Aztecs Finish Season With OT Loss to Hawaii

SDSU lets early lead get away and misses late chances to finish with a win

For San Diego State's football team Saturday night's season finale against Hawaii was a microcosm of the season:

For a while it was pretty good. Then it got away from them.

The Aztecs couldn't protect a big early lead in a 31-30 overtime loss to Hawaii at SDCCU Stadium. After a 6-1 start to the year, with two of those wins coming against nationally-ranked opponents, they finished losing four out of five games.

Hawaii kicked a field goal on their first drive and then senior quarterback Christian Chapman took a rare shot deep down the field, connecting with wide receiver Fred Trevillion for a 76-yard TD and a 7-3 Aztecs lead. Two possessions later Hawaii fumbled a punt to set up the Aztecs on the 5-yard line and Juwan Washington punched it in for another score to make it a 14-3 game.

Then Cole McDonald went bonkers.

Hawaii's quarterback threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. He also ran for a score as the Rainbow Warriors built a 24-14 halftime lead.

In the 2nd half it was a different story. SDSU held McDonald to just 101 yards passing and tied it up when backup QB Ryan Agnew found junior fullback Isaac Lessard, who had two catches in his entire career, for a 13-yard touchdown to tie it 24-24 with just more than six minutes to play. They got another stop to set up John Barron II, one of the most accurate kickers in the nation, from 32 yards out to win it with three seconds left ... and he missed it wide right.

So to overtime it went!

Hawaii had the ball first. McDonald found Jojo Ward for a touchdown to make it 31-24. On the next play Washington blasted 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-30 and Aztecs head coach Rocky Long went for two.

Agnew's pass was incomplete but offsetting penalties gave them another shot at it. On their retry Agnew threw again but missed tight end Kahale Warring to end it. SDSU finishes 7-5. They have to wait a week to see which bowl game they get to play in.

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