July 11, 2011
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State football team will open the 2012 season at Washington in a game played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Aztec athletic director Jim Sterk announced today. The game will replace a scheduled contest at Cincinnati, which has been moved to Sept. 24, 2016.
The one-game contract calls for the Aztecs and Huskies to meet on Sept. 1, 2012, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Washington is scheduled to play its 2012 home games at the NFL venue while Husky Stadium undergoes renovations. San Diego State will receive an $850,000 guarantee for the contest.
"We reached out to ESPN a few months ago about trying to schedule a national-caliber game that would likely be on national television and we were able to accomplish that with this game," Sterk said. "Coach Long was open to the idea of playing a game like this and it fits with our overall scheduling philosophy."
This will mark the third contest played between the two schools, with the Huskies winning the previous two encounters, both in Seattle. On Oct. 2, 1982, the top-ranked Huskies were 46-25 winners over the Aztecs, while on Sept. 13, 1997, third-ranked Washington handed San Diego State a 36-3 loss at Husky Stadium.
For Aztec coach Rocky Long, this will be the first time he has faced Washington as a head coach. He served as a defensive coordinator in the Pac-10 Conference on two occasions, first at Oregon State (1991-95) and then at UCLA (1996-97).
San Diego State will make its second appearance at CenturyLink Field. The Aztecs opened the 2007 campaign at the venue, falling to Washington State 45-17, while Sterk was the athletic director at WSU.
This is expected to be the final change to the 2012 non-conference football schedule. After opening at Washington, the Aztecs return home for three consecutive games against Army (Sept. 8, 2012), North Dakota (Sept. 15, 2012) and San Jose State (Sept. 22, 2012).
2011 SINGLE-GAME TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY, JULY 18
San Diego State single-game tickets for all seven home games are available beginning next Monday (July 18). That includes high-profile Mountain West games against Boise State and TCU, longtime rival Fresno State, as well as the Washington State-KGB SkyShow game. Single-game tickets start at $11, except for the contest against Boise State. Tickets for the game against the Broncos start at $15.
Season tickets, which have already surpassed totals from the past three seasons, remain on sale and start at just $66. For more information on season or single-game tickets, call the Aztec ticket office at (619) 283-7378, or visit the Aztec ticket office at Qualcomm Stadium's Window E. The ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The San Diego State football team is coming off of its most successful season in recent memory, finishing the 2010 campaign with a 9-4 record and beating Navy, 35-14, in the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl to record the school's first bowl game victory since 1969. The Aztecs return 14 starters and seven all-conference selections for the 2011 season, including two Maxwell Award candidates in sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman and senior quarterback Ryan Lindley, and Nagurski Trophy candidate senior linebacker Miles Burris.
The Aztecs open the 2011 campaign on Sept. 3 against Cal Poly.
LONG TO THROW OUT FIRST PITCH AT PADRE-GIANT GAME THURSDAY, JULY 14
SDSU football head coach Rocky Long is set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the San Diego Padres game on Thursday, July 14, at PETCO Park. The contest will mark the Padres' first after the All-Star break as they play host to division-rival San Francisco at 7:05 p.m. PT.
Long will be the second Aztec to throw out the first pitch this season as D.J. Gay of the SDSU men's basketball team held the honor back in May. That night the Padres honored the Aztecs' banner 2010-11 season. The Padres were victorious that night, defeating Milwaukee, 1-0.