SAN DIEGO -- The results of San Diego State's seven remaining Mountain West Conference games will determine the historical significance of quarterback Kevin O'Connell's 57-yard, third-down completion to Brett Swain in Saturday's comeback win at Colorado State.

But Aztecs head coach Chuck Long already ranks the play, which set up the deciding touchdown in San Diego State's 24-20 victory, as "one of the top five in my career, for sure."

That makes you wonder what play by a Heisman Trophy winner or a national champion might have been nudged aside. Long, an assistant for 11 years at Oklahoma and Iowa before he was named the Aztecs' head coach in 2006, coached 2003 Heisman winner Jason White at Oklahoma and was on the Sooners' staff for the 2000 national championship season.

"They had a full blitz on, and the guy had (O'Connell) tackled," Long said. "He sidestepped him, made him miss, and worked his way up to the line to find Brett downfield."

Four plays later, O'Connell scored on a 1-yard run to complete a seven-play, 80-yard drive with 43 seconds left in the game. It was the longest San Diego State game-winning scoring drive with less than two minutes in a game since Nov. 6, 1982, when Mark McKay led the Aztecs on a 99-yard drive to beat Hawaii 31-28.

O'Connell, a fifth-year senior from La Costa Canyon High, looked for his first reads in the pocket, shifted from pressure without scrambling, ducked under a tackle, stepped left and set himself for the completion to Swain, a fifth-year senior from Carlsbad.

The Aztecs' victory in their Mountain West Conference opener left them 2-3 overall as they prepare for Saturday's game at Utah (3-3, 0-2).

"He's playing with a lot of confidence now," Long said of O'Connell. "You see the rest of the team becoming confident around him. That's what good quarterbacks do."

O'Connell was 13-of-26 for 184 yards without an interception. He also ran for three touchdowns and 41 yards on 16 carries. And that yardage total accounts for the seven times Colorado State sacked him, resulting in a loss of 55 yards.

O'Connell suffered a bruise to his non-throwing shoulder from the hits, but Long said he looked better on Sunday and will practice this week.

Long also said wide receiver Chaz Schilens (foot), linebacker Brett Martin (knee) and linebacker Jerry Milling (arm) will begin running in practice this week but aren't expected to play for at least another week.

On defense, Long said Colorado State chose not to throw at junior cornerback Vonnie Holmes, who made his first start after intercepting four passes in the Aztecs' first four games.