WESTERN ATHLETIC ROUNDUP : Faulk Has 300 Yards Rushing in 52-28 Win

Marshall Faulk darted out of a monthlong slump with 300 yards and four touchdowns, one on a career-best 68-yard run, as San Diego State beat No. 24 Hawaii, 52-28, in a Western Athletic Conference game Saturday night at San Diego.

Faulk, displaying again his slashing, elusive running style, carried 43 times for the second 300-yard game of his 18-game career. Faulk got his final two yards and fourth touchdown when he went over the top of the pile with 1:25 left in the game.

His first 300-yard game was a then-NCAA record 386 yards in his second game as a freshman.

San Diego State, 5-3-1 overall and 5-2 in the WAC, kept Hawaii (7-2, 5-2) from clinching the conference title.

Faulk, the nation’s rushing leader with 1,609 yards, pushed his career total to 3,038, joining Georgia’s Herschel Walker as the only players to go over 3,000 yards in their first two seasons.

Faulk had more yards at halftime (178) than he had in any one of his last four games.

David Lowery completed 21 of 31 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions in guiding San Diego State’s offense to a 675-yard effort.

San Diego State can win its second WAC title and the accompanying Holiday Bowl berth with a victory over Fresno State next Saturday. Hawaii can still win it if it beats Wyoming and the Aztecs lose to Fresno.

Hawaii also has its hometown Aloha Bowl to fall back on.

Faulk, who last year became the first freshman to lead the nation in rushing and scoring, ended a three-week scoring drought when tight end Alex Semenik threw a block that allowed him to run 68 yards untouched down the left sideline on the first play of San Diego State’s second drive for a 10-0 lead.

After San Diego State blew that lead, Faulk provided the fourth lead change of the game’s first 19 minutes when he went around left end for 17 yards and a 24-21 lead that held up at halftime.

Faulk’s third touchdown, on a two-yard dive early in the third quarter, put San Diego State on top for good, 31-28.

Brigham Young 28, Air Force 7--Jamal Willis carried 18 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard run in the second quarter, as the Cougars kept their bowl hopes alive at the Air Force Academy, Colo.

Willis, a sophomore, also had a 27-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter as the Cougars, 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the WAC, posted their 10th consecutive victory over Liberty Bowl-bound Air Force (7-4, 4-4).

The Cougars finished with 240 yards rushing and 174 passing. The BYU defense, meanwhile, held Air Force to 181 yards.

Utah 38, Wyoming 7--Jeff Kirkman returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown to start the Utes on their way to victory over the Cowboys at Salt Lake City.

The Utes (6-4, 5-2) capitalized on three Wyoming turnovers and two touchdown passes by Frank Dolce in dropping Wyoming to 5-6 and 3-4. Dolce completed 27 of 40 passes for 298 yards.

New Mexico 35, Texas El Paso 14--Stoney Case completed 17 of 25 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Lobos to victory over the Miners at Albuquerque.

Case threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Manley Woods to put the Lobos ahead, 28-7, in the third quarter and added a 23-yarder to Chris Griffin as time ran out.

The Lobos (3-7, 2-5) lost their outstanding freshman runner, Winslow Oliver, who suffered a torn knee ligament in the first quarter. He is probably out for the season.

Texas El Paso is 1-9 and 1-6.

Colorado State 35, Ohio 24--Wide receiver Greg Primus had 118 yards on only two receptions, including a 65-yard reception that proved to be the game winner, as the Rams (4-7) scored 21 fourth-quarter points to beat the Bobcats (1-10) in a nonconference game at Ft. Collins, Colo.