Sept. 6, 2015
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)
McGrane: Aztecs Look to Get Offense in Gear
By Mick McGrane, @GoAztecs Senior Writer (@MickOnTheMesa)
San Diego State coach Rocky Long didn't hesitate last week when identifying leftover concerns from three weeks of fall camp.
Specifically, Long pointed to a revamped offensive line and a starting quarterback position that went largely unclaimed before the team began game-week preparations for Saturday night's season opener against USD.
And despite a 37-3 win, chances are Long wasn't delivered of a great deal of disquiet on either front.
Of course, one exercise does not a season make. And to be fair, few teams in America hit the ground running with three new offensive linemen and a starting quarterback (Maxwell Smith) who hasn't played in 22 months. But to overlook Saturday night's offensive production also would also be to ignore the obvious, which included the nation's fourth-leading rusher last season --- Donnel Pumphrey --- finishing with 65 yards against a non-scholarship program. He was limited to fewer than 90 yards only twice in 13 games last season.
Pumphrey did provide the offense's lone touchdown of the evening, but linebacker Calvin Munson, who continues to gobble up interceptions like a bear in a buffet line, scored two touchdowns by himself.
Munson's final stat line, which included two interception returns for touchdowns and a fumble recovery, represented half of the six turnovers forced by SDSU.
But any offense gifted six turnovers by a defense is one richly provided for, providing it spends its money wisely. Instead, the Aztecs were mostly left to rely on what is fast becoming the unfailing leg of placekicker Donny Hageman, who hit from 33, 36 and 37 yards and has now converted 82.1 percent (23-of-28) of his career field goals.
"Honestly, it just comes down to playing better," said senior running back Chase Price. "I know Donnel (Pumphrey) and I can play a lot better, as well as the entire offense…everyone can play better."
While opening-game jitters are customary and mistakes more than a few, this was less about miscues than establishing rhythm on a night where the offense was seldom in-step. SDSU, which averaged 394.5 yards last season despite frequently being hamstrung by inexperienced quarterbacking, managed 305 total yards against USD. A unit that rushed for 2,809 yards (216.1 yards per game) in 2014, the second-highest total in school history, had 166 against the Toreros.
It was less than a memorable coming-out party for Smith, the Kentucky senior transfer who hails from Grenada Hills. Smith, who battled injuries throughout his career in Lexington, was making his first game appearance since Nov. 30, 2013. He finished 9-of-21 Saturday night with an interception, but to find fault solely Smith would be unjust. Far too often, protection breakdowns resulted in early throws or Smith (100 yards passing) winding up on his back.
SDSU particularly struggled on third down, where it was 6-for-14.
"Some of the mistakes could've been my fault," said Smith, whose 27-yard run in the fourth quarter was the longest of the game for the Aztecs. "We'll have to go and see the film and see if it was me not changing the protection. I thought (the offensive line) pass-protected well. I had time to throw. I got hit a couple times, but that's going to happen. We had some good runs and we also didn't make some plays, but we've got to watch the film and assess it and come back Monday and get back to work.
"I know I have to play better. I have to throw the ball a lot better. I don't know what it was, maybe it was not playing for a while, but whatever it was I'm going to have to practice much harder and play much better. Maybe it was rust, maybe I didn't control my emotions well enough, but I didn't throw the ball well and I know I can throw it a lot better, so that's a good thing. I don't think I can throw it much worse than that, so our offense is going to continue to get better and continue to improve and we're going to keep working hard."
The Aztecs will have little choice in the coming week as they prepare for a road trip to Cal, a team that produced 660 yards of offense in a 73-14 rout of Grambling State on Saturday. Golden Bears highly-touted quarterback Jared Goff completed 24-of-32 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns…and didn't play in the second half.
"We might look a little down, but we're happy," Smith said. "We're 1-0 and that's what matters. It doesn't really matter how you do it as long as you get it done."