NCAAF Game Recap - Central Michigan at San Diego State
Sat Dec 21, 2019 2:00 PM EST

Boise
7
Wash
38
F
App
31
UAB
17
F
Buff
31
UNCC
9
F
UtSt
41
Kent
51
F
C Mi
11
SDSU
48
F
Lib
23
GaSo
16
F
SMU
28
FlAtl
52
F
FLInt
26
ArkSt
34
F
Web
14
JMU
30
F
UCF
48
Marsh
25
F
BYU
34
Hawaii
38
F

Dec 21, 2019, 2:00 PM EST

Final

1

2

3

4

T

Central Michigan (8-6)

3

0

8

0

11

San Diego State (10-3)

7

13

21

7

48

San Diego State beats C. Michigan 48-11 in New Mexico Bowl
Sat Dec 21, 2019 7:16 PM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Coming into the New Mexico Bowl, San Diego State's defense was the focus. The Aztecs ranked second in the nation in rushing defense and second in rushing yards allowed per carry. But San Diego State's offense, with only an average of 19 points-per game, ranked among the nation's worst. Something had to give against Central Michigan and its strong defense.

So the Aztecs offense stepped it up Saturday

Ryan Agnew passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns, Jesse Matthews caught three passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns and San Diego State won a bowl game for the first time since 2016, beating Central Michigan 48-11 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl.

"We don't listen to the stuff outside the locker room," Matthews said. "It all came together."

Jordan Byrd ran for a career-high 139 yards and a touchdown to help the Aztecs (10-3) cap their 10th straight bowl appearance with a victory. San Diego State opened 7-1 record, then dropped two of its last three conference games to fall out of contention for a Mountain West title game berth.

San Diego State coach Rocky Long said he and his coaching staff did nothing differently to prepare the offense or get them motivated.

"We just played a whole lot better today," Long said with a shrug.

San Diego State prevented Central Michigan (8-6) from sustaining consistent, with quarterback Quinten Dormady under pressure and forced to throw into tight coverage. He passed for 164 and threw three interception.

Central Michigan's Jonathan Ward, who came into the game with 1,082 yards and 15 touchdowns, was held to 7 rushing yards and 26 yards receiving.

Kobe Lewis ran for 97 rushing yards, with a 66-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Despite the loss, Lewis credited Chippewas coach Jim McElwain for changing the culture of the program that went from 1-11 to 8-6 in one year.

"I didn't care what the score was," said Lewis. "I wanted to play hard and finish hard."

McElwain said he still felt Central Michigan had a successful season even through the team finished with losses in the Mid-American Conference Championship and New Mexico Bowl.

"You learn from your failures," he said.

McElwain said he was returning next season as head coach despite talk linking him to over jobs.

The victory served as homecoming for Long. He last won the New Mexico Bowl in 2007 as New Mexico's coach. Long is 4-9 in bowl games and used to look at the field from his office. "It was real special to me because I have ties to this place," Long said.

THE TAKEAWAYS

San Diego State: The Aztec came into the postseason with its highly touted defense but concerns about an offense that took a lot of time off the clock to score. San Diego State attacked Central Michigan in the air and on the ground in a balanced attack to end with its 11th double-digit win season in program history.

Central Michigan: To overcome San Diego State's nationally ranked rushing defense, the Chippewas needed big games from Dormady and Ward. However, both were held by the defense line. Central Michigan had to improvise and rely on Lewis, but it was not enough to overcome the pressure.

UP NEXT

San Diego State: Cornerback Luq Barcoo is graduating after a strong season that included nine interceptions. That's a significant blow for a defense that was ranked among the top 20 in various categories nationally. Yet, the defensive line and secondary remain young, and most starters are scheduled to return. The Aztecs open next season Sept. 5 at home against Sacramento State

Central Michigan: The Chippewas will look to building on their dramatic turnaround from a year ago when they won only one game to an 8-6 record. However, Central Michigan will need it to reshape its offense with the loss of quarterback Quinten Dormady and running back Jonathan Ward, both graduating seniors. The Chippewas open next season Sept. 5 at home against San Jose State.

---

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Passing

C Mi Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
Q. Dormady 26 11 42.3 0 164 61 3 24.0
D. Richardson 3 1 33.3 0 1 1 0 42.4
SDSU Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
R. Agnew 31 18 58.1 3 287 74 1 107.9

Rushing

C Mi Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
K. Lewis 5 97 19.4 66 1
J. Ward 9 26 2.9 6 0
SDSU Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
J. Byrd 17 139 8.2 56 1
C. Jasmin 10 51 5.1 23 1

Receiving

C Mi Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
K. Pimpleton 3 71 23.7 61 0
T. Scott 3 41 13.7 30 0
SDSU Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
J. Matthews 3 111 37.0 74 2
B. Busbee 2 39 19.5 23 0

Fumbles

C Mi F FL
K. Lewis 1 1
K. Pimpleton 1 1

Returning

C Mi KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
K. Pimpleton 0 0 0 2 -2.5 0 1
SDSU KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
J. Byrd 2 26.5 0 34 0 0 0
J. Matthews 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0

Punting

C Mi Punt Yds Avg LgPu
B. Buell 8 320 40.0 51
SDSU Punt Yds Avg LgPu
B. Heicklen 7 304 43.4 53

Takeaways

C Mi Int Yds InTD
A. McCoy 1 0 0
SDSU Int Yds InTD
K. Tezino 1 0 0
D. Hall 0 0 0

Team Stats Comparison

C Mi SDSU
Points For 11 48
Total Yards 277 510
Rushing Yards 112 223
Passing Yards 165 287
Passing Completions / Attempts 12/30 18/31
Turnovers 5 1
Interceptions Thrown 3 1
Fumbles - Lost 3/2 0/0
First Downs 8 24
Penalties - Yards 10/86 6/65
Time Of Possession 41:41 19:19
Third Down Conversions/Attempts 4/16 6/16
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts 0/1 0/0
Punts - Average Yards 8/40 7/43

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter C Mi SDSU
SDSU 02:26 TD Jesse Matthews 22 yd pass from Ryan Agnew (Matt Araiza kick) 0 7
C Mi 04:20 FG Ryan Tice 33 yd FG 3 7
2nd Quarter C Mi SDSU
SDSU 03:14 FG Matt Araiza 48 yd FG 3 10
SDSU 08:38 FG Matt Araiza 31 yd FG 3 13
SDSU 09:34 TD Jesse Matthews 74 yd pass from Ryan Agnew (Matt Araiza kick) 3 20
3rd Quarter C Mi SDSU
SDSU 05:09 TD Jordan Byrd 2 yd run (Matt Araiza kick) 3 27
SDSU 08:36 TD TJ Sullivan 29 yd pass from Ryan Agnew (Matt Araiza kick) 3 34
C Mi 09:47 TD Kobe Lewis 66 yd run (Kalil Pimpleton 2pt pass from Quinten Dormady) 11 34
SDSU 13:18 TD Chase Jasmin 2 yd run (Matt Araiza kick) 11 41
4th Quarter C Mi SDSU
SDSU 09:44 TD Darren Hall 20 yd fumble return (Matt Araiza kick) 11 48

Game Information

Stadium: Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 18,823
Game Time:
Weather: