2008 San Diego State Aztecs Preview

So far, the Chuck Long era has looked too much like former coach Tom Craft’s reign — sitting home during the bowl season and displaying few signs of progress. Of course, Long was left with little talent to work with after replacing Craft following the 2005 season. Long arrived boasting of immediately winning conference championships but has since realized a total rebuilding of the perennially downtrodden program was necessary.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Aztecs

Progress needs to be made in Chuck Long’s third season as coach or else critics will begin wondering whether the former Oklahoma offensive coordinator is one of those high-quality assistants who just isn’t head coaching material. The Aztecs are only 7–17 in Long’s first two seasons, and 10 of those losses have been by three touchdowns or more. Even more alarming is that only two of those blowout defeats have come against BCS programs. Compiling wins in the mediocre Mountain West needs to be San Diego State’s focus; in the past two years, the Aztecs have only six league wins. The apathetic fan base hasn’t bought into Long’s product, and now the Aztecs are breaking in eight new offensive starters, including a new quarterback to replace team leader Kevin O’Connell. The defense was brutally bad a year ago, finishing last in the Mountain West in all the key statistical categories. If the defense doesn’t make a strong turnaround, the Aztecs will again be powerless to stop opponents, but this time they won’t have the offensive firepower to stay close in games. San Diego State needs to get stronger in the trenches, as the Aztecs have often been overmatched by bigger, more physical players over the past two seasons.

But with interest in San Diego State football dipping to an all-time low, Long needs to start winning games. He has a 7–17 record, a mark that is more distressing when factoring in that the Mountain West Conference is far from one of the nation’s elite leagues.

San Diego State is the only Mountain West school not to play in a bowl game since the conference’s formation nine years ago. And the Aztecs will need a lot of luck to end that drought this season. They lost nine offensive starters off last year’s four-win squad, including do-everything quarterback Kevin O’Connell. There could be a lot of introductions necessary in the huddle as San Diego State looks for suitable starters.

Defensively, San Diego State must show dramatic improvement. The Aztecs fielded one of the worst defenses in the country and pulled off a dubious accomplishment — finishing last in the Mountain West Conference in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and passing defense.

Quarterbacks

Redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley enters fall camp as the starter and will attempt to hold off junior college transfer Drew Westling. Lindley outperformed the more experienced Westling during spring drills, but the margin wasn’t convincing enough to put the competition to rest completely. “There was not a lot of separation, and we want to keep the competition going,” Long says. Lindley was the top offensive player in San Diego County as a high school senior two seasons ago and has the type of strong arm that awes spectators. Westling is more the gym-rat type of quarterback. He originally signed with Tulsa out of high school before playing last season at nearby Southwestern College and throwing for 2,087 yards and 14 touchdowns. Sophomore Kelsey Sokoloski is the third-string quarterback.

Running backs

Sophomore Brandon Sullivan will likely get the bulk of the carries. Sullivan is a hard runner who gets yards after contact. He also isn’t prone to fumbles, which is the knock against his main competitor, Atiyyah Henderson. After rushing for 764 yards two seasons ago, Henderson carried the ball only 44 times last season. Though he’s the most explosive back in the program, he has tiny hands and often fumbles. He fell out of favor last season, so he needs to improve his ball security to regain the confidence of the coaching staff. Speedy Davon Brown should get some opportunities. Tyler Campbell, son of the legendary Earl Campbell, provides depth.

Receivers

San Diego State should have at least three capable targets despite losing two starting receivers and a starting tight end  — a trio that combined for 124 receptions and 1,893 yards. Vincent Brown caught 31 passes as a true freshman and looks primed for big things. He could become the go-to receiver as soon as this season. Former quarterback Darren Mougey made a nice transition and caught 32 passes last season. Mougey is physical and fearless when going over the middle. What would really aid the Aztecs is a healthy DeMarco Sampson. One of the program’s top overall talents, Sampson has missed the last two seasons with a foot injury. He’s a potential gamebreaker when healthy. Sophomore Alston Umuolo has the look of a future all-conference player at tight end. Umuolo is the type of athletic receiving tight end that San Diego State’s offense has traditionally lacked.

Offensive linemen

This rates as a major problem area after four of the team’s top five offensive linemen saw their eligibility expire last season. Center Trask Iosefa is the only full-time starter returning, though guard Mike Schmidt also has started games during his San Diego State career. The only other returnee who saw game action last year was guard Lance Louis, who is a converted tight end. As inexperienced as the Aztecs are inside, it’s an even more dire situation at tackle, where replacements are needed for the departed Will Robinson and Mike Kravetz, who combined for 72 career starts. The hope is that junior college transfer Taylor Wallace will man one of the spots, but Wallace has a checkered past. He was arrested for drug distribution and possession while at Utah State in 2006, and his forecasted spring arrival didn’t occur because of academic issues. It’s possible that two redshirt freshmen, Kurtis Gunther and Mike Matamua, will end up with starting tackle jobs.

Defensive linemen

Defensive end Ryan Williams is a possible impact player and should at least boost a sagging pass rush that netted only 15 sacks last season. He began his career at Ohio State and suffered a major knee injury before electing to transfer to a school that could offer more playing time. Jonathan Soto figures to be the other starting end with Siaosi Fifita and Ernie Lawson manning the tackle spots. End B.J. Williams will have an opportunity to beat out either Soto or Ryan Williams. Peter Nelson will see a lot of playing time at tackle. Strengthening the line is crucial. The Aztecs were next-to-last in the nation in rushing defense last season, allowing an average of 241.5 yards per game.

Linebackers

The Aztecs have their top four linebackers back, which can be viewed as either good or bad based on the defense’s overall lack of success last season. Russell Allen (strong side), Luke Laolagi (middle) and Andrew Preston (weak side) all ranked among the team’s top five tacklers, but too many of the stops came after lengthy gains. Allen had a team-leading 119 tackles, including 22 in one contest against Utah. He has started 31 games during his San Diego State career. Laolagi will again man the middle, but Preston will likely be beaten out by Jerry Milling, who missed the first half of last season with a foot injury. Redshirt freshman Miles Burris rates as a player to watch. He was recruited by Nebraska before choosing San Diego State. Sophomore Marcus Yarbrough also is an intriguing prospect.

Defensive backs

Four players who combined for 13 interceptions form the core of a secondary that must play better this season. Opponents averaged 256.7 yards of passing last season and completed a whopping 67 percent of their passes. Hard-hitting safety Corey Boudreaux (two interceptions last season) was awarded a sixth year of eligibility after putting together the best season of his career. He missed two seasons earlier in his career while tending to his younger siblings after the death of his father. T.J. McKay is likely the other starting safety, but Martrell Fantroy (three interceptions) has the look of a playmaker. Cornerbacks Vonnie Holmes and Aaron Moore each had four interceptions, but both players were prone to coverage breakdowns. Junior college transfer Davion Mauldin could push for a starting job.

Specialists

The Aztecs will be breaking in a new kicker, a new punter and a new long snapper. Transfer Bryan Shields is the frontrunner to win the placekicking duties. Shields saw some action at Utah State in 2006 as a freshman. The hope is that incoming freshman Brian Stahovich will be able to handle the punting duties. He showed impressive hang time in high school. Replacing a long snapper doesn’t normally get a lot of attention. But San Diego State lost one of the best in four-year starter Tyler Schmitt, who was a sixth-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Incoming freshman Aaron Brewer is expected to replace him.

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