Good things come to those who wait, though the wait be interminable and the suffering seemingly ceaseless.
San Diego State, on the cusp of becoming the school's first team to fail to win a league game in 48 years, avoided becoming the answer to a most ignoble trivia question last night by drubbing UNLV 42-21 in its season finale.
The first team in school history to endure a 10-loss season when it was pancaked 63-14 by Utah a week earlier, the Aztecs finished 1-7 in the Mountain West Conference and 2-10 overall.
“There is a nice foundation being laid here now,” coach Chuck Long said. “The only thing that's missing is the roof on top, and that's the winning.”
Whether Long is around to see the roof completed is another matter. Asked following the game if he thought he would be back next season, despite having already been given a vote of confidence for 2009 by Athletic Director Jeff Schemmel, Long said:
“We'll see how the night goes. I want to enjoy this victory right now. I don't want to worry about it until (today).”
TOUCHDOWNS
Ryan Lindley: Quarterback is the face and future of SDSU football
Mike Schmidt: SDSU senior guard (knee) is deemed done for season, but makes 24th career start
Corey Boudreaux: Class act ends career with 82-yard interception return for TD
TURNOVERS
Mountain West officials: A review of a play ultimately deemed unreviewable consumes the better part of 10 minutes
UNLV: Not every team deserves a week in Albuquerque at New Mexico Bowl; this one did
2008: A season to be remembered, particularly for those who enjoy flinging themselves against razor wire
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Before an announced crowd of 17,486, SDSU snapped a seven-game losing streak, its longest in 25 years, and eliminated the postseason hopes of a UNLV team bidding for its first bowl appearance in eight years.
Yet if the evening's proceedings represented a change of direction for the Aztecs, today's storyline figures to follow suit. Long, who is 9-27 after three seasons, indicated last week that staff changes could be in the offing following the UNLV game.
Where the ax might fall, and whether it claims Long, is anyone's guess. Schemmel, who was hospitalized yesterday with a hip infection, was not available for comment. A team that was statistically challenged on both sides of the ball throughout the season, SDSU entered last night's contest averaging 17.2 points while allowing 38.6, numbers that ranked 113th and 114th, respectively, among the nation's 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
For one night, however, the Aztecs understandably were more consumed with gorging on a rare serving of success, one they are counting on to sustain them until spring, when the memory of 2008 is murky and optimism is the order of the day.
The principal reason? Ryan Lindley.
The redshirt freshman, who spent an offseason trying to escape the shadow of former Aztecs quarterback Kevin O'Connell and a good deal of the regular season attempting to shake a shoulder injury, completed 35-of-50 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns as SDSU racked up its second-highest point total of the season.
Lindley's completion total tied for third on SDSU's career list as he became the 14th player in school history with three or more 300-yard passing games. He established a freshman record for completions with 29 earlier in the year in a loss at Notre Dame.
“I thought that in the last two or three games that Ryan was really starting to take command of this team and this offense,” Long said. “You could really feel that tonight. We felt that he had a chance to be one of the great leaders of this program at the beginning of the year and by the end of it I think you saw that.
“His reads were quick, his throws were accurate and you saw an offense that was able to spread the ball around (nine SDSU players caught passes). When you have that kind of balance with your offense, you can obviously be a lot more efficient.”
Yet if it was a night for youth, it also was a suitable send-off for 17 seniors. Tailback Tyler Campbell, who had two career touchdowns, scored on runs of 1 and 7 yards. He also contributed a crucial first down in the fourth quarter after UNLV had cut the deficit to 28-21 on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Mike Clausen to Ryan Wolfe with 9:48 to go. Campbell's first-down run, which came with the Aztecs facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 49, ultimately led to his second touchdown and a 14-point SDSU lead.
“The fact that they had that much trust in me in a crucial situation really meant a lot,” Campbell said. “You go through a lot of trying times as a college athlete, and I'd gone the last three years without playing a lot. But the fact that it finally came made up for everything. To end your career on a note like that is something that you only dream.”
Senior free safety Corey Boudreaux also went out in style, returning an interception 82 yards for a touchdown with 3:24 left. Senior linebacker Russell Allen, who had eight tackles, concluded his career with three or more stops in 46 of his career 48 games. Senior wide receiver Darren Mougey, a converted quarterback, scored on a 3-yard run. Senior left guard Mike Schmidt, who was considered unavailable for the game after suffering a knee injury during practice three weeks ago, played the first two series and most of the second half. The injury was expected to keep him out 4-6 weeks.
“I don't know if this can erase the frustration of the entire season, because everybody knows this isn't where we wanted to be,” said an emotional Allen. “But it sure feels good right now and I couldn't ask for a better way to go out.”
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
