Oct. 29, 2006

San Diego, Calif. - Nick Coromelas' third field goal of the night, a 37-yarder with 1:50 remaining, lifted No. 9-ranked Cal Poly to a 16-14 non-conference victory over Division I-A San Diego State on Saturday night before 20,974 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Cal Poly, the second Great West team and seventh Division I-AA team to beat a I-A school this season, improves to 6-2 on the season, clinching its fourth straight winning campaign. San Diego State falls to 1-6. North Dakota State also won a game vs. a I-A opponent earlier this season - Ball State.

Freshman quarterback Kevin Craft threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter as San Diego State jumped to a 14-3 lead. Craft did it against a Mustang defense that was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division I-AA against the pass two weeks ago and that had not surrendered a point in the first quarter all season.

Craft connected with Ramal Porter on scoring passes spanning 25 and 34 yards in the opening period and finished 10 of 15 for 157 yards. He was sacked four times.

Cal Poly, which opened the game with a 23-yard Coromelas field goal, scored with 32 seconds left in the first half on a 28-yard pass from Matt Brennan to Ramses Barden, cutting the Aztecs' lead to 14-10.

Coromelas added a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and Cal Poly got the ball back three more times in the final nine minutes. The Mustangs were held on downs at the Aztec 39-yard line with seven minutes left and was forced to punt from its own 23-yard line with four minutes to go.

Senior free safety Kenny Chicoine recovered a San Diego State fumble at the Aztec 23-yard line with 3:02 remaining and sophomore quarterback Matt Brennan ran three times for three yards to set up the game-winning field goal by Coromelas.

San Diego State moved the ball 50 yards in eight plays to the Cal Poly 30-yard line, but Garrett Palmer's 48-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining was wide to the left.

Mustang sophomore running back James Noble, playing in front of a large contingent of friends and family from nearby Barstow, recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season and 14th in 18 career starts, netting exactly 100 yards on 25 carries.

Brennan completed four of 13 passes for 80 yards and the one score to Barden, who was Cal Poly's top receiver with three catches for 80 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker Kyle Shotwell notched four sacks, a Division I school record, and 12 total tackles, the 22nd time in his career he has reached double digits in tackles.

Aztec redshirt freshman running back Atiyyah Henderson posted his fifth straight 90-plus rushing game, netting 140 yards on 26 carries. He had a career-high 142 yards last week in San Diego State's win over Air Force.

Henderson is the first running back to crack the 100-yard mark against Cal Poly this year and only the ninth in the last four seasons (42 games).

San Diego State had thrown just two touchdown passes all season before doubling the total in the first quarter Saturday. Porter's pair of scoring catches were his first of the year.

The two teams, former rivals in the Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association back in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, met for the first time in 39 years Saturday. The Aztecs won for the eighth straight time and now lead the series, 14-9.

Cal Poly plays the second of three straight road games next Saturday, visiting No. 2 Montana for an 11:05 a.m. (PST) non-conference game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont.