Sept. 23, 2001
Game No. 4
Air Force (1-1, 0-0) at
San Diego State (1-2, 1-0)
Sept. 29, 2001, 8:05 p.m. PDT Qualcomm Stadium
Capacity - 54,000 San Diego, Calif.
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Television: The Air Force at San Diego State game will be televised live nationally by ESPN2. Pam Ward will call the play-by-play with Dean Blevins providing the analysis. Heather Kox will serve as the telecast's sideline reporter and Josh Hoffman will produce.
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 a 1-2 record (1-0 Mountain West), defeating Colorado State, 14-7, in Fort Collins last week. Air Force enters the game at 1-1 and is coming off a 42-0 victory over Tennessee Tech, Sept. 8.
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 41-42-0 (.494) record on The Mesa. Tollner's overall career mark stands at 67-62-1 (.519).
AFA Coach Fisher DeBerry: Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry is in his 18th year at the Academy. His overall record with the Falcons is 136-73-1 (.650).
The Series: Saturday's game at Qualcomm will be the 20th between San Diego State and Air Force. The Falcons lead the all-time series, 14-5. The last three meetings in San Diego have been decided by a total of seven points.
Meet Me At The Q
The San Diego State Aztecs return to Qualcomm Stadium for the first time since Aug. 30th on Saturday night when they host the Air Force Falcons in a Mountain West Conference game. Kickoff time is set for 8:05 p.m.
A Quick Look
San Diego State is the very, very early leader in the Mountain West Conference race after posting a 14-7 win over two-time defending league champ Colorado State last week in Fort Collins. It was the first league game played this season. The Aztecs are 1-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Air Force is a bit of a wild card. The Falcons opened the season with a blowout loss at home against defending national champion Oklahoma and then trounced Tennessee Tech to enter the game at 1-1. The Falcons had an open week last week and like the rest of America did not play Sept. 15th due to the national tragedy.
America's Team
San Diego State will once again be featured on television this week. Saturday's game will be televised by ESPN2 with Pam Ward calling the action, Dean Blevins providing analysis and Heather Kox providing sideline updates. The game will mark San Diego State's second appearance on ESPN2 this season after the Aztecs opened the year on the Deuce with the loss to Arizona. In between those appearances, San Diego State made an appearance on ABC (Colorado State) and will return to that network when it visits UNLV.
Ohio State Update
San Diego State and Ohio State were scheduled to play Sept. 15th in Columbus in an ESPN game. Due to the national tragedy, that game was cancelled. However, both teams had an open week scheduled for Oct. 20th. Game time in Columbus is yet to be finalized.
The Series
Air Force leads the series with the Aztecs, 14-5, including three straight wins. However, these games have typically been nail biters. The Academy's last visit to Qualcomm in 1999 resulted in a 23-22 win over the Aztecs with Air Force rallying late for the victory in what was San Diego State's first-ever Mountain West Conference game.
Too Close To Call
Over the last 11 games, dating back to the 1988 season, eight games in the SDSU-AFA series have been decided by a touchdown or less: three of the contests have been decided by a single point and in 1997 the Falcons won an overtime decision. In fact, dating back to 1990, San Diego State and Air Force have played nine times. The Aztecs have scored 250 points and the Falcons have scored 241 points. The last three games in Mission Valley have been decided by a total of seven points. San Diego State's last win in the series came in 1996 (28-23 in Mission Valley). SDSU is 3-6 all-time vs. Air Force in San Diego.
Last Year In Colorado Springs
It looked to be another tight ending before the Academy erupted for 14 points in the final period for a 45-24 win. Air Force rolled up 540 yards of offense and benefited from three Aztec turnovers. The Falcons held the ball the ball for over 36 minutes. San Diego State led the total offense war at the half by a yard. Aztec receiver Derrick Lewis had a big game against the Falcons. He caught four passes that covered 138 yards and he had a 41-yard punt return. Two of his receptions and the punt return all set up San Diego State scores.
Conference Play
The question this week is how will be the league's best road team play at home. Since the inception of the Mountain West Conference, San Diego State is 6-2 away from home, the best road mark in the league. San Diego State is the lone Mountain West team to post a win at Colorado State and the Aztecs have done it twice. On the flip side, in Mission Valley, where San Diego State is historically one of the best at defending its home turf, the Aztecs have struggled. San Diego State is 1-6 in Mountain West home games. The lone win came Nov. 27, 1999, when SDSU blew out Wyoming, 39-7.
The Starting Gate
San Diego State is 1-0 in conference play for the second straight year and for the fourth time in six years. Winning the first two games in conference play can be a nice omen for the Aztecs. In 1998, San Diego State opened 2-0 and ended the season 7-5 with a Pacific Division title in the WAC. In 1996, San Diego State's 2-0 conference start helped propel the squad to an 8-3 record.
Conference Calls
San Diego State is 24-15 in conference games over the last five-plus seasons, including winning the Pacific Division of the WAC in 1998. The Aztecs are 4-4 in conference play dating back to the 2000 season and 7-8 overall in the Mountain West. San Diego State is coming off of consecutive 3-4 league seasons. The Aztecs have 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.
Road Warriors
With the victory over Colorado State, the Aztecs improved to 6-2 in Mountain West Conference road games and to 9-3 in league road games since 1998. The Aztecs have won four of their last five Mountain West road contests. The Aztecs have also shown an ability to win the close one on the road, winning four straight road contests decided by seven points or less and the Aztecs are 6-1 in road contests decided by 10 points or less since 1998.
What A Difference Today Makes
The San Diego State offense posted 370 yards of offense in the 14-7 win at Colorado State, nearly eclipsing the total the Aztecs produced in their first two games combined (391 yards). The 170 yards rushing were 41 yards better than the Aztecs' total against Arizona and Arizona State.
Individuals also profited from the offensive output, most notably, Larry Ned, who went from 93rd nationally to 28th with a 177-yard rushing performance against the Rams.
Last Time It Happened
San Diego State passed for 200 yards
Last time an Aztec team passed for at least 200 yards was Nov. 25, 2000, when San Diego State compiled 328 yards of passing against UNLV (3 games ago).
San Diego State never trailed
Last time an Aztec team did not trail was Oct. 7, 2000, when San Diego State defeated Wyoming 34-0 (9 games ago).
SDSU had 170 yards rushing and 200 yards passing
Last time an Aztec team had 150 yards rushing and passing in the same game was Nov. 27, 1999, versus Wyoming when San Diego State had 246 yards rushing and 232 yards passing (14 games ago).
Aztecs had 11:34 more time of possession
Last time an Aztec team had at least 11:34 more time of possession was Sept. 25, 1998, against Fresno State when the Aztecs had a 38:08-21:52 TOP advantage (21 games ago).
Three and Out
In addition to limiting Colorado State to seven points and 212 yards of total offense, the defense made three-and-out a way of life for the Rams. Of the 14 Colorado State possessions in the game, 10 resulted in punts, one in a turnover, one on downs and one on the end of game. Of the 14 Ram possessions, eight were three-and-out series and that doesn't include a turnover, which occurred on the fourth play of the first series of the game.
The Sequel is Better Than the Original
Despite opening the season against two opponents from the Pac-10 conference and the two-time defending Mountain West Conference champions, the San Diego State defense appears to once again be positioning itself among the top 50 in the country. The Aztecs have allowed 868 yards through three contests, for an average of 289.3 yards per contest to rank 28th nationally. Equally impressive, the Aztec defense is 28th nationally against the rush, issuing 100.7 yards per three contests this season. Thus far through three 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.
The collective record of the 27 teams ranked above San Diego State in the total defense category is 59-17 (77.6 percent). Only three teams ranked above the Aztecs in total defense with losing records are North Carolina (19th, 1-3), Southern Methodist (20th, 0-3) and Arkansas (27th, 1-2). The Aztecs rank ahead of 12 of the top 25 teams in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll in total defense. A few of the many teams the Aztecs rank ahead of in total defense are 5th-ranked Texas (33rd), 6th-ranked Oregon (87th), 12th-ranked Washington (46th), 13th-ranked Fresno State (75th), 14th-ranked LSU (69th), 15th-ranked South Carolina (43rd), 17th-ranked Michigan (57th), 18th-ranked Northwestern (79th), 19th-ranked Oregon State (91st), 20th-ranked Brigham Young (86th), 23rd-ranked Illinois (71st) and 25th-ranked Clemson (62nd).
These rankings are even more impressive when considering that San Diego State has played the nation's 25th most difficult schedule to date according to the Sagarin Ratings (through games of Sept. 22).
Never Hit the Century Mark
The Aztec defense issued just 93 rushing yards on 29 carries in the contest against Colorado State to continue an impressive streak. In the last 12 games, San Diego State has allowed just two opponent players to rush for 100 yards. Against the Rams, no player rushed for more than 40 yards, marking the fifth time in the last 10 games that no Aztec opponent has rushed for more than 53 yards in a contest.
Cashing In On The 0-2 Start
For only the third time in the last 12 seasons, San Diego State has opened a campaign with a 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 33-31-2 in seasons after losing their first two games and have posted a 25-23-1 record in league play.
In 1988, 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.
Instant Replay
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).
As in 1998, the 2001 Aztecs were scheduled to open 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).
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. The Aztecs were scheduled to face 21st-ranked Ohio State in week three before the recent national tragedies resulted in a postponement of that game.
In week four of the 1998 season, the Aztecs went on the road and defeated Tulsa, 24-14. The Aztecs got a big game from Larry Ned, who carried 32 times for 167 yards in the contest. In week four of the 2001 season, Larry Ned rushed 40 times for 177 yards as San Diego State defeated two-time defending league champion Colorado State on the road 14-7.
After opening 0-3 in that 1998 season, the Aztecs rallied to win seven of their last eight regular-season games, winning the WAC Pacific Division title.
No Pastry Here
As of games played through Sept. 22, San Diego State's schedule ranks as the 25th most difficult according to the Sagarin Ratings. That is impressive, especially considering that a road game at then 21st-ranked Ohio State was delayed due to the national tragedies until Oct. 20.
The 25 teams with the most difficult schedule to date are a collective 27-46 (37.0 percent) thus far. But that number is a bit misleading. Five teams nationally-ranked in the coaches poll Tennessee, Oregon, Fresno State, UCLA and Michigan have a collective record 14-1, making the unranked members of the difficult schedule club 13-45 (22.4 percent). Of the 20 unranked teams on the chart, San Diego State is one of just 11 teams to claim a victory this season.
Air Force-SDSU Connections
Ten members of the Academy's football squad hail from the state of California with two, senior punter John Cortney and sophomore defensive back Larry Duncan, calling San Diego home. Cortney attended St. Augustine HS and Duncan Mira Mesa High. No SDSU players are from Colorado.
Individual Streaks
The Aztecs enter Saturday's game versus Air Force with the following streaks:
1 - San Diego State has had a 100-yard rusher in one consecutive game. And though that may not sound like much, the Aztecs had gone 13 games with out having a back crack the century mark before Larry Ned busted out for 177 yards last week at Colorado State. Prior to Ned's performance in Fort Collins, the last Aztec to rush for 100 yards in a game was current San Francisco 49er Jonas Lewis, who piled up 131 yards on 22 carries in a 39-7 Aztec victory over Wyoming on Nov. 27, 1999.
17 - Junior receiver J.R. Tolver and senior wide out Derrick Lewis each extended their consecutive games with a reception streak to 17 at Colorado State. Tolver, the Mountain West's leading receiver in conference games a year ago, hauled in eight receptions for 84 yards for his most productive outing since catching seven balls for 146 yards versus the Rams last season. Lewis averaged 24 yards on three receptions to finish with 72 yards receiving, including a 39-yarder in the fourth quarter that set up San Diego State's game-winning touchdown.
37 - Senior defensive tackle Jerome Haywood has started every game of his three-plus year career and enters Saturday's contest versus Air Force with a string of 37 consecutive starts. Other notable double-digit starting streaks include strong guard David Moreno (14), safety Will Demps (14), cornerback Ricky Sharpe (14), quarterback Lon Sheriff (12) and linebacker Jomar Butler (12).
60 - Junior quarterback Lon Sheriff, who has completed 28-of-55 passes this season, has not thrown an interception in 60 attempts dating back to the fourth quarter of last year's season finale versus UNLV.
Jump Start
Running back gave his Doak Walker candidacy a good jump start at Colorado State as the senior turned in the most productive night of rushing by an Aztec in nearly two years. Ned, who finished with 40 carries to tie a school record for the third-most in Aztec history, totaled 177 yards for the game. That figure is the most by an Aztec since he rushed for 203 yards on 18 attempts as a sophomore at Utah Oct. 23, 1999 - a span of 17 games.
Thanks to his outburst at CSU, Ned has nearly topped last season's numbers. As a junior, Ned appeared in six game and led the Aztecs with 357 yards. In just three game thus far, he has already rushed for 308 yards on 80 attempts - an average of over 102 yards per game. Ned's 40 carries were the second most in a single game this season nationally by a running back, while his 177 yards were the 18th most in a single game.
He Can Score, Too
San Diego State may not have found the endzone much this season. But if one player knows the way it's Larry Ned, who has scored three of the Aztecs' four touchdowns. Ned scored the 23rd and 24th touchdowns of his career at Colorado State last week giving him seven multiple touchdown games for his career.
Ned Continues March Toward History
San Diego State running back Larry continues to climb up the charts in the Aztec record book.
Rushing: Ned enters the Air Force game with 2,321 career rushing yards, good for seventh on the Aztecs' all-time list. He needs just 21 yards to overtake No. 6 Chris Hardy (2,341 yards from 1983-86) and 523 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 534 carries, Ned is fourth all-time at SDSU. He needs 56 attempts to move past No. 2 Jonas Lewis (589).
Scoring: Ned enters the Air Force game with 144 career points. With 22 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 38 catches to tie Webster Slaughter (1984-85) at No. 10 on the Aztecs' career reception list at 122.
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 2,139 yards of total offense, 1,939 passing yards, and 136 completions, respectively, to move into SDSU's top 10 in each category.
Two Heads Are Better Than One
It worked for Arizona a couple years ago as the quarterback tandem of Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins led the Wildcats to an 11-1 season, a No. 4 ranking and a victory over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. And thus far the Aztecs seem to be committed to using both junior Lon Sheriff and sophomore Adam Hall. Both were quite productive in the win over Colorado State, combining for 200 yards on 17-of-25 passing. Each led the Aztecs on a scoring drive and each had at least one completion over 20 yards. Neither signal caller was intercepted.
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. Simnjanovski, who had never punted prior to last season, is averaging 45.5 yards per boot this season to rank 12th nationally. The junior has strung together solid back-to-back games, averaging 47.4 yards on eight kicks at Arizona State and 46.8 yards on nine punts at CSU. Of those 17 punts six have traveled over 50 yards. He also showed off his increased skill at the discipline, dropping six of the kicks inside the 20-yard-line.
King Of The Mountain
There is just something about Mountain West Conference play that seems to agree with San Diego State quarterback Lon Sheriff. After opening the season just 16-of-37 passing in a pair of games against Arizona and Arizona State, Sheriff was back to his old self at Colorado State, completing 12-of-18 attempts (67 percent) for 113 yards while splitting time with Adam Hall.
Sheriff, who has now made 12 straight starts behind center, got off to a similarly slow start at year ago before breaking out in the conference opener at Wyoming and passing for 317 yards. He went 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 only attempting seven passes at Colorado State, sophomore Adam Hall is beginning to show the stuff that made him an all-state selection as a senior in Texas. Hall, who directed dives of 76 (touchdown) and 62 yards (fumble at goal line), completed five passes for 87 yards, including 39-yarder to Derrick Lewis that set up the Aztecs' second score. In the past two games, Hall has throw completions of 39, 31, and 29 yards.
Surfing The Webb
True freshmen rarely get a chance to make an impact, but head coach Ted Tollner knew from early in camp that Jeff Webb was going to be too good to keep on the shelf this season. Though he has yet to crack the Aztecs' starting lineup, Webb has had at least two reception in all three games this season and is third on the team in both receptions and receiving yardage.
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 above 90 percent in two of three games this season.
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.
Going Deep
Lightning is beginning to strike once again for wide receiver Derrick Lewis. Lewis, who has been slowed by a back strain since camp and had just four catches for 34 yards going into the CSU game, more than doubled his production for the season against the Rams, hauling in three receptions for 72 yards (24 yards per reception.
Last season, Lewis led the nation in yards per catch with a 25.2 yard 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.
Mountain Man
If wide receiver J.R. Tolver is catching a lot of balls it must be Mountain West Conference play again. Tolver, who led the MWC in reception in league games last year averaging 6.57 receptions per game, was back at it in Fort Collins, finishing with eight catches for 84 yards, including a 23-yarder from Lon Sheriff.
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 a pair at CSU and has now had at least one reception in 15 of his last 16 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 24 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. He added six tackles and a pass break up at Colorado State as the Aztec defense forced 10 Ram punts.
Rock-Solid Safety
Will Demps may have only posted one double-digit tackle performance the season but he still seems to be wherever the ball is when the Aztecs are on defense. SDSU's leading tackler with 27 tackles, Demps had seven at Colorado State, including a seven-yard tackle for loss. Dating to the end of last season, Demps has been the Aztecs' leading tackler over the last five games, averaging 11.6 tackles per game.
Brigham's Big Game
Senior defensive end Andrew Brigham had perhaps the best game of his collegiate career at Colorado State last week finishing with four tackles, including a pair of sacks for minus 15 yards and a pass deflection. Brigham's final sack came on the game's last play, taking down Ram quarterback Brad Van Pelt for a 10-yard loss as time expired.
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.