San Diego State wins 10th straight in Hawaii Bowl rout of Cincy

It was obvious pretty early on in Thursday night’s Hawaii Bowl which team was ready to play and which team was not.

San Diego State jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Cincinnati in the game’s first six minutes. By the time wreckage was cleared, the Aztecs cruised to an easy 42-7 victory over a lifeless Bearcats squad in Honolulu.

San Diego State stuck to its usual formula of a power ground attack and tough defense. Standout back Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 99 yards and a score and also threw a touchdown pass to fullback Dakota Gordon, who added a rushing touchdown of his own in the second half. Gordon (4 catches, 58 yards), a former walk-on, was also the top target of freshman quarterback Christian Chapman, who made his second straight start in place of senior Maxwell Smith, who suffered a torn ACL in the regular season finale.

The Aztecs set the tone from the jump when Rashaad Penny, the Mountain West special teams player of the year, returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. And after forcing a Cincinnati three-and-out, the Aztecs quickly marched down the field and scored again on a Chapman (8-of-11 for 113 yards) 14-yard touchdown pass to Mikah Holder.

That was all the Aztecs defense would need.

While the offense continued to eat up yards and time off the clock, the defense completely shut down the Bearcats’ fourth-ranked passing attack. Hayden Moore, starting for Gunner Kiel (did not make the trip due to family reasons), threw three interceptions – two in the first half and a third on a pick six in the fourth quarter to put the game completely out of reach.

The Bearcats running game didn’t fare much better, gaining only 77 yards on 32 attempts. Moore was also sacked four times.

After the pick six from Alex Barrett put the Aztecs up 42-0, Cincinnati managed to avoid the shutout with 3:12 left on a one-yard touchdown run from Mike Boone. Otherwise, it was a completely woeful performance from the Bearcats, who finish 7-6.

For San Diego State, the win caps off a remarkable turnaround from a 1-3 start. After a Sept. 26 loss at Penn State, the Mountain West champs reeled off 10 straight wins – including a perfect 8-0 mark in conference play – to finish 11-3. The 11 wins ties a school record for the Aztecs.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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