Pumph Posted August 3, 2022 Posted August 3, 2022 Aztec coach Pumph knew his early season out of conference schedule was loaded with peril. After coming off of a surprise College Football Playoff run last season in which they gave eventual champion Tulsa perhaps their toughest game of the season, Pumph wanted to challenge his squad with a tough road. He did just that in scheduling three opponents who all have been ranked in the early parts of this new season. The latest foe, the UCLA Bruins, dropped the Aztecs to 1-2 on the year with a ground game that saw two 100-yard rushers. The Aztecs seemed to have no answer for the repeated pounding the Bruins gave their defensive front. Quarterback, Hiram Maronde kept the ball 21 times for 105 yards, moving the chains as he went. But it was running back, Dan Garcia, who did the bulk of the damage, ending his day with 142 yards on 16 carries. The Aztecs were able to pick off two Maronde passes, netting three turnovers on the day, but that only served to keep the score close. On offense, the Aztecs' Hung-Chih Anderson looked like the passer that lit up scoreboards last season, going 34-46 for 352 yards and two scores. He was able to distribute the ball evenly among multiple receivers, but also suffered a key interception, with the score tied late in the 3rd quarter. The Bruins would connect on a 42-yard touchdown on the next play and never look back. The Aztecs did seem to suffer from a lack of communication on their ensuing drive, as Coach Pumph, known for being a risk-taker on 4th downs, inexplicably watched the field goal unit take the field on 4th and 1 at the Bruin 12-yard line to make the score 21-17. After the game, Pumph said a communication issue with his special teams coach led to the field goal team being sent on, and rather than waste a crucial time out in the situation, he decided to just let the unit kick the field goal. The team was never able to make those points up, as UCLA scored a touchdown on the next drive, putting the Aztecs down by two scores. At 1-2, the Aztecs open conference play, against an undefeated Hawai'i squad. The team acknowledges that due to their difficult schedule, their record may not be indicative of the type of team that they are capable of being. "It's a marathon, not a sprint", said Pumph in typical coach-speak. "We just have to take them as they come, and we'll be ok. The goal is to challenge for a conference title, and nothing that has happened to this point has altered that." 3
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