SAN DIEGO – The difference between a Division I-A football team and a Division I-AA football team was apparent Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium as San Diego State University slapped Eastern with a 40-7 loss.

“We were out-classed. We got our butts kicked real good,” head coach Bob Spoo said. “That’s why they’re I-A and we’re I-AA. We didn’t block, and we didn’t tackle. They did the fundamental things right.

“The game is tackling and blocking. Do you think we did either of those well? No.”

While the score implies the obvious bruises the Panthers suffered on the field, the statistics don’t ease the pain. Eastern’s nine first downs didn’t measure up to the Aztecs’ 30, and neither did their 27 rushing yards to the SDSU’s 356. And junior quarterback Tony Romo being sacked five times didn’t help the Panthers either.

“They were very fast. They did a good job of sending good blitzes at certain times,” Romo said. “It was just really tough to get into a rythm.”

Eastern (3-1, 2-0 in Ohio Valley Conference) took its first loss of the season while the Aztecs (2-3, 1-1 in Mountain West Conference) worked on adding to its win column.

Aztec runningback Larry Ned was SDSU’s offensive driver for the night, rushing for three touchdowns and a total of 285 yards. Ned’s night set a new mark in the Mountain West Conference and was next-best all-time at SDSU behind NFL standout Marshall Faulk.

“He’s certainly as good as that kid from Toledo, maybe better,” Spoo said. “I hope our runningbacks watched him. They can learn from him. He’s certainly the best, and I was awfully impressed with him.”

The senior has been the Aztecs’ running back for two years, but spent most of last season recovering from knee and shoulder surgery.

“It’s definitely good to have him back,” SDSU head coach Ted Tollner said. “He makes us a good offensive team.”

Ned scored San Diego’s second touchdown of the game early in the second quarter with a five-yard run, giving the Aztecs a 14-0 lead.

Eastern’s lone touchdown of the game followed as Romo sent a 65-yard pass to sophomore Andre Raymond. Senior Bill Besenhofer’s kick was good to move Eastern into the game at 14-7.

“It was something we practiced all week and they executed it well,” Spoo said of the touchdown pass. “It just so happened to go all the way.”

With 5:11 left in the first half, San Diego’s Tommy Kirovski kicked a 22-yard field goal to send the Aztecs into the locker room with a 17-7 lead.

Early in the third quarter, Kirovski converted a 23-yard field goal of the game and a 20-7 lead for the Aztecs.

Ned took over San Diego State’s offense for the remainder of the third quarter with his second touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run to push the Aztecs ahead at 26-7.

“It didn’t seem like it was a 40-7 game,” Romo said. “We were in the game when it was 26-7. It seemed like if we scored on the next possession we could get it back, but it never happened.”

With 3:14 left in the third quarter, Ned rushed for 10 yards for the Aztecs’ fourth touchdown and a 33-7 lead. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Aztec wide receiver J.R. Tolver caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Hall to complete San Diego’s 40-7 win.

With a 45-21 loss to the Air Force Sept. 29, Tollner believes this win reinstilled confidence into the Aztecs.

“We needed this game for our own confidence standpoint,” Tollner said. “We needed to know we can play like that. This game was definitely more of a confidence game for us, but we’ve definitely been in Eastern’s situation before, and we understand what it’s like.

“We had the proper respect for them. When you’re ranked and undefeated, you know how to win. We’ve been there before and we know how it feels.”

Eastern not only lost the game, but players.

Throughout the game, the Aztecs sent four Panthers limping off to the sidelines. Three of them were out for the remainder of the game. In the first half, freshman defensive linemen Marcus Lorick and senior cornerback Kourtney Young left the game with ankle injuries while senior strong safety John Williams dislocated his shoulder. Sophomore Andre Raymond was also escorted to the side in the third quarter, but returned to the field on Eastern’s next possession.

“We’ve got the OVC to play for now and we sure as hell don’t want to be without those guys,” Spoo said.

Despite the consequences of Saturday’s game, the Panthers stepped onto the field to play a Division I-A opponent and challenge their talent and ability.

“They did a good job. They have a shot at their conference title and they showed that tonight,” Romo said. “They’re a better football team. If we’re a championship team like we think we are, we can take control of what we’ve got and get rid of the mistakes we made.”