Oct. 22, 2015
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Past Mick McGrane 2014-15 football features
2014
Kaehler: A Thinking Man's Game (Aug. 5)
Whittaker: Long Time Gone, Never Forgotten (Aug. 6)
Life in the Weight Room: Hall's Strong Suit (Aug. 15)
Roberts: A Career Comes Full Circle (Aug. 21)
The Season's in Session, Take Your Seats (Aug. 29)
How Quickly we Forget (Sept. 7)
Looks can be Deceiving (Sept. 19)
O-Line has Aztecs' Running Game in High Gear (Oct. 23)
Falling Short is no Longer an Option for Aztec Football (Nov. 29)
Winds of Change: "Rise To 25" Fuels New Direction for Football (Dec. 23)
Pumphrey in Need of a Playing Partner (Dec. 24)
2015
Football no Longer Needs Sun to Sell Itself (Feb. 4)
Aztec Football is Flush with Experience in 2015 (Feb. 20)
Regardless of Road, Whittaker's Future is Flush with Success (July 23)
Gordon no Longer Wrestling with Football Future (July 30)
Kazee has the Corner Covered in Aztec D (Aug. 5)
Hageman has Given Boot to Aztec Kicking Woes (Aug. 14)
Life is a Snap for Aztecs' Overbaugh (Aug. 21)
Munson Shines upon Emerging From Shadows (Aug. 28)
Pumphrey Prioritizes Winning in Rush to Stardom (Sept. 2)
Aztecs Positioned to Take Next Step in '15 (Sept. 4)
Aztecs Look to Get Offense in Gear (Sept. 6)
Penny's Stock Rising on Rate of Returns (Sept. 7)
Sorry, No Apologies Forthcoming (Sept. 11)
Seeking a Solution at Quarterback (Sept. 18)
Aztecs, Hauck Have Something Special (Oct. 2)
McGrane: Aztecs Positioned to Make Statement
By Mick McGrane, @GoAztecs Senior Writer (@MickOnTheMesa)
In the time-worn world of coach-speak --- "it is what it is" and "take it one game at a time" vying for the top spots in most major polls --- the slightly more modern "statement game" has elbowed its way into football fashion.
And where San Diego State's football team is concerned, statement time is at hand.
In a game that could serve as a preview of this year's Mountain West championship, the West Division-leading Aztecs host Mountain Division leader Utah State Friday night in a contest where both teams sport perfect conference records of 3-0. SDSU has not been involved in such a scenario since Nov. 17. 1975, when it faced San Jose State in a Pacific Coast Athletic Association contest. Friday's game is one of just three this week between teams with spotless conference marks.
And while the Aztecs and Aggies naturally will spend the week bestowing bouquets and staging group hugs from afar, there is more to this affair than it oddly being only the second time the teams have met since 1977.
Think Bully on the Block. On a Friday night. With nary another game in the nation simultaneously being televised. And while coaches may be wont to assign minor import to games coming midway through the season, particularly games that ultimately may have little impact on league titles, Aztecs safety Malik Smith may have been closer to the truth with this assessment: "This is not just another game."
How could it be? SDSU, which was tabbed to win the West Division in the league's preseason media poll, enters having won three straight, two of the victories coming as underdogs on the road.
Utah State, meanwhile, which also has won three straight, is coming off a 52-26 pounding of then-No. 21 and perennial MW kingpin Boise State, a victory coach Matt Wells referred to as "maybe the greatest win in this program's history."
How long is the shelf-life of elation? The Aztecs are about to put it to the test.
"I don't think there's any issue with us being ready to play mentally or emotionally; we'll be ready to play," said SDSU Coach Rocky Long. "I have some questions about assignments, because we had one less day of practice (Utah State beat Boise State Friday night before the Aztecs' 30-7 win at San Jose State on Saturday). But there are no issues whatsoever that we'll be ready. Our kids were excited as soon as we got on the bus to go get on the plane after we beat San Jose State, because they knew Utah State had beaten Boise State and they know how good Utah State is."
And Utah State likely has a pretty good idea how good the Aztecs are. SDSU, which broke from the gate 1-3 through the season's first month, has won its first three league games for the first time since 2002. Last matched against Utah State in 2010 when it posted a 41-7 win over the Aggies, then members of the Western Athletic Conference, SDSU has won seven consecutive home games against MW opponents. The Aztecs' last loss came in a 35-28 setback against No. 15 Fresno State on October 26, 2013.
Utah State, meanwhile, has won 13 of its last 15 road games against MW opponents.
"Even when people were concerned about our football team and how we were playing (early in the season), our players never changed," Long said. "This is a big game. They know it and everybody in the world who cares about our football team knows it. But our players haven't changed. They're going about their business the exact same way they did the second week of the season, the fourth week of the season and right now. We have really good young men in our program who are always going to keep working hard no matter what the situation is. And that's why we are where we are right now."
It's also helped to have improved quarterback play from Maxwell Smith, who has not thrown an interception in his last 101 attempts. And while SDSU's ground game rightly remains the team's weapon of choice, it should be noted that the Aztecs have not thrown an interception in five consecutive games, a feat in SDSU's Division I era (since 1969).
"Every unit, offense, defense and special teams is beginning to gel as one, and the timing is great," Smith said. "But we need to keep it going. We definitely haven't reached our full potential, which is awesome to think about. Hopefully, we can just continue to build on it each week."
Such has clearly been the case with SDSU's defense, a group that with eight returning starters had been expected to heavily factor in the Aztecs' success this season. In two of its three league wins, SDSU has limited the opposition to 150 or fewer yards (San Jose State 148, Fresno State 89). The Aztecs have held their last 10 conference opponents to fewer than 400 yards total offense (average 262.7 yards per game), a streak matched only by LSU in SEC play.
Now comes Utah State, which has averaged 47.0 points in its three MW wins.
"I definitely don't think you've seen our best yet on the defensive side of the ball," Smith said. "I really believe that we can dominate an entire game where we don't give up a touchdown. We're playing well, but I think we still have more to prove."
They'll get their chance against the Aggies, a chance where "just another game" retorts are difficult to mask and even harder to believe.
"I think playing late on Friday night gives you a huge TV audience where there will be a lot football fans who have no association with San Diego State or Utah State, but they're football fans and they'll be tuning in and watching the game," Long said. "It can be a real advantage if you play well, in recruiting, in fan attendance later on in the season, but there are also some huge disadvantages if you don't play well. It's a give and take situation."
"I hope we get a big crowd and I hope they're all for us," Long continued. "The one advantage we have is that we're playing at home, and if you get a big crowd that's really supportive, just the energy and the noise in the building can get you through some bad times."
And perhaps even assist in making a statement.