San Diego State to honor 2015 Mountain West championship team

10th anniversary will be celebrated on Sept. 20

San Diego State Aztecs running back Donnel Pumphrey. | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

NCAA career rushing leader Donnel Pumphrey and former coach Rocky Long will be in attendance when San Diego State celebrates the 10th anniversary of its 2015 Mountain West Championship on Sept. 20 at its home game against California. 

The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. 

Why this is notable

After going 1-3 in non-conference play, the 2015 Aztecs went 8-0 in conference games, outscoring the opposition by a whopping 289-90. The Aztecs then beat Air Force, 27-24, in the MW Championship game and finished with a decisive 42-7 win over Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl.

SDSU finished the season 11-3 to tie the record for most wins in program history, a mark that would fall when the 2021 team won 12 games. 

Dec 24, 2015; Honolulu, HI, USA; San Diego State Aztecs defensive back Trey Lomax (14) and defensive back Kameron Kelly (27) celebrate after the 2015 Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium. | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

The 2015 Aztecs became the first FBS team to open with a 1-3 record or worse and win every remaining game, including the bowl game, in 29 years. The only other team to accomplish that feat since at least 1980 was Boston College in 1986, when it opened 1-3 and finished 9-3.

Highlights of the season

Pumphrey won his second of three consecutive John Simcox Memorial Trophies for the team’s MVP after rushing for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns on 309 carries, an average of 5.3.

Chase Price added 1,008 yards and six touchdowns on 190 attempts, also averaging 5.3 yards, giving the Aztecs multiple 1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the first time in program history.

SDSU swept the major MW awards. Long was named coach of the year, Pumphrey was named the offensive player of the year, cornerback Damontae Kazee the defensive player of the year and kick returner Rashaad Penny the special teams player of the year. Kazee had 75 tackles, eight interceptions and two forced fumbles. Penny returned 24 kickoffs for 804 yards — an average of 33.5 — and three touchdowns. 

Dec 23, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, United States; San Diego State Aztecs head coach Rocky Long on the sidelines against the Army Black Knights during the second half in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Ray Carlin-Imagn Images

All three players then swept the awards once again in 2016, when the Aztecs repeated as conference champions. That was the last time they won the MW crown.

Joining Pumphrey, Kazee and Penny as first-team all-MW selections in 2015 were defensive lineman Alex Barrett, linebacker Calvin Munson, offensive lineman Nico Siragusa and offensive lineman Pearce Slater. 

Oceanside High grads Jake Fely (linebacker) and J.J. Whittaker (cornerback) were second-team all-MW picks, while tight end Daniel Brunskill, kicker Donny Hageman, defensive lineman Christian Heyward, defensive lineman Jon Sanchez and safety Malik Smith each received honorable mention.

The legacy

Pumphrey gained 6,405 yards from 2013-16 to surpass Ron Dayne as the NCAA’s all-time rushing leader. 

Long was the head coach when the Aztecs made the final nine of their 10 straight bowl appearances from 2010-19. He was the defensive coordinator for Brady Hoke when they started that streak.