Group of Five: Week 8 Access Bowl Power Rankings
By Zach Bigalke
Rocky Long actually scaled back his use of workhorse back Donnel Pumphrey on Friday night. The nation’s leading rusher finished with 135 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Junior Rashaad Penny spelled Pumphrey throughout the game, rushing for 105 yards and three scores as well as catching two passes for another 64 yards. San Jose State could only muster 209 yards of offense all day, and while the Aztec defense missed out on a shutout they nevertheless asserted themselves against an overmatched foe all night long.
San Diego State’s loss to South Alabama looks stranger and stranger with each passing week that the Jaguars slump further down the Sun Belt standings. But ultimately their case for the Group of Five’s bowl berth will come down to whether or not they win the Mountain West. As long as they don’t inexplicably suffer a loss to Hawaii when the Rainbow Warriors come to San Diego on November 5, the Aztecs are virtually guaranteed to win their division. If they win the conference, it would mean that at most one unbeaten team would be ahead of them in the case for the Access Bowl.