San Diego State Wins Frisco Bowl Over UTSA 38-24: Reaction, Analysis, 5 Thoughts

San Diego State beat UTSA to win the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl. Five thoughts, analysis of the game, and what it all means.

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San Diego State Bowl: 5 Things That Matter

Prediction: San Diego State 26, UTSA 23
Line: San Diego State -2.5, o/u: 48.5
Final Score: San Diego State 38, UTSA 24

5. UTSA wasn’t the normal UTSA

San Diego State knows what it’s like to be short-handed at the last second after losing over 25 players for the Mountain West Championship against Utah State, and UTSA had to deal with some missing parts in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl – but for another reason.

Star safety Rashad Wisdom was out for the first half after a targeting call against WKU, corner Tariq Woolen was out, and second-leading tackler Trevor Hermanson didn’t play. The big loss was 1,479-yard, 15-touchdown all-star RB Sincere McCormick, who opted out a few days before the game.

The Roadrunners still fought the good fight and made this interesting, and the Aztecs were able to rise up and take over in the second half, but this might have been a far, far different game with all of the parts.

NEXT: The penalties. Oh, the penalties

4. The penalties. Oh, the penalties.

Yeah, San Diego State had a whole slew of other problems to worry about against Utah State in the Mountain West Championship, but the nine penalties for 130 yards didn’t help. That came after getting flagged eight times against Boise State. So you’d think keeping the mistakes to a minimum would’ve been a major focus going into this.

14 penalties for 124 yards.

On the flip side, UTSA didn’t have a problem with flags during the season – it was No. 1 in Conference USA in fewest penalties for the fewest yards.

Nine penalties for 80 yards.

The mistakes didn’t take away from the game too much, but as the game went on there were too many moments when the teams should’ve held back and should’ve been sharper. They knew the game was getting called a tad tight, but there weren’t a whole lot of cheap flags thrown.

NEXT: San Diego State with a high-octane offense?

3. San Diego State with a high-octane offense?

San Diego State was 125th in the nation in third down conversions. It converted 5-of-10 chances against UTSA.

The Aztec offense was okay overall and was solid at running then ball, but it was 110th in the nation in total offense, had a painfully inefficient passing attack, and scoring at times was like pulling teeth.

Again, UTSA was missing a few key defensive players, but the San Diego State stars stepped up and played up to their potential in the final big moment of the year.

Jesse Matthews was a killer. The former walk-on receiver caught 11 passes for 175 yards and two scores. He was unstoppable, RB Greg Bell hammered for a tough 101 yards and a score on 26 carries, and QB Lucas Johnson closed out his career with a gem.

Johnson – the former Georgia Tech option quarterback – completed 24-of-36 passes for 333 yards and three scores, and he ran five times for 15 yards and a touchdown.

NEXT: Frank Harris did what he could

2. Frank Harris did what he could

UTSA had an efficient passing game throughout the season, and the offense managed to work within the overall format.

Don’t turn the ball over, rely on RB Sincere McCormick, and count on the veteran quarterback to keep it all moving by not screwing up and hitting the third down throws needed.

Frank Harris was good for at least 200 passing yards on a regular basis, but the running game wasn’t used enough – give the fantastic San Diego State defense a little credit – even though it averaged close to five yards per carry. Brenden Brady ran well in place of McCormick with 76 yards and a score.

Harris threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns with a pick, but he only hit 22-of-36 passes. That was a huge problem because …

NEXT: San Diego State closes out as one of the top Group of Five programs

1. San Diego State closes out as one of the top Group of Five programs

San Diego State did what San Diego State likes to do … sort of.

The defense might not have been as nasty as it was throughout the season, and the team is used to winning low scoring battles, but it’ll take the 14-point victory to close out a fantastic 12-win season.

The 489 yards of total offense were a tad out of character, but holding on to the ball for close to 38 minutes with no turnovers and a whole lot of control over the game was how this was supposed to work.

Head coach Brady Hoke won 12 games in his final year at Ball State, but he didn’t coach the bowl game. He won 11 in his first year at Michigan, and that was after winning nine in 2010 at San Diego State in the final year of his first go-round with the program.

12-2 with a bowl win was a great moment for San Diego State football. Now there’s work to do with a whole slew of key losses, but the formula and the style wins.