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Army Falls To San Diego State In Season Opener

SAN DIEGO - Adam Muema and Walter Kazee combined to rush for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and Ryan Katz threw for 215 yards and a score to lead San Diego State past Army, 42-7, in front of more than 30,000 spectators Saturday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium.
 
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Ezell Ruffin added 132 receiving yards on five receptions for the Aztecs, who scored 14 points off three Army turnovers. SDSU led 21-0 at halftime and opened up a 35-0 advantage midway through the third quarter before Army got on the scoreboard.
 
Raymond Maples rushed for 107 yards on 19 carries and Terry Baggett picked up a career-high 100 yards on 13 totes to pace the Black Knights' offense. Maples also recorded one reception for 23 yards to lead the Army receiving corps. The Black Knights racked up 282 yards on the ground as a team.
 
Geoffrey Bacon posted nine tackles to lead Army's defensive effort. Ty Shrader chipped in a career-high eight stops.
 
San Diego State (1-1) set the tone for the contest off the opening kickoff, taking the football first and marching 71 yards in six plays to grab a 7-0 lead. Muema carried the ball three times for 46 yards on the drive and Kazee capped the scoring march with a four-yard touchdown run over right tackle.
 
SDSU made it 14-0 late in the first quarter as the Aztecs took advantage of an Army fumble deep in Black Knights' territory. Army fumbled the center-quarterback exchange and San Diego State pounced on the loose ball at the Black Knights 36-yard line. The Aztecs needed just two plays to reach the end zone a second time with Adam Dingwell cashing in the abbreviated scoring drive with a seven yard run around the left side.
 
The Aztecs tacked on their third touchdown of the opening half with 8:10 to play in the second quarter as Kazee scampered untouched around the right side for a 22-yard TD. The ensuing extra point gave San Diego State a 21-0 advantage. Kazee's second touchdown of the half capped a seven-play 80-yard march that took just over three minutes off the game clock.
 
San Diego State extended its lead to 28-0 with 8:27 to play in the third quarter on Muema's one-yard touchdown plunge. The Aztecs drove 89 yards in nine plays, using less than four minutes.
 
SDSU made it 35-0 less than one minute later as the Aztecs took advantage of a Trent Steelman interception. Josh Gavert picked off a Steelman aerial and returned it to the Army 33-yard line. Two plays later, Katz hooked up with Chad Young for an eight-yard TD pass in the right flat.
 
Army got on the scoreboard on its next possession, driving the ball 75 yards in five plays to trim San Diego State's lead to 35-7. Baggett capped the drive by running up the middle for a 10-yard touchdown.
 
Any momentum Army may have generated with the score was quickly extinguished when Colin Lockett returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards to increase San Diego State's lead to 42-7. Lockett electrified the crowd, finding an alley down the left sideline and sprinting into the end zone.
 
Both teams made wholesale substitutions in the fourth quarter, with neither squad adding to its point total.
 
Army returns to action next Saturday, Sept. 15, when the Black Knights host Northern Illinois in its home opener at Michie Stadium. Kickoff for the game, which will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network, is set for 12 p.m.
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