Sept. 15, 2003
SAN DIEGO -
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The Q Spot
The San Diego State Aztecs, 2-1 on the season after posting a dominating 34-0 win over Texas-El Paso on Saturday night at the Sun Bowl, return home to Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday afternoon when they host the Samford Bulldogs (2-0) for a 4 p.m. kickoff. The game is the first for the Aztecs in Mission Valley since opening the season with a 19-9 win over Eastern Washington on Aug. 30. The kickoff time was set in part to help Samford with its travel requirements.
Aztecs And Bulldogs
San Diego State and Samford will be meeting for the first time ever when they kick off at Qualcomm Stadium Saturday afternoon. The game marks the second time this season SDSU will face a first-time opponent. The Aztecs opened with a win in their first-ever game against Eastern Washington. SDSU played Ohio State for just the second time in history on Sept. 6th in Columbus. Samford is located in Birmingham, Ala.
Scouting The Bulldogs
Samford, of the Ohio Valley Conference, comes to San Diego after an open week. Under second-year head coach Bill Gray, the Bulldogs are 2-0 for the first time since 1996. In two wins to start the season (see Page 8 for a statistical look at Samford), the Bulldogs are scoring 37.5 points per game. They have outscored the opposition 42-0 in the second period. Quarterback Ray Nelson is completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 222.5 yards per game. His favorite target is Efrem Hill, a junior wide receiver from Atlanta, whois averaging eight catches and 127.5 receiving yards per game.
2-1 Is Like So Much Better Than 1-2
San Diego State fans should be excited about the Aztecs' first 2-1 start since 1996. Since 1970, the Aztecs have started 2-1 on 17 occasions and then gone on to post a winning record 13 times with one season ending exactly .500. The win allows SDSU to enter a home game over .500 for the first time since Nov. 21, 1998. It has been 22 games since SDSU walked into Qualcomm Stadium with a winning record. On Saturday afternoon, SDSU will be trying to win two straight games in non-conference play (in the same season) for the first time since the first two games of the 1994 season. That year, the Aztecs opened play with wins over Navy (56-14) and California (22-20).
3-1
A victory over Samford would improve SDSU to 3-1 for the first time since the 1996 squad opened the season with a 4-1 record on its way to an 8-3 season. San Diego State is looking for just its third 3-1 start since 1987. The 1993 team opened at 3-1 and finished 6-6, which was the last 3-1 getaway prior to 1996.
Rio Grande Effort
San Diego State returns to Qualcomm Stadium fresh from a 34-0 romp over Texas-El Paso Saturday night. In the victory, the Aztecs pitched their first shutout under Tom Craft, averaged five yards per offensive snap and held the Miners to just 261 yards of total offense. The game marked SDSU's first shutout of a non-conference opponent since a 19-0 win over Utah State in 1977 and SDSU picked up its first non-conference road shutout since a 25-0 win over Oregon State in 1975. It was also SDSU's first non-conference road win under Tom Craft.
More On El Paso
In the victory, the Aztecs forced six turnovers, including three interceptions, and forced eight punts. The Aztecs also recorded five quarterback sacks and had four of their five longest plays from scrimmage in 2003 during the game. 34 Now, 34 Then, 34 Between On Saturday night in El Paso, the San Diego State defense recorded a 34-0 shutout. It marked SDSU's first shutout since posting a 34-0 shutout of Wyoming in 2000. The dry spell without a shutout covered 34 games.
Nationally Speaking...
San Diego State defense enters the Samford contest firmly entrenched among the national leaders in most statistical categories. The Aztecs rank sixth nationally in total defense, allowing 224.67 yards of offense per game. SDSU is just 16 yards per game behind No. 1 Nebraska and just nine yards behind No. 3 Michigan.
The Nation's Best
San Diego State leads the nation in pass-efficiency defense with a rating of 63.03. The rating is based on the opposition's completion percentage, yardage, touchdown passes and SDSU interceptions. The Aztecs are third nationally in pass defense (passing yards allowed per game) and has also climbed into the top 10 in scoring defense, allowing 8.3 points per game to rank eighth nationally.
One-Hit Wonders
The San Diego State defense, which refers to itself as "The Dark Side" in reference to the black practice jerseys it sports during the week, is now firmly entrenched as one of the nation's best in the early portion of the season. The Aztec defenders have allowed just one offensive touchdown through three games and none through the last eight quarters. The lone touchdown came in the final 90 seconds of the season-opening 19-9 win over Eastern Washington. The one touchdown scored by opposing offenses has come on 217 plays from scrimmage.
The Streak
San Diego State's current streak of eight quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown is the longest by San Diego State since the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl team went 11 quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown against Brigham Young, Fresno State and stretching into the fourth quarter of a 34-6 win over San Jose State.
Points-Counterpoints
Through three games in 2003, the Aztecs have allowed just 25 points. The point total is the lowest allowed by the Aztecs through the first three games of a season since the 1975 squad gave up 22 points in its first three games. The 25 points allowed represent the fifth-lowest point total by Aztec opponents to start a season since 1970.
New And Improved
A year ago, San Diego State's offense was one of the most improved in the country (fourth nationally). This season, the defense may get that honor. Through three games, the SDSU defense has allowed just one touchdown and it came in the last 90 seconds against Eastern Washington with the Aztecs protecting a 19-3 lead. The above graphic is a statistical breakdown of the Aztec defense over the past two years.
Jacob's Ladder
San Diego State sophomore corner Jacob Elimimian is the lone new starter in the Aztec secondary but he is playing like a veteran. In the first three games of 2003 (and his first three games as a starter), Elimimian has three interceptions to rank third nationally and tops in the Mountain West Conference in that category. His first interception of the season set up San Diego State's first-quarter touchdown at Ohio State. His second interception came at Texas-El Paso and he returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. The 85-yard interception return at UTEP ties for the ninth longest return in Aztec history. His third interception, also at UTEP, gave SDSU possession at the Miners' three-yard line and resulted in another Aztec touchdown. Elimimian's three picks tie for the most by an Aztec all of last season when Kirk Morrison, Ricky Sharpe and Marviel Underwood had three interceptions each.
First Half and Have Nots
The Aztec defense has been strong overall but nearly inpenetrable in the first half of all three games in 2003. San Diego State held Eastern Washington to 66 yards of total offense and Ohio State was just 10 yards better with 76 yards. Texas El-Paso dented the Aztecs for 150 first-half yards but came away without any points.
Turnover Turnaround
To date, 16 of the 25 points scored by the Aztec opposition have been set up by turnovers. The only touchdown allowed came after a roughing the punter call that returned possession to Eastern Washington after the Eagles had been stopped on downs. It does not fit officially fit into the turnover category but served the same purpose. In essence, the Aztec defense has allowed three points this season based strictly on offensive execution by an opponent. Thirteen of the 25 opponent points have come on either "no drive" or drives that covered less than 10 yards. Ohio State scored 13 points on 12 yards of total offense.
The Flip Side
On the other hand, the Aztecs are evolving into an opportunistic team as well. The Aztecs have scored 24 points off opponent turnovers over the last two games after failing to force a turnover in the season opener against Eastern Washington.
Red Zone Security
SDSU opponents have penetrated the 20-yard line on nine occasions this season but have scored just one touchdown. Four times they have failed to score all together and have accumulated just 18 total points on nine red-zone penetrations. Twice, the Aztecs have forced their opponents to turn the ball over on downs in the red zone.
Third Thoughts
San Diego State's defense has been completely dominating on third downs this season. Entering the Samford game, the Aztecs have limited opposing offenses to 12-of-55 (21.8 percent conversion rate) on third downs. Ohio State was 1-of-14 on third-down tries. In the final three quarters, SDSU's opponents have converted on just eight of 41 third-down attempts. Last season, SDSU gave up a first down on 42 percent of its third-down situations.
TD Or Not TD
Through three games, SDSU has outscored the opposition by a 66-25 count, including 36-9 in the second half and 53-9 over the final three quarters. The Aztecs have allowed a total of three second-half points over the last two weeks against Ohio State and UTEP. The Ohio State field goal, the lone points SDSU has allowed after intermission over the last two weeks, came on a drive that began at the Aztec 21 following a fumble. Ohio State moved the ball just four yards on three snaps before kicking the field goal.
Sack Time
San Diego State completed the 2002 season with 28 sacks over 13 games. SDSU has already accumulated 11 sacks in three games this season. Over 12 games, that pace would give the Aztecs 44 sacks for the season. Ten different Aztecs have been credited with at least half of a sack.
Offensive Trends
Air Craft, at least the wildly productive unit Aztec fans have become accustomed to during Tom Craft's years as offensive coordinator as well as head coach, is still evolving in 2003. But some early-season trends are beginning to surface: uBalance: With new-found muscle in the running game, SDSU is running for 110.7 yards per game and passing for 173. Last season, SDSU passed for 289 yards per outing and rushed for 72 yards. uMore Balance: The Aztecs have had 11 receivers catch a pass this season, four different players have played quarterback, nine players have been credited with a rush. uFinal Balance Note: Six different Aztecs have scored the Aztecs' 66 points this season. None of those six players had ever scored a point for San Diego State entering the 2003 season.
The Gospel According To Matthew
Matt Dlugolecki is still evolving as SDSU's quarterback but his early numbers are more than impressive. The sophomore is now completing 60.5 percent of his passes. He has thrown for 466 yards and opened against UTEP by completing his first six attempts.
Record Pace
Running back DeAngelo Nedd has been kicking around San Diego State for quite some time. On Saturday night, the converted safety got his first two carries as an Aztec running back. The result: 31 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Nedd's first carry resulted in a 28-yard touchdown run. That jaunt was set up by a 47-yard run courtesy of freshman Lynell Hamilton. Nedd's second run was a three-yard touchdown set up by Jacob Elimimian's second interception of the game.
Did You Know?
Heading into the 2003 season, San Diego State's official all-time winning percentage of .572 ranks No. 45 in the country, according to the NCAA. Ten times in its history San Diego State has won at least nine games and seven Aztec squads have posted 10 wins in a single season. On four occasions, the Aztecs have gone undefeated.
Road Kill
The Aztecs ended a nine-game losing streak in non-conference road games with the win in El Paso. The last road win outside of league play came in 1999 at Kansas, 41-13. Prior to the win in Lawrence, SDSU had not posted a non-conference road win since 1983. The 34-0 victory at UTEP marked SDSU's first shutout since a 34-0 win at Wyoming in 2000, SDSU's first non-conference shutout since a 19-0 win over Utah State in 1977 and the first road shutout of a non-conference opponent since a 25-0 win Oregon State in 1975.
Seth Sez
San Diego State senior Seth Santoro has provided quick help for a team looking to replace three-year punter Brian Simnjanvoski. Santoro has punted 20 times this season for an average of 41.9 yards. He ranks 35th nationally in that category. He has two touchbacks, four punts that have been fair caught and seven that have been downed inside the 20. Thanks to Santoro, the Aztecs are 29th nationally in net punting.
Three-Point Range
Senior walkon kicker J.C. Mejia is 6-of-7 on field goals this season, including a 47-yarder at Ohio State that brought the Aztecs to within 16-13 in the fourth quarter. Last season, SDSU converted its first field goal in the third game of the season and two kickers combined to go 17-of-27 on three-pointers. Mejia's only miss of the season came from 51 yards against Texas-El Paso. The Ohio State game marked the first time since Nov. 18, 1989, that the Aztecs booted two field goals over 45 yards in the same game. In '89, Andy Trakas turned the trick against another top 10 team when SDSU faced No. 7 Miami, Fla. Trakas booted field goals of 49 and 50 yards against the Hurricanes.
L-Train Still On Track
Three games into his SDSU career and frosh running back Lynell Hamilton remains among the most intriguing Aztecs. He is average 96.3 rushing yards per game after his 107-yard effort at Texas-El Paso. He has gone over 100 yards rushing twice in the first three games of his career. Since 1995, SDSU has had just two 1,000-yard rushers. Jonas Lewis ran for 1,021 yards in 1997 and Larry Ned rushed for 1,549 yards in 2001. Hamilton is on track for 1,156 rushing yards this season.
Quarter Horses
San Diego State had its string of consecutive quarters with points scored snapped at 11 when Ohio State blanked the Aztecs in the second period last week. However, SDSU got on the board in both periods after intermission and scored in all four quarters at El Paso. As a result, the Aztecs have scored in 17 of the last 18 quarters, dating back to last season, including six in a row and 11 of 12 quarters this season.
Nice Comeback
Tom Craft began his career at San Diego State with five straight losses, including setbacks against Fresno State, No. 17 Colorado and Holiday Bowl-bound Arizona State. However, since the 0-5 start, the Aztecs are 6-5 under Craft. It marks the best 11-game stretch for San Diego State since the Aztecs went 6-5 over the last four games of 1998 and the first seven games of 1999.