San Diego State Football

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Previewing San Diego State’s Opponents: Idaho

Aug 3, 2008

In year two after Dennis Erickson's departure, Idaho is looking to rebound after a disappointing 1-11 season and finishing last in the WAC.  There is not too much too get excited about with Idaho—they have been one of the worst teams in all of college football.  The Vandals have not had any significant wins in their school history.

 

Offense

The Vandals do return all 11 offensive starters, so their offense should be better then last year.  They did score 21 points per game, which is a good thing to build on from last year.  With all eleven starters back, this offensive unit will be cohesive and just another year seasoned in Division I football.

Nathan Enderle was the starter in 2007 when he played in nine games, missing the other three after undergoing surgery on his throwing hand midway through the season.  Enderle completed only 44.3 percent of his throws and threw just 10 touchdowns to 18 interceptions.  Most of those miscues were due to inexperience between both the quarterback and the receivers.  However, this upcoming year they should be better overall. 

The team did score 21 per game, which is pretty good, but turnovers were a major reason they did not get more points.  The only real bright spots in last year’s miserable 1-11 season was the performance of then-redshirt freshman Deonte Jackson, who ran for 1,175 yards and seven touchdowns.

Jackson has a chance to be a playmaker in the WAC, and in a year with the Vandals always behind, getting 1,175 yards is quite impressive.  If the team can produce a more stable passing game while keeping games close, Jackson could see anywhere from 1,300 to 1,600 yards.

Receiving is the weakest point of this team.  They have solid tight ends, but the wideouts are young, and frankly, they were not good last year.  The top returning threat is senior tight end Eddie Williams, who caught 29 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns.  Williams also ran for 81 yards and three scores on nine carries.

This position is wide open, and any of the newcomers has a chance to make a big play.  It just depends who will be able to do that.

 

Defense

The defense was terrible: They gave up 36 points per game and ranked in the 100s out 119 I-A football teams.  The Vandals return fewer than half of their starters with five, but out of those, the defensive line and ends are where the strength will be this season.  The position is young, with multiple players only being sophomores for the upcoming season, but they did play a lot and have the experience.

The Vandals lost their four starters at linebacker last season, including the top two tacklers and three of the top six.  Nevertheless, the replacements have the potential to be better than that group, but they are all new starters who had limited playing time last year.

The defense has a lot of holes to fill and hope to improve from last year's performance, which should not be too hard.

 

Early Prediction

The Aztecs have no business losing to the Vandals, but weirder things have happened.  Look for San Diego State to win by two touchdowns.

Previewing San Diego State’s Opponents: San Jose State

Jul 31, 2008

The San Jose State Spartans are trying to recapture their success in 2006 when they won nine games, because last year was to be a springboard year to be able to compete with the top teams in the WAC only managed five wins. Consistency was a problem last year when San Jose lost their first three games before winning their next three, but ultimately going 2-4 in their final six. Head Coach Dick Tomey has done a great job for a program that was almost dropped a few years back, and to get them to a bowl game in 2006 was amazing. This season the Spartans are looking for more consistent play and try to get back to the 2006 season.

 

 

 

 

Offense: The Spartans return six starters from last years team and other players who had significant playing time. The quarterback situation is somewhat clear, as of spring ball Junior Myles Eden is the number one, but not by much and will see competition from Cal transfer Kyle Reed. Reed had a foot injury that limited his time getting to know the Spartans’ offense. With that injury, coach Tomey is willing to give him a long look in fall camp to see if he emerges as San Jose State’s starter. When Reed was being recruited by Cal he was considered a top 10 QB out of high school, so talent is there.

 The running back situation is even more confusing then the quarterback position if that is possible. The Spartans are hoping that fall camp begins with Yonus Davis back on his team, but when spring ended, the top running back of 2006 had still not been cleared to receive a medical redshirt from his injury. The top returning ball carrier is senior James Callier who is more of a power back, Caller rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns to finish third on the team, but he’s not explosive enough to carry the load. The other potential option is Junior Dominique Hunsucker who averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. Even with the lack of experience Coach Tomey feels they will be fine at running the ball.

The receiving corp is the strong point on this Spartans team, and is loaded with experience in this area. Senior Kevin Jurovich looks to be the go to guy in 2008 and with both returning starters and four of the top five returning the Spartans should be solid. Jurovich was chosen second-team All-WAC last season after catching 85 balls for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns and has a good chance to be the leagues top wide out.

Defense: This side of the ball needs work, during the 2007 season they gave up 29 points per game and gave up 40 or more in five of their seven loses. The unit does return six starters which should help the Spartan defense to improve, and if they want to get back to bowl eligible the defense must limit those high scoring games. The defensive line is the strength of the team with all four starters returning in that area, but return zero linebackers. The defensive line has two exceptional speed ends in Carl Ihenacho and Justin Cole who had a modest 65 tackles and 9 sacks between the two, have the ability to disrupt the passing game. As for the linebackers they will be bringing in all new starters for this season.

The top returning player at linebacker are junior Ryno Gonzales and in only six games last year he had 26 tackles and has the speed and agility to cover a receiver if needed. The other top returning player is Sophomore Jason Swisher who had with 21 tackles in 12 games. If the defensive line is as good as it should be then they can open up lanes for these linebackers to have good years as well.

In the defensive backfield senior cornerback Christopher Owens had a great year with 75 tackle, led the team with six interceptions, had three pass breakups and 2.5 sacks. There is question if he can keep that up since Owens was the secondary cornerback so teams thought they could go in his direction, but Coach Tomney feels Owens will have another impact year with his playmaking abilities to get sacks and interceptions.

Early Prediction: This game is in San Diego so there is an edge to be given to the Aztecs. Both teams are coming off of disappointing seasons, but the edge goes to the Spartans because of the loss of former San Diego State quarterback Kevin O’Connell to the NFL. The Spartans win by 7 points or less, as of now.

Previewing San Diego State Opponents: Cal Poly

Jul 29, 2008

More exciting FCS (I-AA) football for the league.  The Mustangs are a pretty solid FCS team who went 7-4 last year in the Great West Conference.  Wide receiver Ramses Barden and offensive lineman Stephen Field, both seniors, have earned preseason All-America honors and the Cal Poly football team is ranked as high as sixth in preseason Football Championship Subdivision national polls.  This team is one of the better FCS teams which the Aztecs can not take lightly.

Offense: The offense is potent for the Mustangs by averaging 39 points per game, with returning all of their key skill position players.  The leader of the offense is quarterback Jonathan Dally who had 29 touchdowns to five picks, and the leading target for Dally is Ramses Barden who accumulated the most amazing stats by catching 51 pass for an amazing 1,467 yards which is 25 yards per catch, plus he had 18 touchdowns.  The only other receiver of note on the team is Tredale Tolver who had 31 receptions and five touchdowns.

The running game is also potent since the Mustangs run the triple option so many players get a chance to run the ball and pile up yards.  Jonathan Dally is the top of the list at the running game with 763 yards and 12 touchdowns, while the team scored 25 total touchdowns on the road. 

The offense overall should actually put up better numbers from last year, because the Mustangs only lose one player who is an offensive lineman.

Defense: The defense is where Cal Poly is vulnerable, because they return five defensive starters.  The defensive unit gave up 25 points and hoped that the offense would just out score the other team, while the defense would try to limit big time plays.  The defense will do the same this year by trying to defend the big plays.

Early Prediction: San Diego State should be able to win since this is an FCS team, but with NFL calliber wide receiver Ramses Barden who will be tough to cover.   Expect this game to come close and be an exciting game which could could go either way, but I am not picking a FCS team to defeat a FBS team.  I would not be surprised if Cal Poly were to get the win.

San Diego State Preview

Jul 25, 2008

The following was posted by Londondomer on Rock's House.

Ok here is the complete preview of the San Diego State Aztecs that I said I would finish. I watched as much game film of them as I could find on the internet (not a ton) and tried to come up with the best preview I could. Hopefully someone besides myself will find this interesting

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks

#14 Ryan Lindley - 6-3, 205. Fr (RS)
A 3-star, #47 ranked prospect out Lakeside, CA where he attended El Capitan HS. Had offers from smaller schools like UNLV, Boise, Fresno State, etc. As a senior, completed 61 percent of his passes (235-for-385) for 3,521 yards, including 35 touchdowns. Traveled with the team this past year, but never saw any action.

Back-up: #9 Drew Westling 6-2, 220. Jr.
A 3-star who originally signed with Tulsa and redshirted as a freshman. After playing in three games and throwing one pass, he transferred to Southwestern Junior College. Completed over 53 percent of his passes for 2,087 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Analysis: Not much here. Lindley is inexperience and young, which is not a good combination. He was a decently ranked recruit out of high school but is likely to be a mediocre QB at this point in his career. Difficult to tell with nothing out there.



Running Backs

# 24 Brandon Sullivan 5-11, 220. So.
A 3-star, #73 ranked player out of high school, Sullivan had 88 rushes for 373 yards last season (4.0 avg), with 3 TDs and a long of 59 yards. Played as a fullback but has moved over to take the 1st string RB duties.

Back-up: Atiyyah Henderson 5-9, 175. JR.
A small back with decent speed and open field moves. Rushed 44 times for 192 yards (4.2 avg) and 1 touchdown. Disappointing season after rushing for 764 rushing yards in his freshman year.

Full Back

#23 Tyler Campbell 6-0, 220. SR.
Only had 3 attempts for 6 yards last season and also played special teams. Played in all 12 games last season.


Analysis: The Aztecs will likely run the ball with an inexperienced corp of quarterbacks. Sullivan and Atiyyah should be a decent combination of power and speed, but are not by any means elite backs. The Aztecs leading rusher last season was now-graduated quarterback Kevin O'Connell. Even if ND's defensive line is in a down year, these backs should not have big games.



Offensive Line

LT #74 Mike Matamua 6-5, 280. FR. (RS)
A 3-star, #40 ranked OT coming out of high school, Matamua traveled with the team in 2007 but did not play. Had offers from Colorado, Washington, Utah, etc.

LG #77 Mike Schmidt 6-2, 310. SR.
One of three returning starters on the Aztec offensive line. Was a defensive lineman before moving to the other side of the ball. Started his career as a walk-on who earned a scholarship in Fall 2007.

C #60 Tommie Draheim 6-4, 275. FR. (RS)
Draheim was a no-name recruit out of El Capitan HS in Lakeside, CA. Has not yet seen any action. Inexperienced and undersized.

RG #67 Ikaika Aken-Moleta 6-2, 325. JR.
Had only played in one game in his career during the second half of the 2007 game against Washington State.

RT #79 Kurtis Gunther 6-8, 270. FR. (RS)
A 2-star, unranked OT prospect from Camarillo HS in Camarillo, CA. Did not see any action in 2007.

Analysis: This is an extremely unexperienced unit with only one lineman with significant playing experience and three redshirt freshmen. The Irish defensive line should have their way with this group.



Receivers

R-Receiver #80 Vincent Brown 6-0, 175. SO.
Had a good freshman campaign, finishing third in Aztec season history in most receptions by a freshman and fourth in most receiving yards. Caught 31 passes for 349 yards (11.3 avg) and 2 touchdowns with a long of 62 yards. Also returned kickoffs, bringing back 25 returns for 547 yards (21.9 avg) with a long of 49 yards.

W-Receiver #4 Darren Mougey 6-6, 225. SR.
Was the teams #2 quarterback in 2005 and 2006 before a season ending injury. Made the move to wide-receiver. Last season caught 32 passes for 368 yards (11.5 avg) and 2 touchdowns.

X-Receiver #6 Mekell Wesley 5-10, 175. JR.
Played in all 12 games last year, but only caught 1 pass for 17 yards. Touted for his speed, but is inexperienced. In 2006, only caught 4 passes in 8 games.

Analysis: This unit features two of the offenses three returning starters. Brown is the biggest threat and will draw the Irish's best CB. Mougey is a big-target but is not an extremely skilled receiver.

Tight Ends

#88 Matthew Kawulok 6-2, 235. JR.
Played in 7 games this past season, catching only 1 pass for 2 yards. Came out of high school as a 2-star LB recruit. Brother plays at Colorado State.

#41 Tony DeMartinis 6-5, 255. JR.
A back-up defensive end for the past two years. DeMartinis just made the switch to tight end during the Spring of 2008.

Analysis: A very weak position for the Aztecs. Both players are inexperienced, with only 1 pass caught between them.




DEFENSE

Defense Line

DT #92 Siaosi Fifita 6-4, 250. SR.
Fifita is one of the Aztecs nine returning starters on defense (don't worry, more on that later). He played in all 12 games, but only had 12 solo tackles and 17 ast. tackles, but he did have 6 tackles for loss. He also was tied as the sack leader with 3 sacks for -16 yards. He also hit the QB twice, making him the Aztecs biggest threat for disrupting the back field. This guy was a one-star TE prospect out of Van Nuys, CA and SDSU was the only school to offer him. Very undersized for a DT. Our bigger offensive line should manhandle him.

DT #66 Ernie Lawson 6-3, 300. SO.
Lawsom will be a first year starter but played in all 12 games last year. He has the size of a more prototypical DT. Last season he had 9 solo tackles and 8 ast. tackles, with two pass breakups. Another local product from Vallejo, CA, Lawson was only offered by SDSU as well. He will take up space in the middle, but in video looks slow and out of shape.

DE #94 B.J. Williams 6-3, 230. SO.
Williams is also a returning starter, and provided the Aztecs with 20 solo tackles, 25 ast. tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Williams is undersized but has decent speed around the edge.

DE #56 Jonathan Soto 6-3, 265. JR.
Again, a returning starter. Last year he has 22 solo tackles, 13 ast tackles, 4.5 TFL, and 3 sacks. From film - he is just not that good. Got all of his sacks against bad teams. Has a stupid haircut.



Linebackers

WLB #32 Andrew Preston 6-1, 220. SO.
Preston, again, is a returning starter and one of their top defenders. Had 40 solo tackles, 32 ast. tackles, 7 TFL, and 1 sack. A decent player on the outside, but not overly physical. I expect our tight ends, when matched up against him, to out muscle him to the ball time and time again.

MLB #35 Luke Laolagi 6-1, 230, JR.
Returning starter. Last season, had 48 solo tackles, 46 ast. tackles, 6 TFL, and 1.5 sacks. Slow to react to pass plays and seems to bite on play action. Fairly aggressive, which actually gets him in trouble sometimes.

SLB #46 Russell Allen 6-3, 235. SR.
The Aztecs' best linebacker and best defender. Led the team in tackles with 71 solo, 48 ast. tackles, and 5.5 TFL. He also had 1 sack, 1 int, and 6 pass breakups. Big and physical.

Defensive Backs

CB #43 Aaron Moore 6-0, 190. JR.
Will probably draw the role of covering the Irish's best WR. Had 42 solo tackles, 17 ast. tackles, and 4.5 TFL. He also had 7 pass breakups and 4 interceptions. Not a bad cover corner, but 190 looks to be very generous. Not physical on the line. If he has to match up with Kamara, the quick out (that was often used with Shark and Stovall) should be very effective.

CB #6 Vonnie Holmes 6-0, 170. SR.
And I thought Moore was skinny. Holmes, for a senior, is an absolute stick out there. Last year, had 21 solo tackles, 5 ast tackles, 0.5 TFL, 4 INTs, and 3 pass breakups. Fairly quickly, but once again, very small and unphysical. Was a JuCo transfer from College of the Canyons.

FS #40 Corey Boudreaux 6-1, 220
Another one of the Aztec's better defenders, last year Boudreaux had 53 solo tackles, 31 ast tackles, and 3 TFL. He also had three INTs and 8 pass breakups. Is a fairly quick FS, but not overly physical. Was a former walk-on receiver, earning a scholarship in the Fall of 2007.

SS #11 Martrell Fantroy 6-1, 215.
Not a starter, but played in all 12 games last season, notching 15 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles, and 3 interceptions. Fairly athletic, but undersized (though he is more physical than one would expect).




Analysis: The Aztec offense should be no match for the Irish defense. The Aztecs return only three starters, one of whom was a former walk-on. Not only does the team return only three starters, but few of the players have significant game experience. The offensive line in particular is extremely young and inexperienced. Corwin Browns defense should largely have their way with the overmatched Aztecs. With Tenuta's influence, the linebackers should find their way to the quarterback early and often. The Aztecs' QB last year accounted for most of their offensive production and he is gone. I would expect the Aztecs to score fewer than 10 points.

The defense, although it returns almost all of the starters, should be similarly overmatched. Last season, the Aztecs gave up and average of 34.4 ppg against the power houses of the Mountain West. These point totals include 45 against Washington State, 52 against Cincinnati, 55 against Air Force, 45 against TCU, and 48 against BYU. They also gave up an average of 500 yards/gm in total offense, with 256 of that through the air, and 241 on the ground.

Overall, the Aztecs should be clearly overmatched on both sides of the ball. The offense is young and inexperienced. The defense returns nearly every one from a very poor 2007 team that went 4-8 in a weak conference.

The bulk of the Aztecs players come from California after every other team in state (and out) has picked over the bulk of the talent. There is absolutely no reason the Irish should not win by at least 30 points.

My Pick: Irish 42 SDSU 7

Notre Dame Football, Charlie Weis, Sugar Bowl

College Football: The Most Likely FCS Over FBS Upset of 2008

Jun 22, 2008

The conclusion to our countdown doesn’t feature a stunner like Georgia Southern over Georgia or Northern Iowa over BYU, but you can take my word that when Cal Poly travels to San Diego State in week one, the Mustangs will be in perfect position to upset the Aztecs.  Check the links below to recap the last three parts of our countdown.

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

No. 1: Cal Poly at San Diego State (August 28)

Chuck Long has had a tough time getting San Diego State going in his two years here, and despite having a fairly veteran offense in 2007, the Aztecs still stumbled their way to a 4-8 record.  The Aztecs finished 115th out of 119 FBS teams in total defense last season, allowing a staggering 498 yards per contest, including a “just shoot us now” 241 yards per game on the ground.

Offensively San Diego State has quite a bit of retooling to do, as they lose eight players from last year’s offense, including NFL-bound quarterback Kevin O’Connell and wide receivers Brett Swain and Chaz Schilens.  Even more pressing, however, may be the questions at offensive line, as the Aztecs return zero experience at the tackle position and only two starters on the offensive line.

This is not a good storyboard for a team which averaged “only” 25 points per game on offense last year while benefiting from a plus-six turnover margin.  I use the word “only” because San Diego State will need to score points in order to even be competitive in the MWC.

Considering how many teams need two to three games to establish an identity on offense, it certainly seems more than conceivable that San Diego State would come sluggish in their opener with Cal Poly.

Cal Poly, on the other hand, is coming off of a successful 7-4 campaign which saw the Mustangs finish 24th in the final Sports Network FCS media poll.  Coach Rich Ellerson’s bunch led the nation in total offense during the regular season last year, falling just short of the 500-yard per game mark.

They posted impressive wins over UC Davis (63-28), Idaho State (48-28), and Weber State (47-19) in 2007, while losing close matchups to WAC member Idaho (20-13) and North Dakota State (31-28.)

The Mustangs return ten starters from their record-setting offense in 2008, with the lone graduation loss being offensive lineman Daniel Bradley.  Defensively they return seven starters, and while they weren’t lights out last year, Cal Poly did have a dominating defense in 2006.

I like Cal Poly in this matchup for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their recent success against FBS programs, as well as their established offensive dominance.  Cal Poly actually beat San Diego State 16-14 in 2006 and would have beaten Idaho last year had it not been for seven fumbles which gave the Vandals a decided edge in the turnover department.

While San Diego State does bring back eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, I really question whether they’ll be improved enough in the first week of 2008 to stop Jonathan Dally and the Mustang offense.

Keep in mind, Cal Poly runs a triple option offense not totally dissimilar to what Air Force runs, and that the Falcons totaled more than 650 offensive yards (!!!) against San Diego State last season.

Even with a comparatively average defense by FCS standards, Cal Poly remains much more experienced than San Diego State’s offense, which will likely struggle controlling the ball as they break in a new quarterback, two new starting receivers, and an overhauled offensive line.

It’s a good thing they don’t put lines out on inter-subdivision games, because if they did I’d put money down on Cal Poly, which is exactly why this is my most likely FCS over FBS upset in 2008.

Chuck Long on SDSU

May 4, 2008

Long speaks to the media following the end of 2008 spring drills

April 30, 2008

SDSU Football
Press Conference Quotes
April 30, 2008
Aztec Athletics Center

 

Head Coach Chuck Long

 

On having four players selected in the recent NFL Draft:
"I want to congratulate our four picks in the NFL Draft last weekend. I thought that was a very nice thing not only for our program, but for those four guys. It's just basically hard work paying off. I wish we would've had them for another year or two. But that's just the way it is, and we were fortunate to be able to coach them in the short amount of time that we've been here. So my hat's off to Kevin (O'Connell), Brett (Swain), Chaz (Schilens) and Tyler (Schmitt) for getting drafted, especially when there's only seven rounds in the NFL Draft now. Again, it's a product of hard work. Sometimes I get a kick out of guys who are seniors and may not work as hard you want, then all of a sudden after they graduate they all think they're going to get ready for the NFL. Then they work extremely hard from that point on. They only have three months to do it and they think they can work hard for three months and get drafted, but that's just not the case. To the credit of these guys, they bought in and worked extremely hard, especially this past year way back to the beginning of winter. We didn't have Kevin for much of his junior year, and to have the work ethic that he needed to have the following year is now paying off in a big way.

"I also want to give credit to the coaches who coached them. (Offensive coordinator) Del Miller really brought Kevin a long way in a short amount of time. It's a credit to Del and what they were doing offensively and playing to Kevin's strengths. Also LeCharls McDaniel and his receivers - Brett and Chaz came a long way as receivers, especially Chaz, who has been hurt off and on. Toby Neinas as well with Tyler Schmitt, who I said from the day I got here, was one of the best long snappers in the country at any level."



On what lies ahead for the coaching staff following spring practice: "We are now in the process of evaluations this week. All of our coaches are bringing the players in to talk about where they are now, how they did in the spring and the goals for the fall. We don't have a depth chart at this point, just because I want our coaches to be able to evaluate and talk to their own players first before we release it to the media. I've always believed in doing that so they don't see any surprises through the media. I don't have a quarterback depth chart. I said after the (spring) game that I'd have it by the end of the week. That's our goal by Friday as a staff to have a depth chart and see where our quarterbacks are at that point. We may have some position moves, which is always a topic of discussion coming out of spring football. As a head coach, I want to get the best 22 (players) on the field. I also want to know who the best 44 are, because those guys will play as well on special teams as role players. Those are always issues we talk about. I don't have any moves at this point, but we're discussing that and will continue to do so over the summer. Those moves might not even happen until fall camp."

On the defense's performance during spring practice:
"I thought our defense really came on. I haven't been here for every practice because of a family situation, but I thought our defense really came on this last week with confidence. We have the makings of a very good defense. We have to continue to work hard over the summer. I know it's a cliché that you always hear, but that's going to be key ... We're playing a lot more man coverage and we're feeling a lot better about our cornerback position than we've had in three years. When you have good corners, you can do a lot different things with your defense, including man coverage."

On the offense:
"Offensively, we're younger there as you know, but I was pleased with them. They had a really good spring. We worked a lot out the spread offense. We've always had the spread, but we're working less and less in terms of tightening our formations up. So we worked hard at spreading things out a little bit more, and I thought our offense really came on. The spring game was not indicative of anything. I have not put a lot of stock into the spring game, but one guy who jumped out with some toughness after being hurt off and on was (running back) Davon Brown. That's the one guy who we want to see in that spring game and he came through with some big runs. You saw his speed - he's one of the fastest guys on the team.

"Skill-wise, I think we're in good shape. We just need to keep developing and keep improving. We have young quarterbacks, but I'm very pleased with their maturity, the way they throw the football and how fast they get rid of it. They really get rid of the ball fast and make good decisions.

"The offensive line is young. We knew that going in and there's still some room to grow there. There may be possibilities down the road where we move someone with experience into that position, so we'll keep looking at that. We think they're on a good track. They're going to be a good offensive line as they grow together. We recruited the right way there and like the track that they're on. Of course, you always like to have that track be a little faster. But we have to allow them to grow and that's why this training camp is going to be big for them."

On the special teams:
"Special teams continue to grow. We always find role players on special teams. Bryan Shields is the front-runner to be our kicker. We believe in Bryan and he's got a tremendous leg. It's just matter of him being consistent and accurate. He's really no different than where Garrett Palmer was when we first got here. Garrett worked hard at being consistent and accurate and ended up making every kick in conference play last year. Now it's just a matter of coaching and having him work at it, but he's got a better leg than Garrett. He's got a live leg. Many of his footballs go over the net instead of into the net in practice, so that's always a good sign. At punter, we're bringing walk-ons to compete against (incoming freshman) Brian Stahovich. Brooks Beckman is in our camp, so that's going to be a pretty competitive position this fall. We also believe we have the best long snapper in the country in Aaron Brewer coming in. We signed him (in February) and we think in time he'll be as good as, if not better, than Tyler Schmitt and that's saying a lot."

On the schedule for the upcoming fall camp:
"It's going to be our toughest training camp practice-wise that we've ever had. We have a lot more two-a-days this year because of the way that the calendar falls in August. It will be a tough camp physically and mentally, which is what we want, especially with some of the youth coming back on offense."

On whether or not he was surprised Kevin O'Connell was drafted so high in the third round:
"No, I was not, because he has the rare combination of size, speed and arm. Most guys have the arm, but not the speed. Or, they have the speed, but not the arm. If they do have that combination, they're 6-foot or 6-1. Kevin is almost 6-6 and can run very well ... Because of his build and his height and the way that he performed last year being a 3,000-yard passer and our leader in rushing, I knew (teams) would look at him before a lot of other (quarterbacks). But I thought it was a great pick and a great situation for him, going in and learning from the best. He worked hard at it, so I'm not surprised at all."

On whether any of the three quarterbacks separated themselves during spring practice:"I think there was some separation and the numbers will bear that out. We took every snap and graded it, and we're still doing that now. We're looking at every 7-on-7 rep, every scrimmage rep and every team rep. That's the way we went into the spring. We didn't just look at scrimmage reps, because we didn't have a lot of them. So we had to look at the entire spring, and that's the way it should be. As with any player, you want your quarterback to compete every single play ... We have some young players there, but we love their leadership. They're some of the best leaders I've been around at that position."

On the improvement of the defensive line:
"It's one of our most improved units in terms of pass rush. That is one area that we have to improve on. Coach (Mike) Nelson really emphasizes the pass rush and he teaches it very well ... I think the leader of the bunch is going to be Ernie Lawson. I think he's going to be a great leader for us. We moved Jon Soto out to the edge, which is his more natural position. Last year we played him at 3-techinque, where he's rather undersized, but we had no choice. Now we have some depth, so we can keep him outside. B.J. Williams had a terrific spring, probably one of the best springs we've had of any player. We moved Siaosi Fifita from outside to inside. He's going to be more of a 3-technique with Ernie being the nose. I thought Peter Nelson also had a nice spring. He's a tough guy who will be in that rotation. The young man we need to get back who was hurt all spring is Neil Spencer. Neil had a great freshman year, but he had a back issue and we wanted to save him this spring. He'll be back in the fall. Guys like Eric Ikonne and Ryan Williams, the transfer from Ohio State, showed some promise. They're not there yet, so it'll be a big fall for them coming up. We needed to develop some depth at that defensive end position and those two guys have come to the surface right now."

Notre Dame Football, Charlie Weis, Sugar Bowl

Spring Roundup: San Diego State Football

Apr 19, 2008

This will be the 3rd year for Chuck Long, and it is now time to see if he can at least get this team to a finish with six wins overall and that would be a huge improvement. The main thing that the Aztecs need to

work on is their defense, because last year they gave up way too many points.  Their offense was decent throughout the year, being able to put up mid 20’s per game but not good enough.

2008 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
 
DATE OPPONENT
8-30-08 CAL POLY
9-6-08 at Notre Dame
9-13-08 at San Jose State
9-27-08 IDAHO
10-4-08 at TCU
10-11-08 AIR FORCE
10-18-08 at New Mexico
10-25-08 COLORADO STATE
11-1-08 at Wyoming
11-8-08 at Brigham Young
11-15-08 UTAH
11-22-08 UNLV

The Aztecs do need to find a  new Quarterback since Kevin O’Connell has moved along and the that spot will be between a few players and the first is Junior College transfer Drew Westling, Sophomore Kelsey Sokoloski, and Senior Darren Mougey are the players who are set to replace O’Connell.

In some other news this spring San Diego State has been reported to have been having too many practices during this spring, and if true this would be their second offense, because this same thing happened last year.  Coach Chuck Long does deny these reports, but looking at the Aztec’s recent lack of success more practices would benefit the team.

SDSU did get a ton of JUCO transfers for immediate help and these seasoned players should help right away and perhaps get the Aztecs to respectability in the league.

April 26 is the annual Red and Black Spring Game at Mission Hills High School.

For more info on the MWC check out the best indpendent coverage of the league here.

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