Final minute field goal miss gives Div. I-AA Cal Poly victory

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Saturday, October 28, 2006 11:34 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- The 2002 debacle in Idaho can move over. So can two horrible defeats at Nevada-Las Vegas ---- the pathetic one last season and the 1996 stumble that sabotaged a conference title run.

Those three losses are still part of the embarrassing moments in San Diego State's football history, but they were topped when it comes to level of humiliation with what occurred Saturday ---- a 16-14 loss to Division I-AA Cal Poly before an announced crowd of 20,974 at Qualcomm Stadium.

A late fumble by running back Atiyyah Henderson set the stage for a humbling defeat that drops the Aztecs to 1-6 this season. Cal Poly's Nick Coromelas provided the winning points with a 37-yard field goal with 1:50 to play.

The Aztecs had the opportunity to escape with an undeserved victory, but junior kicker Garrett Palmer's 48-yard field goal attempt was about six feet wide to the left with 32 seconds remaining.

Palmer said afterward that he immediately knew he hooked the kick. Also immediately known was the disgrace associated with losing to the lower-level Mustangs.

"It was one of the toughest days of my career," Aztecs coach Chuck Long said. "This is a great lesson for us. You can't let anybody hang around in a football game."

The Mustangs (6-2) hung around all night and outplayed the Aztecs over the final three quarters. The victory improves their record against Division I-A programs to 3-16 ---- they defeated New Mexico State in 1997 and Texas-El Paso in 2003.

"Right down the road growing up, I watched San Diego State all my life," said Cal Poly junior linebacker Jason Relyea, a Poway High graduate. "Coming back to play them and beat a I-A team is huge."

Cal Poly's path to victory was set up by Henderson's fumble with 3:02 left. The shifty back who rushed for 140 yards took the handoff from quarterback Kevin Craft and quickly realized he was in trouble.

He lost the ball just short of the Aztecs' 20-yard line and Cal Poly's Kenny Chicoine recovered at the 23.

"I was looking to cut back and didn't really have full control of the ball," Henderson said. "I didn't get full control before my cut back. It came out before I got it in my pocket."

The Mustangs ran quarterback Matt Brennan into the line three straight times ---- forcing the Aztecs to use their final two timeouts ---- to set up Coromelas' 37-yard field goal.

San Diego State then drove from its 20 to the Cal Poly 30 and called on Palmer, who won last week's game against the Air Force Academy with a 30-yard field goal with two seconds left. But his chance of being a hero for the second consecutive week was off the mark.

But as Long said, there were a lot more people at fault than just the kicker. Offensive players, defensive players and the entire coaching staff were all part of the problem.

"It's tough to swallow," said sophomore linebacker Russell Allen, a Vista High graduate. "I'm sure we were favored to win the game."

The Aztecs looked liked they could handle the Mustangs when they jumped to an early 14-3 lead on two first-quarter touchdown passes from Craft to Ramal Porter.

The first one came with Porter lined up right and he jetted past Cal Poly cornerback Courtney Brown to catch a 25-yard touchdown pass.

The second one covered 34 yards and began with Craft, a Valley Center High graduate, giving the perception he wanted to roll right and throw that direction.

Instead, Craft stopped and turned left and threw deep toward Porter, who had slipped behind Cal Poly cornerback Gene Grant and easily caught the touchdown pass to make it 14-3 with 1:38 left.

The Aztecs led 14-10 at halftime after Cal Poly impressively drove 81 yards on six plays just prior to intermission. James Noble's 38-yard run on third-and-11 kept the drive alive and set up Ramses Barden's 28-yard touchdown reception with 32 seconds left.

Barden, a 6-foot-6, 227-pound sophomore, was double covered but had no trouble leaping high above cornerback Terrell Maze and safety Brett Sturm to corral the aerial lofted by Brennan.

"That was a tough one," Allen said. "We had them backed up third and long. That hurt us."

Cal Poly linebacker Kyle Shotwell, who had four sacks, and his teammates would shut out the Aztecs in the second half as San Diego State played conservative football instead of going for the jugular.

Craft was 10-of-15 for 157 yards but threw just nine times before the final drive.

"Looking back, we should've thrown more," Long said. "Put that on me."

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.

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