San Diego State Football: A 17-Year Gap in Halloween Home Games Ends Saturday
The Aztecs face Washington State in a matchup that echoes a 2009 victory over New Mexico, a game that helped reverse a long losing streak against the Lobos.
By Ethan Cook ·
San Diego State University fans will see a different kind of atmosphere on Saturday afternoon when the Aztecs host Washington State. It marks the first time in 17 years that the program has played a home game on Halloween. The Aztecs, currently 3-5 on the season and 2-2 in the Pac-12, take the field after a shootout loss at Colorado State last week.
Their opponent, Washington State, sits at 1-7 overall and 0-4 in conference play. The Cougars are dealing with a five-game losing streak. While the current standings present a different challenge than the past, the timing of the game recalls a specific memory for the San Diego State program.
The last time SDSU played on October 31 was in 2009. That season, the team was facing New Mexico at Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley. The rivalry had become a source of frustration for the Aztecs, who had lost eight straight games to the Lobos. The previous meeting in Albuquerque had resulted in a 70-7 defeat, a loss that contributed to the departure of then-head coach Chuck Long.
By the 2009 Halloween game, the coaching staff had changed. Brady Hoke was the new head coach, and Rocky Long, formerly the coach at New Mexico, served as the defensive coordinator. Attendance at the 2009 game was low, with only 12,647 spectators in the stands. Many chose to spend the holiday elsewhere, missing a contest that featured a late comeback.
The Aztecs were down early but rallied in the second quarter with 16 unanswered points. Quarterback Ryan Lindley threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alston Umuolo. The defense followed with a safety. With 18 seconds left in the first half, Lindley connected with wide receiver DeMarco Sampson on a 7-yard touchdown pass. This drive took the lead from 10-16 to 16-10.
Lindley described that drive as the key to the game. He noted that the team had the tools to create mismatches in two-minute situations. The momentum shifted in the third quarter, however, as New Mexico scored 10 straight points to take a 20-16 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Lindley led the Aztecs on a 10-play, 75-yard drive. He finished the sequence with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sampson. Lindley completed 22 of 38 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Sampson, the team's leading receiver that year, caught seven passes against the Lobos.
Head coach Brady Hoke acknowledged the victory was not pretty. He said the team learned lessons by winning rather than losing. The win improved the Aztecs' record to 4-4. It was the first time the team reached a .500 record since the 2003 season. Hoke praised the work of the seniors, noting that they understood how they needed to improve.
The positive momentum from that 2009 win did not last. San Diego State lost its final four games to finish the season 4-8. The following year, however, the team went 9-4. They played in a bowl game for the first time since 1998, starting a 13-year stretch of bowl eligibility that remains a school record.
Saturday's game against Washington State will determine if the Aztecs can continue their current campaign. The team is looking to improve its standing in the Pac-12 while playing in front of a hometown crowd on a date that holds historical weight for the program.
