You want suspense, watch Cirque du Soleil and wonder how a guy clinging to a rope 100 feet in the air will return to earth without breaking every bone in his body.

You want drama, watch a roulette wheel go round and round as beads of sweat form on the brow of a guy who has the mortgage money riding on red 14.

Because there certainly wasn’t any suspense or drama on Saturday the way the San Diego State football won its division in the Mountain West and qualified for the conference championship game.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.


Especially if you’re a coach and prefer chewing gum to Tums.

The suspense in SDSU’s 52-14 over UNLV was gone moments after the coin toss (which the Rebels won) at Sam Boyd Stadium. Most of the crowd of 14,738 got up from their seats and headed for the aisles after the Aztecs built a 31-0 halftime lead. They weren’t going to the concession stand.

Those who stuck around saw the Aztecs (8-3, 7-0 MW West Division) win their seventh straight game while going 7-0 in conference for the first time in school history. UNLV (3-8, 2-5) couldn’t do much about it. It was the most points scored on the road by the Aztecs since a 55-21 win at San Jose State in 1969.

When they boarded a bus for Saturday night’s game, SDSU players already knew they had clinched the West Division title and a spot in the conference championship game.


Nevada had the last clear chance at the Aztecs, but its chances went out the window Saturday afternoon when Utah State scored 10 fourth-quarter points for a 31-27 victory over the Wolf Pack (6-5, 4-3).

“It was nice coming over here, as a coach, knowing that we were already the West Division champs and we were going to get to play in the championship game,” SDSU head coach Rocky Long said. “But I had no concerns we weren’t going to play well. ... Obviously, we came to Vegas thinking we were going to have to win this game to be the West Division champs and the players got themselves ready and they played well.”

Shortly after they arrived at the stadium, the Aztecs learned New Mexico lost to Colorado State 28-21. That made Air Force the winner of the Mountain Division, and the Aztecs’ opponent Dec. 5 in the MW Championship Game.

It remains to be seen which team will host the game. A composite poll will be used to determine the host team, with the highest-ranked school earning the honors. SDSU led the poll with a 58.5 composite coming into this weekend’s games. Air Force, which was at 61.3, could possibly pass the Aztecs based on strength of schedule.


“It’s nice we’re in,” Long said. “Now I’m sure how we play next week and how Air Force plays next week is going to have a lot to do with who hosts the game. So that makes the game important for them and it makes it important for us.”

Junior linebacker Randy Ricks returned from a broken toe and got things started on the right foot when he forced a fumble by UNLV quarterback Kurt Palandech that was recovered by teammate Jon Sanchez.

“Once we make one big play, our team gets so excited, especially our defense,” Ricks said.

Indeed. The Aztecs defense finished with seven sacks and forced four turnovers. Junior defensive lineman Kyle Kelly led the team with two sacks. SDSU limited its 14th straight conference opponent to fewer than 400 yards in total offense, which is tied with Clemson for the longest streak in FBS.


SDSU running back D.J. Pumphrey rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, most of it coming on a 44-yard run in the first quarter and a 60-yard run in the second quarter.

There was a brief moment of suspense in the first period when Pumphrey was ruled down one yard short of the end zone. The call was reviewed and reversed, Pumphrey having reached across the goal line with the ball for a 2-yard TD before his knee touched down. That gave SDSU a 14-0 lead with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Pumphrey appeared briefly in the second half, finishing with 139 yards on 14 carries. The effort pushed him to 3,929 career yards, 71 away from joining Marshall Faulk (4,589) as the only players in SDSU history to reach the 4,000-yard mark.

As the yards pile up, Pumphrey, who graduated from nearby Canyon Springs High, remained more mindful of the last time the teams met here, when UNLV pasted the Aztecs 45-19.


“We knew what we had at stake and what they did to us two years ago,” Pumphrey said. “They blew us out, so we had to return the same thing. We just came out fired up and ready to play.”

SDSU scored on its opening possession when quarterback Maxwell Smith, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 105 yards and one touchdown in the game, capped a five-play drive with a 3-yard run for a 7-0 lead. Pumphrey carried three times for 50 yards on the 75-yard drive.

Sanchez and Malik Smith had first-quarter fumble recoveries for the Aztecs. Teammate Kameron Kelly had a second-quarter interception and Kameron Kelly added a third-quarter pick.

SDSU senior fullback Dakota Gordon scored his first career touchdown to make it 21-0 midway through the second quarter. A 4-yard TD run by Pumphrey and Donny Hageman’s 29-yd field goal as time expired in the first half provided SDSU with the 31-0 advantage.


Second-half highlights included a 17-yard touchdown reception for Chase Price and Damontae Kazee’s 66-yard punt return for a touchdown. Both plays came in the third quarter. Rashaad Penny’s 3-yard touchdown run six minutes into the fourth quarter completed the scoring for the Aztecs.

SDSU went over 200 yards rushing for the game in the third quarter and finished with 286 rushing yards for the game.

“We’ve played a lot of good rushing teams but I don’t know if we’ve been beat up as much as we were tonight,” UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez said.

It was the Aztecs’ 20th straight win when going over 200 rushing yards.


No suspense there.