SAN DIEGO — One has to feel good for San Diego State kicker Gabriel Plascencia.
The junior transfer from College of San Mateo has been perfect since retaking the role in early October, and knocked through three field goals in an NCAA game for the first time in his career against New Mexico on Friday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
Unfortunately, therein lies the issue for the Aztecs (3-6, 2-2 Mountain West Conference) in the 21-16 loss. The Scarlet and Black were a perfect four-for-four on red zone opportunities against the Lobos (4-6, 3-3), but generated just one touchdown against a unit that came into the game allowing the most red zone touchdowns against (30) in the conference while forcing just four field goal attempts.
“We get in the red zone there when the area in the field tightens up and the margin of error tightens up, you know that we can be much cleaner when we're down there,” said head coach Sean Lewis.
On each of the first two Aztec possessions, there were chances to convert for six points.
A would’ve-been three yard touchdown pass to Jordan Napier was nullified due to offensive pass interference by Mekhi Shaw, who ran a slant for a “pick” play that many teams run in a similar spot but made the contact with the defensive back too obvious.
Even when given another goal-to-go crack when Shaw drew a pass interference penalty, SDSU dipped into their bag of tricks for their version of the “Philly Special”, which Napier had previously thrown a 27-yard touchdown pass on to Nate Bennett against Washington State. This time, the wide receiver couldn’t connect with quarterback Danny O’Neil, who had leaked out all alone on the backside right.
“You don't know throughout the course of the game what play is going to be ‘the’ play,” Lewis said. “The way that we were able to execute at other moments in the game… then it's a touchdown and you're able to hold that play for a little bit further downrange in the game off of everything.
“Then the way it all plays out, right, you're not kind of shooting all your shots early and exhausting your situational script in that regard.”
On the second scoring drive, the first goal-to-go play was a screen to Napier that got gobbled up for a loss of five yards to the 12-yard-line. Marquez Cooper was held for a loss of one on second down, and the third down look to Napier came up empty.
Cooper would take a swing pass five yards for the Aztecs’ lone touchdown later in the second quarter — the first receiving touchdown of his career to go with 42 rushing scores. He finished with 35 carries for 124 yards, but had just 16 yards on his eight red zone carries.
“Tonight I was being a little bit too decisive early in the first half, (I) should have been more patient in the first half,” Cooper said. “We just got to execute better. Even myself, there were plays that I had to seize in the game and I should have seized the moments and I wish I could get them back.”
Red zone woes have been a running theme for the Aztecs, who entered the game with the second fewest red zone opportunities (28), scores (18) and touchdowns (11) in the conference — only Air Force ranks lower in all three categories — while attempting the fourth-most field goals (10).
Chasing touchdowns with field goals rarely leads to success, and the Scarlet and Black will have their hands full next week when they visit a high scoring UNLV team that leads the Mountain West with 40 scores in 45 red zone attempts.
“Got to do a much better job in that area in particular,” Lewis said. “Kids battled all the way through and again, I just got to put them in a better position to be successful from start to finish with everything.”
Hopefully that will mean more red zone extra point opportunities for Plascencia instead of field goals.