Oct. 10, 2004
Complete Game Notes vs. Colorado State ( in PDF Format
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Game 6
Colorado St. (1-4/0-1) at
San Diego State (2-3/0-1 MWC)
Oct. 16, 2004
4:05 p.m.
San Diego, Calif.
Qualcomm Stadium (54,000)
Live Coverage
Television: ABC Regional (Channel 10) - Jerry Punch (play-by-play), Ray Bentley (analyst), Vince Welch (sidelines).
Radio: XPRS, The Mighty 1090 AM (San Diego) and goaztecs.com - John Fricke (play-by-play), John Kentera (analyst), Mike Costa (sidelines), Alan Horton (pregame, postgame, halftime)
Internet: Goaztecs.com
The Game
San Diego State's strong September has been, at least temporarily, derailed, due in part to massive injuries in the offensive line. As a result, the Aztecs have reached a critical week of play when they host the Colorado State Rams on Saturday. CSU, picked to finish second in the league, and SDSU, tabbed for third, will play in what amounts to an elimination game Saturday afternoon. SDSU is coming off its first loss to Wyoming since the formation of the Mountain West Conference in time for the 1999 season. CSU lost its league opener to Brigham Young, in Fort Collins, on Oct. 2nd.
Conference Calls
In the 2004 conference race, San Diego State is looking for its third consecutive upper-division finish in Mountain West play, all under Tom Craft. The Aztecs are 15-22 all-time in Mountain West play but 7-8 since Craft began his tenure in 2002. SDSU is 0-2 vs. Colorado State under Craft.
Ram Tough
Colorado State will be looking to knock off the Aztecs in San Diego for the fifth straight time, dating back to a 1993 win by San Diego State (30-3). Prior to the current four-game winning streak by CSU (in San Diego), the Aztecs had won eight of the nine previous meetings between the teams in Mission Valley.
Last Year In Fort Collins
In the first game that SDSU played without freshman running back sensation Lynell Hamilton, the Aztecs also lost starting quarterback Adam Hall to a season-ending injury in an eventual 21-6 loss to Colorado State. In a game in which the Aztecs outgained the Rams by a 345-324 count, Colorado State got a first-half defensive touchdown on an intereception return. The CSU lead stood at 7-6 entering the fourth quarter before a pair of touchdowns in the last 10 minutes iced the game. SDSU's last two wins in the series have come in Fort Collins (1999 and 2001).
Statistically Speaking In Fort Collins
Aztec running back Michael Franklin had his coming out party last year against Colorado State with the first of three straight 100-yard rushing games. He had 105 yards on 18 carries in his first effort as Lynell Hamilton's replacement in the starting lineup. Matt Dlugolecki was 10-of-22 through the air with an interception. He came off the bench to replace Adam Hall, who was lost for the rest of the season with a finger laceration. Robert Ortiz had 10 catches for 88 receiving yards. SDSU's points were limited to a pair of first-half field goals by J.C. Mejia.
Starting Up
Of the 22 Aztecs that are expected to be in the starting lineup Saturday, 11 started last year's game against Colorado State, including Michael Franklin, who was starting for the injured Lynell Hamilton for the first time. The biggest turnover is in the offensive line, where Mike Kracalik is the only returning starter from last year's game against CSU.
Last Time In San Diego
On their last visit to Qualcomm Stadium, the Colorado State Rams made themselves at home with a 49-21 win. CSU was ranked No. 17 at the time and generated 533 yards of total offense on a much different Aztec defense. SDSU got 378 yards from its attack but never threatened after falling behind 28-7.
The Dark Side Vs. The Mountain West
Despite the 0-1 conference start, the Mountain West Conference looks like it will once again have its hands full with The Dark Side defense. Against Wyoming, the Aztecs allowed 264 total yards (98 yards fewer than the Cowboys generated last season) and two touchdowns. One of the TDs came on a 29-yard drive. Over the last five conference games, San Diego State's defense has limited Mountain West opponents to an average of just 268.2 yards of total offense. To put that number in perspective, consider SDSU allowed 289 yards of total offense per game to rank eighth in the nation in that category. Last season, San Diego State has allowed just four offensive touchdowns in its last 16 quarters of league play, including the 29-yard drive last week at Wyoming, and a touchdown by Colorado State with 1:25 remaining in last season's game. The total offense allowed Saturday at Wyoming (264) was the lowest total allowed by SDSU since last year's 7-0 win over UNLV when SDSU gave up just 175 yards.
More Darkness
Wyoming generated 264 yards of total offense in its 20-10 win. That low number could have been even lower. The Cowboys got 96 yards on three plays, although those big plays led to just three total points. As a result, the other 60 plays generated just 168 yards of offense, 2.8 yards per play. SDSU had 11 tackles for loss and seven pass break-ups. Nine of the Cowboys' 15 possessions lasted three or fewer plays. Eight drives netted eight yards or less. The Cowboys were 3-of-16 on third-down conversions.
Weird Wyoming
Weird things happen in Wyoming. It is the only way to explain a game that saw SDSU hold a nearly 100-yard advantage in total offense, have its quarterback set a career high in passing yards, limit the opposition to just 264 yards of total offense, and still lose 20-10 after leading 10-3 at haltime. The weird things included three Aztec punts that covered a TOTAL of 25 yards in the third period. Those punts meant that in the third quarter each team had five possessions. SDSU started, as an average, on its own 19. Wyoming started, as an average, on the Aztec 34-yard line. Incredibly, the Cowboys got just 10 points out of those possessions. Wyoming started five straight drives in SDSU territory but only netted 40 yards.
Weird, Part II
After a first half without a turnover, SDSU was victimized by three second-half turnovers, to go with the punting woes. The Aztecs lost two fumbles and tossed an interception. It also marked the first time this season that the Aztecs failed to force a miscue by the opponent. The bottom line, the turnovers and punting woes, in essence, provided Wyoming with six turnovers instead of the official three.
These Are Losses?
San Diego State enters the Colorado State game with a 2-3 record. No asterisks allowed. But if there were...In the three losses suffered by the Aztecs, they have outgained the opposition by a total of 75 yards, have three more first downs than Michigan, UCLA and Wyoming combined. However, SDSU did lose the turnover battle (-3 total) and the opposition fumbled just once in those games.
Strange Streak
San Diego State has lost its last two football games by a combined score of 53-20 at UCLA and at Wyoming. While it may not be Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, it would appear the Aztecs deserved a better fate. When combining totals from the last two games, SDSU has a healthy statistical advantage. SDSU generated 765 yards of total offense the last two weeks while UCLA and Wyoming combined to generate 674 yards of total offense, meaning SDSU has a 91-yard advantage over the last two weeks. SDSU has carved out 41 first downs over the last two games compared to 33 for the UCLA-Wyoming offenses.