Sept. 16, 2001
Game No. 3San Diego State (0-2) at
Colorado State (1-1)
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Sept. 22, 2001 n 4:00 p.m. PDT
Hughes Stadium
Capacity - 30,000
Fort Collins, Colo.
Television: The San Diego State at Colorado State game will be televised live regionally by ABC. Sean McDonough will call the play-by-play with Ed Cunningham providing the analysis. Leslie Gudel will serve as the telecast's sideline reporter.
Radio: All San Diego State football games can be heard live in southern California on XTRA Sports (690 AM). Jim Stone calls the action with "The Coach", John Kentera, handling the color. Mike Costa provides sideline reports.
The Records: San Diego State enters the game with an 0-2 record after falling to Arizona State, 38-7, Sept. 8 in Tempe. Colorado State defeated Nevada, 35-18, for its first win of the season, Sept. 8 at home.
The Rankings: Neither team received votes in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today poll last week.
SDSU Coach Ted Tollner: Aztec head coach Ted Tollner (Cal Poly '62) is in his eighth season at San Diego State and has compiled a 40-42-0 (.487) record on The Mesa. Tollner's overall career mark stands at 66-61-1 (.516).
CSU Coach Sonny Lubick: Sonny Lubick (Western Montana '60) is in his ninth season at Colorado State. He is the winningest coach in CSU history and boasts a 68-30 (.694) record with the Rams. Overall, Lubick is 89-49 (.645) as a college head coach.
The Series: Saturday's game in Fort Collins will be the 21st between San Diego State and Colorado State. The Aztecs lead the all-time series, 11-9, including wins in 3-of-8 played in Hughes Stadium.
Back To The Field
The San Diego State Aztecs return to the playing field this week as they head to Fort Collins for the Mountain West Conference opener against defending league-champ Colorado State. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Mountain (4 p.m. Pacific) and will televised live by ABC as part of a regional offering. In the booth for ABC will be Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Ed Cunningham. The sideline reporter is Leslie Gudel.
Ohio State Update
San Diego State and Ohio State were scheduled to play Saturday (Sept. 15th) in Columbus in an ESPN game. Due to the national tragedy, that game was cancelled. However, both teams had an open week on Oct. 20th and the game was among the first in the country to be taken off of Saturday's slate and rescheduled. Game time in Columbus is yet to be finalized.
Back On The Tube
San Diego State will be easy to track over the next two weeks. Along with the ABC game from Fort Collins, the Aztecs will be on the national TV docket on Sept. 29th when Air Force visits Qualcomm Stadium for an ESPN2 telecast. That game is scheduled to kickoff at 8 p.m. SDSU opened the season on ESPN2 against Arizona.
ABCs Of Football
San Diego State's most recent telecasts on ABC-four appearances since 1993-have resulted in strong performances. San Diego State blasted Wyoming, 34-0, last season in Laramie in front of a regional ABC audience. In 1999, SDSU went down to the wire with No. 17 Southern California, before losing 24-21. In 1996, with ABC looking on, San Diego State ran past San Jose State, 49-20, and in 1993 ABC witnessed one of San Diego State's biggest comebacks ever as SDSU rallied for a 38-31 win over Air Force. Since 1990 and including the CSU contest, San Diego State has appeared on a national cable or regional network telecast 31 times. San Diego State will return to ABC on Oct. 13th when it visits UNLV.
The Series
San Diego State leads the series with the Rams, 11-9, dating back to the first meeting in 1978. The visitor has won four of the last five meetings between the teams, including the 1999 game in Fort Collins in which San Diego State bested the eventual Mountain West champs, 17-10. The teams have met every year since 1978, with the exception of 1989 and 1990.
Last Year At The Q
The special teams of the Rams offset the big plays of the Aztecs in a 34-22 Colorado State win. CSU got a 100-yard kickoff return (TD) and a 66-yard return from Dexter Winn and later took advantage of a 57-yard Pete Rebstock punt return to help its point total. SDSU stayed in contention with a 57-yard interception return for a score by Ricky Sharpe and a 64-yard Lon Sheriff-to-Derrick Lewis touchdown. San Diego State won the total offense battle by over 100 yards (419-316), but suffered three turnovers and five sacks.
Fort Collins Revisited
San Diego State's last visit to Colorado State resulted in a 17-10 victory. In the wind and snow of Oct. 16, 1999, the Aztecs put their "cold-weather jinx" to rest in a defensive struggle. Despite generating just 202 yards of offense, SDSU did not turn the ball over and got a 5-yard touchdown run from Larry Ned and one big play, a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jack Hawley to Damon Gourdine. Jerome Haywood had nine tackles in one of the best games of his perennial all-conference career as he plugged the middle.
Back Up The Mountain
San Diego State enters its third year of play in the Mountain West Conference with a 6-8 cumulative mark after consecutive 3-4 seasons in the league. SDSU has at least one win against five of the seven opposing league schools. Utah and Air Force are 2-0 vs. the Aztecs while San Diego State is 2-0 against Wyoming.
Kings Of The Road
San Diego State, in two years of MWC play, is 5-2 in league road games, tying for the best mark in the conference with two-time champ Colorado State and Utah. Last season, the Aztecs were 3-1 in road games. In fact, dating back to the final year of San Diego State's membership in the Western Athletic Conference, the Aztecs are 8-3 in their last 11 conference road games. On the flip side, Colorado State is 6-1 in Mountain West home games with the lone loss coming to San Diego State.
Road Production
Not only did San Diego State post all three of its wins on the road last season, but the Aztecs were eight points per game better (22.8 points per league road game as compared to 14.6 in all home games).
Conference Openers
San Diego State is 11-12 in conference openers, dating back to its membership in the WAC. Included in that total is a 1-1 record in Mountain West play. Last season, in another ABC telecast, the Aztecs rolled past Wyoming, 34-0, in the first game of the conference season. Under Ted Tollner, the Aztecs are 3-4 in league openers.
Conference Calls
San Diego State is 23-15 in conference games over the last five years, including winning the Pacific Division of the WAC in 1998. The Aztecs are 3-4 in conference play over the last two seasons. San Diego State has never had three consecutive sub .500 conference seasons since joining Division I. In fact, the last time SDSU spent three straight conference seasons under .500 was 1958, 1959 and 1960 while a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Headliners
San Diego State's return to conference play means the return of SDSU's Mountain West statistical champs. Quarterback Lon Sheriff led the Mountain West in passing (264.4 yards per conference game) and total offense (1,744 yards). Jomar Butler led the league in tackles and J.R. Tolver was tops in conference play with 6.8 catches per game.
The Sequel Is Better Than The Orginal
Despite opening the season against two opponents from the Pac-10 conference, the San Diego State defense appears to once again be positioning itself among the top 50 in the country. The Aztecs have allowed 656 yards through two contests, for an average of 328.0 yards per contest to rank 53rd nationally. Even more impressive, the Aztec defense is 37th nationally against the rush, issuing 104.5 yards per two contests this season. Through two games, the 2001 edition of the Aztec defense has allowed fewer total yards and fewer rushing yards than the 2000 squad that finished 45th nationally in yards allowed per game.
Never Hit The Century Mark
Although the Aztec defense allowed 154 yards rushing against Arizona State, 16 yards more than they had averaged in 12 games prior to Saturday, San Diego State was still able to extend a streak. In the last 11 games, San Diego State has allowed just two opponent players to rush for 100 yards. Against the Sun Devils, no player rushed for more than 42 yards, marking the fourth time in the last nine games that no Aztec opponent has rushed for more than 53 yards in a contest.
Road Warriors
San Diego State has proven to be "road tough" in recent years, claiming three victories away from Qualcomm Stadium in each of the last three seasons. The Aztecs have posted three consecutive .500 or better records away from home and are 9-9 on the road since the beginning of the 1998 campaign. The Aztecs have also shown an ability to win the close one on the road, winning three straight road contests decided by seven points or less and the Aztecs are 5-1 in road contests decided by 10 points or less since 1998.
Cashing In On An 0-2 Start
For only the third time in the last 12 seasons, San Diego State has opened a campaign with an 0-2 record. Since 1982, in three of the five times the Aztecs opened a campaign 0-2, they have rallied to finish the season with a winning record.
Another strange tidbit involving 0-2 starts revolves around the fact that San Diego State has posted a winning record - both overall and in conference play - after opening with consecutive losses. The Aztecs are 32-31-2 in seasons after losing their first two games and have posted a 24-23-1 record in league play.
In 1998, the Aztecs opened the season with three consecutive losses (Wisconsin 14-26, at USC 6-35 and Arizona 16-35), but won seven of its final eight regular-season games to advance to the Las Vegas Bowl. That Aztec squad finished 7-5 overall and 7-1 in Western Athletic Conference play. In 79 seasons of football San Diego State has only opened with consecutive losses eight times. Since the 1961 season, only six Aztec teams have started 0-2.
Conspiracy Theorey
The similarities between the 1998 and 2001 seasons are beginning to draw an eerie comparison. Both squads entered the season coming off of sub-.500 seasons (1997: 5-7, 2000: 3-8) and both squads returned a majority of their letterwinners (1998: 31, 2001: 43).
Both the 1998 and 2001 squads opened the season against two teams from the Pac-10 and a school from the Big Ten.
In 1998, San Diego State opened the season at home against Wisconsin. The Aztecs took a 14-7 lead on a fumble recovery by Jerome Haywood, but Wisconsin scored the last 19 points to win 26-14. In 2001, San Diego State opened the season at home to Arizona. The Aztecs went up 10-0 on a touchdown set-up by a botched punt attempt that resulted in San Diego State getting possession on the Wildcat one-yard line. Arizona scored the last 23 points to win 23-10.
In the second game of the 1998 season, San Diego State went on the road and was defeated at USC 35-6. The Aztecs trailed in all major statistical categories including first downs (25-11), rushing yards (232-137), passing yards (239-94) and total yards (471-231). In the second game of the 2001 season, San Diego State went on the road to Arizona State and was defeated 38-7. The Aztecs trailed in all major statistical categories including first downs (24-11), rushing yards (154-88), passing yards (271-102) and total yards (425-190).
After opening 0-3 in that 1998 season, the Aztecs rallied to win seven of their last eight regular-season games, winning the Western Athletic Conference title and advancing to the Las Vegas Bowl.
Incidentally, in week three of the 1998 campaign, San Diego State faced a nationally-ranked Arizona team, falling to the Wildcats 35-16. Arizona finished the '98 season with a 12-1 record and a number four national ranking.
Individual Streaks
The Aztecs enter Saturday's game at Colorado State with the following streaks:
Larry Ned came close at Arizona State, rushing 19 times for 88 yards, but it wasn't enough to snap San Diego State's 100-yard rusher drought, which grew to 13 games. The Aztecs last produced a 100-yard rusher on Nov. 27, 1999, when Jonas Lewis ground out 131 yards on 22 carries in a 39-7 Aztec victory over Wyoming.
Senior defensive tackle Jerome Haywood has started every game of his three-plus year career and enters Saturday's contest at Colorado State with a string of 35 consecutive starts. Other notable double-digit starting streaks include strong guard David Moreno (13), safety Will Demps (13), cornerback Ricky Sharpe (13), quarterback Lon Sheriff (11) and linebacker Jomar Butler (11).
Junior receiver J.R. Tolver, who last season ranked 31st nationally in receptions per game (5.6) and 40th in receiving yards per game (73.5), extended his streak of games with at least one reception to 16 at Arizona State, hauling in two catches for 43 yards.
Wideout Derrick Lewis, who has been suffering with a strained back since training camp, played just the opening quarter in Tempe. Still, the senior did manage to keep his consecutive game catch streak alive, with a two-yard reception. Lewis has now caught at least one pass in 17 straight games.
Demp's Streak Snapped
Senior safety Will Demps, San Diego State's leading tackler this season with 20 stops, had his three-game, double-digit tackle streak broken at Arizona State. The 2000 first-team all-MWC choice just missed extending the string, however, as he finished up with nine total stops. Dating to the end of the 2000 season, Demps has averaged 12.8 tackles over the last four games, including a 17-tackle performance at Air Force and a 14-stop day against UNLV to close out 2000. Demps opened the 2001 campaign with 11 tackles versus Arizona.
Kicking Cousins
Look for a strong resemblance when placekicker Tommy Kirovski takes the field. His holder, and the Aztecs' punter, is Brian Simnjanvoski. They are second cousins out of Escondido. Kirovski is also the first cousin of Jovan Kirovski, a member of the U.S. National Soccer team.
Boom Ball
Ray Guy Award watch list award candidate Brian Simnjanovski continues to make huge strides as San Diego State's punter. Simjanovski, who had never punted prior to last season, is averaging 44.8 yards per boot this season to rank 18th nationally. The junior may have had the best game of his career last week at Arizona State, drilling four of his eight punts over 50 yards. He also showed off his increased skill at the discipline, dropping four kicks inside the 20-yard-line.
Getting Off On The Right Foot
San Diego State placekicker Tommy Kirovski connected on his first Division I field goal attempt, drilling 23-yarder to open the scoring versus Arizona. He later helped SDSU expand its lead to 10-0, booting his first PAT. At Arizona State, Kirovski remained perfect, hitting a fourth-quarter PAT, his only kick of the night.
A JC All-American at Palomar College prior to transferring to San Diego State, Kirovski connected on 11-of-12 field goal attempts as a sophomore before participating in spring practice at Arizona in 2000 before returning to San Diego.
Kind Of A Break Out
It may not seem like it should rank among a team's superlatives, but Larry Ned's 19-carry, 88-yard rushing performance at Arizona State last week was as much as an San Diego State running back has gained on the ground (Garric Simmons had 88 yards on 28 attempts last season at New Mexico) since Nov. 27, 1999, when Jonas Lewis ran for 131 yards on 22 carries against Wyoming. In fact, Ned's performance versus the Sun Devils was his best in since going for 203 yards on 18 carries at Utah in 1999 - a span of 16 games.
Ned Marching Toward History
San Diego State running back Larry continues to climb up the charts in the Aztec record book.
Rushing: Ned enters the Colorado State game with 2,144 career rushing yards, good for eighth on the Aztecs' all-time list. He needs just 699 yards to overtake SDSU's No. 2 all-time rusher, Jonas Lewis (2,843 from 1996-99). Marshall Faulk (1991-93) is San Diego State's career leader in both yards and attempts with 4,589 yards on 766 carries.
Rushing Attempts: With 494 carries, Ned is fourth all-time at SDSU. He needs 96 attempts to move past No. 2 Jonas Lewis (589).
Scoring: Ned enters the Colorado State game with 132 career points. With 34 more points this season, Ned will move past John Hancock (165 points from 1921-24) into the top 10. More Chart Watching
Two other Aztecs could move into SDSU's all-time top 10 this season: Receiver J.R. Tolver needs 46 catches to tie Webster Slaughter (1984-85) at No. 10 on the Aztecs' career reception list.
Lon Sheriff could move into the top 10 in total offense, passing yardage and completions by season's end with a repeat performance of 2000, when he connected on 155-of-290 attempts for 2,163 yards. The junior needs to accumulate 2,235 yards of total offense, 2,052 passing yards, and 148 completions, respectively, to move into SDSU's top 10 in each category.
Slow Starter, Fast Finisher
Slow starts are nothing new for quarterback Lon Sheriff, who threw for only 138 yards on 15-for-30 passing in the season opener versus Arizona and just seven yards on 1-for-7 passing at Arizona State. The junior signal-caller also got off to a tepid beginning a year ago, when he was thrust into the starting role in game three.
After not cracking 200 yards passing in his first two starts behind center versus Arizona and Oregon State, Sheriff was a new man once he got some snaps under his belt. Sheriff had his break out game in start No. 3 at Wyoming, passing for 317 yards and a touchdown en route to MWC Player-of-the-Week honors. He would go on to pass for at least 239 yards in four of the last five games of the year, including a career best 393 yards against league-champ Colorado State and 328 yards vs. bowl-bound UNLV.
Sheriff ended the year as the Mountain West's top passer in conference play, averaging 264.4 yards per game. He was also the league champ in total offense, finishing with 1,744 yards. Sheriff also proved capable in crunch time, leading the Aztecs to come-from-behind road victories at New Mexico and BYU.
New Kid In The Hall
Despite entering the season with a clear-cut starter at quarterback in junior Lon Sheriff, head coach Ted Tollner indicated that transfer Adam Hall would also get plenty of snaps this season. Hall, who has missed the last two season after redshirting at Texas and sitting out under NCAA transfer guidelines at SDSU in 2000, finally made his collegiate debut against Arizona with 9:07 to play in the fourth quarter. He drove the Aztecs 43 yards on 14 plays before San Diego gave up the ball on downs. Hall completed 3-of-8 passes for 22 yards and scrambled for another 15 on the ground during the drive.
Against ASU, Hall saw even more playing time, starting eight series, including the Aztecs' only scoring drive on the night. He finished the game 9-of-22 passing for 91 yards, including a 31-yard hook up with J.R. Tolver and a 29-yard connection with Jeff Webb.
Just Where Do You Want Me?
Versatile may be the best word to describe San Diego State's Mike Houghton and Sakimo Randall. A senior offensive lineman and former walk-on, Houghton continues to show why the Aztec coaching staff considers him to be the squad's most versatile line asset. He entered 2001 with 20 career starts - 13 at tackle and seven at center. The Mission Bay HS product has been on the move once again this season, starting both of SDSU's games at quick guard. He has now started at least one game at 4-of-5 interior line positions. The new position apparently agreed with the 6-6, 315-pounder, who graded out at 92 percent versus Arizona. Randall's sojourn has been even more dramatic. The senior tight end opened his Aztec career on offense but was moved to defensive tackle during 2000 due to a lack of depth in SDSU's front. He spent the spring of 2001 with the black shirts, but was moved back to the offensive side of the ball when fall camp opened and was the starter at tight end in the opener versus Arizona. Randall was slated to make his second straight start at tight end at ASU but did not make the trip due to the flu.
Must Be A Toll Call
Lighting hasn't struck just yet in 2001 for senior wide receiver Derrick Lewis, who has been slowed by a back sprain, but that wasn't the way he closed out the 2000 season. Lewis, who has just four receptions for 34 yards thus far, was one of America's hottest receivers over the final five games of 2000. As a junior, Lewis led the nation with a 25.2 yards-per-catch average. He was particularly dangerous down the stretch, cracking the 100-yard mark in four of the season's final five games, including 138 yards at Air Force and 153 yards against UNLV - a pair of bowl-game winners.
Lewis' numbers have been even more impressive on his seven touchdown receptions, which have averaged 57.4 yards over his two-plus year career.
Go-To Guy
Wide receiver J.R. Tolver extended his consecutive game reception streak to 16 with two catches for 43 yards versus Arizona State, including a season-long 31-yarder. Though it's not quite up to the numbers he posted last year, expect the junior to become more productive as the season wears on.
Tolver led the Mountain West in receptions per game a year ago with a 6.57 average. He also accounted for over 30 percent of San Diego State's receptions (62-of-194) and 32 percent of the Aztecs' total aerial yardage (808-of-2,501).
Back In The Saddle
Tight end Gray McNeill, who missed the final nine games of 2000 with a torn left ACL, shook off the rust in the season opener to finish with a team-high five receptions for 38 yards. The 1999 first-team all-conference selection added a seven-yard catch at Arizona State and has now had at least one reception in 14 of his last 15 games.
Butler Continues To Roll
Senior linebacker Jomar Butler continues to show why he's a member of the Butkus Award watch list. The Aztecs' second-leading tackler this season with 18 stops, Butler notched his seventh double-digit tackle performance in the last 10 games with a game-high 10 stops at Arizona State, including a tackle for loss.
Butler exploded on the scene in 2000 after missing all of '99 after an injury-plagued and academically challenging freshman campaign, ending the year as the MWC's third-leading tackler with 112 stops, 86 of which were solo, despite not seeing regular playing time until game three at Arizona. He earned second-team all-league accolades and SDSU team MVP honors for his efforts.
First Timers
Despite being deep in returning lettermen, several Aztecs saw their first playing time at Arizona State last week. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Steve Nevarez, freshman H-back Fale Poumele and junior tight end Jason Dion and walk-on freshman safety Hector Nunez all made their collegiate debuts versus the Sun Devils.
Walking Into Starting Roles
During the early portions of fall camp, Ted Tollner confided to the media that the group of 2001 walk-ons may be the best he has been around. On the surface, that statement may not turn many heads. However, consider the following:
Linebacker Jomar Butler was scholarshipped, lost his scholarship, returned as a walk-on and became San Diego State's 2000 MVP and the leading tackler in the Mountain West Conference, despite not seeing his first extensive playing time until the third game of the season at Arizona.
Safety Will Demps, a 2000 all-Mountain West performer, walked on at San Diego State.
Offensive lineman Chester Pitts is an incredible walk-on who may be headed to a career in the NFL. He didn't play high school football and spent much of his early career working at a grocery store. He joins receiver Derrick Lewis as an Aztec starter that did not compete in high school football.
Offensive lineman Mike Houghton has started 22 games over the past two-plus years after walking on at SDSU.
Defensive back Jeff Shoate walked away from a scholarship at Division I-AA power Montana to walk on at SDSU. He is the starter at a corner opposite Ricky Sharpe.
Brian Simnjanovski is a second-team all-conference punter and Ray Guy preseason watch list member who walked on at SDSU after one year of high school football.