QB Katz keeps run game moving

SAN DIEGO » For the second game in a row, San Diego State’s vaunted running combo of Adam Muema and Walter Kazee was limited to less than 200 yards rushing.

"I thought Hawaii did a nice job against the run," Aztecs coach Rocky Long said. "We didn’t get any big runs in the running game. We got a couple of top sweeps, and a couple of fly sweeps, but our power plays and zone plays didn’t tear them up. So I thought Hawaii did a nice job."

But while the Warriors managed to stop SDSU’s backs, they had nothing to counter the athletic ability that Aztecs senior quarterback Ryan Katz displayed on his three rushing TDs.

Katz only put up 57 rushing yards for the night. But that number is a little skewed by the four sacks he took as Hawaii’s defense tried desperately to bring him down.

The Warriors rarely succeeded.

"They ran a lot of man coverage, so we had some of the zone read and sweep working, but with those guys in man coverage, the corners are chasing, and that kinda leaves a side of the field open," Katz said.

Katz reeled off scoring runs of 27, 34 and 9 yards to lead SDSU to a 52-14 win.

The first two of those runs came on designed plays. Long credited offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig for his ingenuity.

"I think Coach Ludwig did a great job scheming a couple of those runs for Ryan Katz," Long said. "Our team executed it really well, but the scheme put their defense in a real bind, and then Ryan’s pretty good running the ball."

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound quarterback wasn’t known for his running ability when he transferred to SDSU after spending the first three years of his career at Oregon State. During that time, Katz totaled 53 rushing yards, and only two rushing touchdowns — the last coming in 2010, when the Beavers played Washington.

But Long said he’s not at all surprised by what Katz has done for the Aztecs in the run game this year.

"He’s exactly what I thought he would be," Long said. "Him being our starting quarterback, I think it’s really helped us."

With 268 rushing yards this season, Katz is the team’s third-leading rusher, and his running ability has been showcased particularly in the last two games.

Against Fresno State the week before, Katz reeled off a 67-yard run that set up an Aztecs touchdown, and on Saturday night, he displayed an artful escapability that enabled him to shrug out of tackles and find daylight even as defenders closed on him.

Still, the Aztecs remain a pro-style team. And Katz is fundamentally a throw-first quarterback.

"I want to be a passer first," Katz said. "But Coach Ludwig, he dials those plays up, and I’m going to run them to the best of my ability."

Long is also mindful of protecting the quarterback who’s played a part in 14 of the team’s 28 touchdowns this season.

"We have to be careful on how much we use him," Long said. "If he runs the ball too much, he’s going to get beat up. I think using him really helps our offense because he’s multi-talented for sure."