Sept. 28, 2003
Complete Game Notes vs. Brigham Young (Sat., Oct. 4)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Every Game Counts
The San Diego State Aztecs, 3-2 on the season, return to Qualcomm Stadium Saturday night to host the Brigham Young Cougars in a game that kicks off at 7:05 p.m. The contest is the Mountain West opener for San Diego State. SDSU joins UNLV as the only league schools yet to play a conference game. Brigham Young is 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the MWC. The Cougars have a road win at New Mexico and a home loss to Air Force last week. The BYU-SDSU game is the only conference game on the schedule this week.
Coryell Comes Home
On Saturday night, legendary Aztec coach Don Coryell will return to San Diego and will be honored by the University. Coryell, whose 12-year coaching record of 104-19-2 included a pair of national championships, is a member of the Aztec Hall of Fame as well as the College Football Hall of Fame. Many of his former players will also be on hand for the game.
Starting Blocks
San Diego State will be looking to improve to 4-2 on the season with a win on Saturday night. It would match SDSU's best start in the last seven seasons. San Diego State last began a football season 4-2 in 1996, Tom Craft's final year as SDSU's offensive coordinator. That '96 squad went on to post an 8-3 record, including a 6-2 mark in the Western Athletic Conference. Two of the losses were by a combined seven points. In 2003, SDSU's two losses are by a combined 13 points.
Aztecs And Cougars
The San Diego State-Brigham Young series dates back to 1947 when the Aztecs defeated the Cougars, 32-7. Brigham Young has a 20-6-1 lead and is riding a two-game winning streak in the series since SDSU's last-second 16-15 victory in 2000. The two teams did not meet from 1948 to 1970 but met every season from 1978 to 1995 until the old WAC quadrant system interrupted the series for three years. SDSU is 1-3 against BYU since the formation of the Mountain West Conference with the lone victory coming in Provo in 2000.
In Mission Valley
The Cougars have been a tough out for the Aztecs at home. BYU has not lost in San Diego since 1988 when the Aztecs posted a 28-15 win. The Cougars lead the series in San Diego, 8-5-1 with three straight victories dating back to the landmark 52-52 tie in 1991.
If You're Scoring At Home
Some of the most exciting games in WAC or Mountain West history have taken place between the Aztecs and Cougars. The two teams have fought to final scores of 52-52, Brigham Young 45, SDSU 44; SDSU 16, BYU 15; BYU 35 SDSU 28; SDSU 45, BYU 38. See page 8 of this update for a complete statistical look at BYU-San Diego State series.
A Case For The Defense -- Both Of Them
For two schools with the historical offensive firepower of Brigham Young and San Diego State, Saturday's game figures to be low scoring. The Aztecs enter the game with America's fourth-rated defense, allowing 248.20 yards per game. Brigham Young is 13th in the country with a defense that yields just 277.80 yards of offense to opponents. The two squads are 1-2 in the Mountain West in total defense. Incidentally, San Diego State has never led any conference in total defense.
Scouting The Cougars
While San Diego State is opening league play against Brigham Young, the Cougars are already in Week Three of the Mountain West season. BYU posted a critical road win to open league play, 10-7, at New Mexico. However, the Cougars lost some of that advantage with Saturday's 24-10 home loss to Air Force. BYU's non-conference schedule has included Georgia Tech, Southern California and Stanford. Boise State and Notre Dame still remain for the Cougars in non-league action. Brigham Young averages 252.80 passing yards per game.
Non-Conference Wrap Up
Saturday night, SDSU wrapped up its non-conference season with a 20-10 loss at UCLA. For SDSU, the 3-2 record to date represents SDSU's first season over .500 outside of league since the 1996 team went 2-1. SDSU won three non-league games for the first time since the 1995 season. San Diego State had a total of three non-conference victories when combining the 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons totals (3-19 vs. non-conference foes during that stretch). SDSU has won three non-conference games for just the third time since 1981.
And Now For The Mountain West Conference
San Diego State opens up its fifth season in the Mountain West Conference when the Cougars arrive in Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs are coming off a 4-3 season in league play, good enough for third place in 2002. Last season marked the first time SDSU has finished over .500 in the Mountain West and the third-place finish is the best for the Aztecs in the new league. SDSU has won five of its last eight conference games.
The Bottom Line(s)
Through four seasons, SDSU is 12-16 in the Mountain West. SDSU has at least one win over every league school and at least one loss to every league school other than Wyoming. The strangest numbers of the week: SDSU is 8-6 in conference road games and 4-10 in conference home games. Before last season's Qualcomm victories over UNLV and Utah, SDSU had not registered a home league win over anyone but Wyoming.
Opening Acts
San Diego State is 3-1 in conference openers since joining the Mountain West in time for the 1999 season with the only loss by a 23-22 count in 1999 at Qualcomm against Air Force in SDSU's first-ever Mountain West game. State is opening league against Brigham Young for the first time since 1995. Since playing its last season as an independent in 1977, the Aztecs are 15-10 in conference openers, including three straight victories.
Crafting Home Success
Under Tom Craft, SDSU is 4-3 in games played at Qualcomm Stadium. Prior to Craft, SDSU had gone 2-9 in its previous 11 home games. Also under the second-year head coach, San Diego State is 2-1 in Mountain West home games. In the previous three seasons (the first three seasons of the Mountain West), SDSU was 2-9 in Mountain West home games with both wins coming over Wyoming.
Home Turf
San Diego State enters the Brigham Young contest with a modest two-game winning streak at Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs haven't won three straight home games since the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl Aztecs won four straight at home, followed by a season-opening win over South Florida in 1999 to run the streak to five games.
The Defensive Numbers
San Diego State enters the weekend ranked among the top 10 nationally in four defensive categories, including total defense (fourth), pass-efficency defense (sixth), scoring defense (seventh) and pass defense (eighth). The Aztecs lead the Mountain West Conference in all four categories.
Four And Fine
San Diego State, fourth nationally in total defense, remains the only non-BCS school ranked among the top 10 in total defense (see inset). A week ago, SDSU was second nationally in total defense. Aztec opponents are averaging a touchdown every 86 snaps. SDSU's offense is averaging a touchdown every 29.1 plays.
Touchdowns Are Ground-less
The San Diego State defense has allowed just four touchdowns in five games, all through the air. San Diego State and Kansas State are the only teams in the country that are yet to allow a rushing touchdown in 2003. Last season the opposition ran for 19 touchdowns in 13 games.
Earning It
San Diego State has given up six touchdowns this season but only four have been allowed by the defense. In addition, the Aztecs have allowed just 62 points through five games. Of those 62 points, 33 have come following Aztec turnovers and 30 points have come on drives that covered 20 yards or less, including 10 points and UCLA in the decisive second half. On Saturday, UCLA's scoring "drives".
The Spirit Of '76
The 62 points allowed by San Diego State through five games is the lowest by Aztec opposition through the first five games of a season since the 1976 team allowed 55 points in five games to start a season. That '76 squad finished the season 10-1 and allowed 11.36 points per game for the year. The current Aztecs are allowing 12.4 points per game. Only 14 times in San Diego State history has the football squad ended the season having allowed less than 15 points per game. Thirteen of those 14 teams were coached by Don Coryell or Claude Gilbert.
The Numbers
One season after SDSU had the nation's most improved passing offense and the nation's fourth most improved total offense, the Aztec defense is getting into the act. In 2002, SDSU ended the season 95th in total defense. The Aztecs enter the Brigham Young contest fourth in the country in total defense and among the nation's top 10 in four defensive categories. The inset (right) compares the 2002 defense with the 2003 version, known as "The Dark Side".
Sacks Appeal
With four sacks Saturday night in the Rose Bowl, San Diego State now leads the Mountain West with 16 on the season. That pace would give SDSU 38 sacks for the season. Last year, SDSU had 28 sacks in 13 games.
First Or Second
With the exception of fourth-down conversions, San Diego State's Dark Side defense ranks first in seven of the eight defensive categories charted by the Mountain West Conference. San Diego State is second in rushing defense to New Mexico.
The Return Of The Texan?
The Brigham Young contest could well mark the return of Aztecs quarterback Adam Hall, who has been out with a high ankle sprain since the first quarter of the season. Hall is cleared to begin running this week and will resume practice on Tuesday. Hall needs 569 yards to crack the SDSU top 10 in career passing yards and is closing in on the top 10 in career total offense as well.
Youthful Glow
The mini-revival that seems to be growing under Tom Craft is being led by a young squad. San Diego State has 12 first-year starters (including kickers) in the lineup, including the quarterback for the past four games, all of the starting receivers, running back and tight end. In short, SDSU's entire "skills position" corps is in its first year in the starting lineup. In addition, 32 players off of SDSU's top 44 (two-deep) will return in 2003.
UCLA Recap
San Diego State considerably closed the gap but still could not break through for its first-ever victory over the Bruins. One year after being pasted by UCLA to the tune of 43-7, SDSU went toe-to-toe with its Pac 10 neighbor on Saturday. UCLA scored 10 of its 20 points off Aztec turnovers on the way to the 20-10 victory. The game was 3-3 at halftime. The Aztec offense, while struggling most of the night, did put together the longest drive of the season when it marched 81 yards for a touchdown (Michael Franklin 7-yard run) in the fourth quarter.
Quarter-Backing
San Diego State has played 20 quarters in 2003 and has put-up points in 17 of them. In fact, dating back to last season, SDSU has now scored in 23 of its last 26 quarters.
Rushing To Judgement
The ability to run the football has greatly enhanced the Air Craft attack as it develops with a youthful "skills position" posse. In 2003, SDSU is averaging 149.2 rushing yards per game after running for just 72.9 yards of offense last season. The Aztecs are also averaging 4.4 yards per rush after running for just 2.6 yards per attempt a year ago. San Diego State has run for eight touchdowns this season after running for just nine scores in 13 games a year ago. As a team, San Diego State ran for just 948 yards in 2002. The 2003 version of Aztec football has rushed for 746 yards with seven games remaining.
Lynell Leads The Way
The rushing improvement certainly was rejuventated with the arrival of true freshman running back Lynell Hamilton, the Mountain West Conference's highest-rated recruit last February. Hamilton has already rushed for 596 yards this season. James Truvillion led San Diego State last season with 392 rushing yards. He is averaging 5.3 yards per rush and has run for 307 yards over the last two games. Hamilton is the only true freshman in Aztec history to run for 100 yards in a season opener and joins Marshall Faulk as the only freshmen to run for more than 200 yards in a game (221 yards on 31 carries vs. Samford).
Hamilton Stacks Up
Lynell Hamilton heads into the Brigham Young contest second in the Mountain West and 12th nationally with an average of 119.2 rushing yards per game. He is the only freshman to rank among the nation's top 25 in rushing. He is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and his 89 yards (on 20 carries) at UCLA are the most allowed by the Bruins this season. Hamilton needs to average just 57.7 yards the rest of the way to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Hamilton's 5.3-yard average is better than Larry Ned's average (5.0 ypc) in 2001 when Ned ran for 1,549 yards. Hamilton is trying to record the 15th 1,000-yard season in San Diego State history.
Red Zone, Too
San Diego State's defense has been just as effective in the red zone as it has in the other 80 yards of play. The Aztec defense has had its red zone threatened on 16 occasions but has allowed points just 10 times, including only three touchdowns. The scoring percentage by opponents of 62.8 percent is easily the best in the Mountain West. On the flip side, SDSU's offense is the second best in the Mountain West, scoring on 88.9 percent of its red zone penetrations (10 touchdowns, six field goals).
Jacob And Jeff
San Diego State's starting cornerback duo of Jeff Shoate and Jacob Elimimian are tied for the Mountain West Conference lead in the category of passes defended. They both have nine through four games for an average of 1.80 per contest. Eliminian is 21st nationally with three interceptions.
Turnover Turnaround
To date, 23 of the 42 points scored by the Aztec opposition have been set up by turnovers. Twenty of the 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 and twice opposing defenses have scored touchdowns (one interception return and one fumble return).
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.
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 31 times this season for an average of 41.9 yards with a long of 64. Twelve of his punts have been downed in inside the 20 with only four touchbacks. Thanks to Santoro, the Aztecs are 21st nationally in net punting and the opposition has a total of 82 punt-return yards on the season.
Three-Point Range
Senior walkon kicker J.C. Mejia is 8-of-9 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, 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.
The Aztec Family
San Diego State is continuing a long tradition this season; it is the tradition of the Aztec Family and the immediate family. Once more SDSU will have a handful of roster members that are connected to former Aztec football players. Safety Josh Dean is the son of former Aztec and Washington Redskin Vernon Dean. Safety Shane Russell is the brother of former Aztec safety and current Minnesota Viking Brian Russell. Safety Marcus Demps is the younger brother of former Aztec safety and current Baltimore Raven Will Demps. Receiver Devin Pitts is the younger brother of former Aztec and current Houston Texan Chester Pitts. Freshman receiver Brian Spinks and frosh running back Lynell Hamilton are cousins. In 1999, SDSU had two brothers start in the same game when Kabeer and Akbar Gbaja Biamila lined up in the defensive front against Kansas.
Watch Lists
A pair of Aztecs have garnered some preseason notoriety. Junior linebacker Kirk Morrison is on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Lombardi Award and the Butkus Award. He currently leads the Mountain West in tackles and tackles for losses. Senior quarterback Adam Hall, meanwhile, is on the watch list for the Dave O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He has played less than a half this season due to an ankle injury.
More On Morrison
San Diego State linebacker Kirk Morrison is tied for fifth in the Mountain West in total tackles (43) and is tied for second in solo tackles with 29. He leads the conference in quarterback sacks (3.5) and in tackles for loss (nine).
Right On, Schedule
The San Diego State schedule, through five games of 2003, is rated 53rd nationally. SDSU is 3-2 against the slate with the two losses at Ohio State and UCLA by a combined 13 points.