Aztecs Strike Deep to Bury the Miners : College football: SDSU takes sole possession of WAC lead after 49-27 victory. Lowery and Scott spark offense.

SAN DIEGO —  The public address announcement came with about 10 minutes remaining Saturday night.

“The Aztecs wish to thank the SDSU clowns for performing. . . .”

This was not a football-related reference, although the San Diego State football team periodically reverted to its slapstick roots, and Texas El Paso struggled comically to find an offense.

On an incongruous homecoming evening, the Aztecs defeated UTEP, 49-27, and moved into sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference despite a first half that they would love to forget.

“I don’t want to talk about the first half,” SDSU Coach Al Luginbill said. “Let’s talk about the second half.”

In front of 46,449 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, the Aztec highlights were clear: Quarterback David Lowery’s arm struck like a snake’s tongue for touchdown passes of 71, 50 and 42 yards to Darnay Scott and of 39 yards to DeAndre Maxwell.

It was the biggest day of the season for both Lowery and Scott. Lowery completed 19 of 34 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Scott’s 274 receiving yards were the fifth-highest in SDSU history.

“I felt great,” Lowery said. “For the first time, my back didn’t hurt a bit tonight. It was one of the better games I’ve had.”

Perhaps the biggest news of the evening occurred more than a thousand miles away, in Albuquerque, N.M. There, the Lobos knocked off Utah, 24-7, allowing the Aztecs (3-1-1, 3-0) to take control of their season. Because Fresno State joined the WAC, SDSU and Utah (4-2, 2-1) are not scheduled to play.

Consequently, if Utah would have finished the conference season unbeaten, the Utes would have earned the Holiday Bowl berth because they have never participated.

Now, it is up to the Aztecs, who have three of their final five WAC games at home.

“We weren’t expecting any favors,” said Marshall Faulk, who gained 156 yards on 30 carries. “I didn’t feel New Mexico would beat them. We just can’t lay down now.”

Still, with all the good stuff that happened to the Aztecs on Saturday, they departed with only a partial peace of mind. If this were a debate, the Aztecs would have been guilty of not maintaining their focus.

UTEP (0-6, 0-4) was within six after three quarters, 27-21, thanks in large part to SDSU offerings:

* On each of two UTEP touchdown drives, the Aztecs were called for one personal foul for hitting a Miner out of bounds.

“Inexcusable,” Luginbill said. “Absolutely inexcusable.”

* SDSU’s kickoff coverage team allowed UTEP two long returns--one for 52 yards that didn’t do much damage and another for 45 yards that led to UTEP’s second touchdown.

* Scott, despite his big night dropped two key third-quarter passes. One would have been a 38-yard touchdown pass and the other would have been a 17-yard gain to at least the UTEP three. In both cases, the Aztecs settled for field goals.

* The Aztec offensive line, playing without injured center Mike Alexander, admittedly was confused by UTEP stacking as many as nine players on the line of scrimmage.

“We sure were struggling in the first half,” said Joe Heinz, whose team went into the locker room at halftime with only two touchdowns. “Nothing we were doing was going right. Guys were coming from everywhere. It took us a while to realize they were blitzing on almost every down.”

Said Lowery: “Sometimes it seemed like they had 12 guys on the field because they were coming from every angle.”

The Aztecs, though, scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to ice it: A four-yard Faulk run, the 42-yard pass to Scott and a one-yard Larry Maxey run.

Despite badly outgaining the Miners in the first half, 233-144, the Aztecs couldn’t take control. They went into the locker room ahead by only a field goal, 14-11, and wondering whatever happened to what should have been an easy evening.

It started out as if the Aztecs would cruise. After forcing a UTEP punt on the Miners’ first possession, lightning struck when, on SDSU’s second play from scrimmage, Lowery threw a ball high and deep, Scott ran under it and, 71 yards later, crossed the goal line.

Then, on UTEP’s next play, Gary Taylor picked off a Shawn Gray pass at the Miner 47. It was almost as if things were happening so fast SDSU couldn’t keep up.

So, the Aztecs stumbled. Ahead, 7-0, with the ball at the UTEP 47, it was four plays and out for SDSU. And after four traded punts, Andy Trakas was wide right on a 38-yard field goal.

It wasn’t as magnified as Trakas’ misses against USC, but it was enough to leave Aztec coaches worried about the future. It was Trakas’ fifth miss in seven field goal attempts this season. He did come back in the third quarter to hit 45- and 34-yard attempts.

In addition to keeping SDSU in check, the Miners were stuffing Faulk. SDSU’s sophomore sensation finished the first quarter with only 20 yards on eight carries.

UTEP’s Marshall, in fact, was more effective in the first half. Marshall Young booted a 47-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to put UTEP on the board and trim the Aztec lead to 7-3.

The Lowery-Scott combination came back, though, with a 50-yard touchdown pass play to make it 14-3.