By Gregg Xenakes, Associate College Football Editor
2009 SEASON IN REVIEW: Off to a 14-3 lead in the season opener against UCLA, the San Diego State Aztecs gave the appearance that they were not going to be a push-over in 2009, but that was little more than an illusion. New head coach
Brady Hoke watched as his Aztecs were outscored 30-0 the rest of the way in
their meeting with the Bruins, just one of several lopsided setbacks en route
to a 4-8 overall mark and a record of just 2-6 versus the rest of the Mountain
West Conference. Of the team's four victories, one came against an opponent
outside of the Football Bowl Subdivision with a 35-19 triumph over Southern
Utah in the second week, and the other non-conference win was a 34-17 decision
against New Mexico State, a team that had the worst offense among all 120
programs at the FBS level.
There was a stretch when the Aztecs won three of four outings, but those two
MWC victories were against Colorado State and New Mexico, two foes that
finished a combined 4-20. Against the Rams and Lobos, starting quarterback
Ryan Lindley threw for a combined 712 yards and nine of his 23 touchdowns on
the season, with those two outings also counting for half of the games in
which the signal-caller did not toss an interception. Lindley finished with
more than 3,000 yards passing, yet the team's overall offense still ranked
86th in the nation and was near the bottom of the MWC in scoring with just
23.3 ppg. One of the two areas that severely hurt SDSU was the so-called
rushing attack which was last in the league and 116th nationally with a mere
78.3 ypg. Add to that a turnover margin (minus-.83) that was 111th in the
country and it was easy to see why the Aztecs had so many issues last season.
2010 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: After taking his bumps and bruises a year ago, Ryan Lindley is ready
to come back and again lead the offense as the starting quarterback. Lindley
threw for more than 3,000 yards and completed close to 55 percent of his
attempts, leading to 23 touchdowns. However, the signal-caller gambled a lot
down the field as well, resulting in an unsightly 16 interceptions. But
really, what else was Lindley to do with the so-called rushing attack ranked
last in the MWC and 116th in the country with a paltry 78.3 ypg?
Between Brandon Sullivan, now a senior, and Walter Kazee who is entering his
sophomore campaign, the pairing combined for 973 of the team's 1,159 total
rushing yards, their six TDs accounting for all but two of the team's scoring
runs.
"I think we compare pretty close with some of them," wide receiver Vincent
Brown has said when asked about previous receivers at SDSU. "Just coming out
and trying to be productive, doing whatever it takes to do our part on the
team to win games. Looking back on other receivers in history, like Kasim
Osgood and JR Tolver, watching a lot of film of them on how they played, how
they worked together as a wide receiver unit...its definitely something to
look upon and try and model as we get after it this season."
Brown, a Second Team All-MWC performer from last year, appeared in just seven
games for the Aztecs yet still placed second on the team with his 45 catches
for 778 yards and six touchdowns. His average of 111.1 ypg was one of the
highest totals in football. If he and DeMarco Sampson can come close to Osgood
and Tolver then the receiving corps for the Aztecs is in good hands. Last year
Sampson made it through all 12 games to log 62 receptions for 851 yards and
eight scores, all of which were team highs for SDSU.
With four starters along the offensive line returning, Lindley should have a
little more time to make the right decisions in the pocket and the offense
overall should have a better flow.
DEFENSE: The defense for the Aztecs took a lot of hits a year ago, especially
in the first half of games. Giving up a combined 102 points in the first
quarter alone, while the SDSU offense was scoring just 56 total points, the
unit was putting the Aztecs in a hole far too early and made it too tough for
the squad to fight back. Overall, the scoring defense permitted 30.5 ppg,
seventh-highest in the Mountain West and 98th in the country.
In terms of returning starters on this side of the ball, the Aztecs sport
eight such performers, with four of those coming in the secondary. An
unorthodox 3-3-5 defensive scheme might allow opponents to get beyond the
first line of defense, but it might not be all that easy with all three
defensive lineman returning from last year. The real key will be how well the
specialty positions perform, whether or not the roaming defenders can cover
enough ground and make the hard hits that will keep offenses guessing.
On playing the Aztec position, defensive back Andrew Preston is excited about
the endless possibilities. "It's kind of the highlighted position on the
defense, you get to really roam around on the defense. You get to make a lot
of plays, you get to blitz the quarterback, you get to play deep middle,
sometimes you get to man-up receivers, sometimes you get to play in the box
like a linebacker and anything that Brian Urlacher played and thrived at...its
just exciting to be able to play that position and its an honor."
Defensive coordinator Rocky Long, who made the Lobo position at New Mexico the
center piece of the defense, had his unit ranked fifth in the conference and
74th in the nation in total defense a season ago as it allowed 382 ypg, so
there's definitely plenty of room for improvement for the Aztecs in all phases
of the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Brian Stahovich is slated to return as the team's punter this
season, the junior having averaged an impressive 43.8 yards per boot a year
ago. Of his 61 kicks, 13 landed inside the 20-yard line and 15 forced the
opposition to call for a fair catch. While he is certainly capable of playing
a significant part for the Aztecs, he and the offense hope he will have his
appearances cut down so that the squad can continue to maintain possession and
move the ball. Lane Yoshida, who missed on three of his 33 PATs a year ago and
was just 10-of-17 on field goals, will be replaced by senior Bryan Shields.
OUTLOOK: "The way we finished the season a year ago was unacceptable," coach
Hoke admits. "We've talked about it as a team and as a staff and I can tell
you we are excited to get an opportunity to go out and play football and
compete."
Of the 12 opponents on the San Diego State schedule for 2010, the Aztecs have
a winning record against just five. Granted, the season opener versus Nicholls
State is pitting the two teams against each other for the first time ever, but
still nothing will come easy for the Aztecs in 2010. Perhaps in any other year
playing New Mexico State on the road would be a challenge for SDSU, but seeing
as how the Aggies are in disarray and are in the midst of a lengthy rebuilding
project, that should work in favor for San Diego State in the second game of
the season. Taking on Missouri for the first time in three decades won't be an
easy task either, especially on the road. With a 9-1 mark against Utah State
all-time, it would appear that these Aggies are an easy non-conference target,
but there really is no such thing for the Aztecs at the moment. When it comes
to the Mountain West Conference schedule, San Diego State is on the road
versus both BYU and TCU, but even if those meetings were slated for Southern
California the outcome would probably be much the same. There should be a few
MWC wins awaiting the Aztecs, against New Mexico and UNLV most likely, but not
much more.