won the powerback job and had been performing very well in SDSU's first two games. He carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards and a touchdown against Northern Arizona. His between-the-tackles style kept the Northern Arizona defense on their heels and focused on the middle. Consequently, Pumphrey had a much easier time getting open space and ran 19 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Same story against North Carolina. The two backs basically split reps: Price ran it 16 times for 71 yards and Pumphrey ran it 17 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
So why in the world did Price only carry it once against the Beavers? Unless he was injured, his absence on the field is quite puzzling.
The Aztecs wouldn't have won even if Price's number had been called 20 times; Oregon State was much more ready on Saturday night. Also SDSU only ran 49 total plays, so there weren't too many plays for Price and Pumphrey to share. But I promise that if offensive coordinator Bob Toledo had balanced his running backs more to complement each other in the backfield, SDSU would have gained more than just 215 total yards and may have made the game more respectable.
This game also didn't blow open until late in the game, so it's not like San Diego State passed all the time because it had to play from behind early.
This is now two games in a row that Toledo has made some questionable play-calling. His late-game calls against North Carolina drew some negative reaction two weeks ago.
Toledo became SDSU's offensive coordinator last season and did a remarkable job in his first year. Under his leadership, Kaehler, Ruffin and Pumphrey emerged out of the woodwork to become stars of a team that reached a program-record fourth straight bowl game.
But any time a coach has a two-back system and one back gets 17 times as many carries as the other, there will be some questions.