Sept. 9, 2016
2016 Mick McGrane Features
Continuity Makes a Comeback (Jan. 15)
SDSU Hits its Stride in Recruiting Race (Feb. 4)
Aztecs Knock Down Doors on Recruiting Trail (Feb. 9)
Ernie Lawson Comes Home to New World (March 17)
Washington now has Room to Roam (March 21)
Peer Pressure? Not for Chapman (Aug. 8)
Penny is Worth Every Cent to Aztecs (Aug. 18)
Football has Never Been More Fun for Siragusa (Aug. 19) Nobody is Perfect, but Barrett is Closing Fast (Aug. 28) Aztecs Force Future with a Premium on Past (Sept. 1) Chapman Earns More than Passing Grade (Sept. 4)
McGrane: Aztecs Have Put Critics in Their Corner
By Mick McGrane, @GoAztecs Senior Writer (@MickOnTheMesa)
As a collective fandom we are a fussy lot. We want perfection from our players, the guts of a gambler from our coaches and the right to cuss, carp and otherwise condemn all involved when expectations meet misfortune.
It's what we do, what we do best. We are must-win, gotta-have-it, no-excuses types who demand heads roll when our teams tank.
And so it is that two weeks into a season where San Diego State's football program finds itself earning the praise of pollsters that a Power 5 school comes calling in search of proof.
It's the annual assessment of validity, the litmus test of legitimacy. Have the Aztecs come far enough to trade punches and remain standing, or does defeat summarily stain the remainder of the season?
Much depends, of course, on perception. In some ways, SDSU's preseason placement by the likes of ESPN and Sports Illustrated not only heightened promise, it seemingly shortened memories. Suddenly, the Aztecs are living the high life, when a not-too-distant peek at the past suggests holding one's horses.
It's been a remarkable, if not astounding, remodel, but putting the finishing touches on a football program is never-ending business.
"Obviously, games like these breed excitement and breed interest, but I've checked, and not one team in college football last year went undefeated," said head coach Rocky Long. "Not one. Not one team. And people around here are talking about us like we're supposed to go undefeated."
Which, naturally, would necessitate beating Cal at Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday. A win, clearly, would add credibility to a program with an already convincing argument. Teams don't win 11 straight games, as have the Aztecs, without superior effort. Fact is, you'll find just one, defending national champion Alabama (13), with more.
Of course, suggesting that the Aztecs haven't struggled against Power 5 teams since joining the Mountain West 17 years ago would be folly. They've won twice, the last coming against Washington State in 2011, Long's first season as head coach.
But with expectations climbing, the pressure to prove oneself swells exponentially among the fault-finders. Witness last year's 1-3 start and its incendiary aftermath, when the (immensely absurd) call for Long's dismissal drew a crowd in critic's corner.
In response, Long's team proceeded to present a rather sizable serving of crow, winning 10 straight, a run extended to 11 following last week's season-opening win over New Hampshire. For some, however, last week was but a dress rehearsal. Beat Cal and we'll talk.
"There's obviously much more emphasis on one game than there should be," Long said of Saturday's matchup. "It shouldn't mean any more than it did when we beat Air Force in the (2015 Mountain West) championship game. That was probably more important than beating a Power 5 team.
"What's important is trying to win against anybody you play. It doesn't matter who you play. It's not any more important to (beat Cal) than it was to beat New Hampshire. Conference games are more important and championship games are the most important."
Nonetheless, in college football's era of haves and have-nots, it's about tossing the hierarchy from its perch, about removing the stigma of second class firmly affixed to the Group of 5.
"You're never going to close the gap financially, ever, which means the Power 5 schools have a huge advantage in the things they can offer and how they recruit," Long said. "So, their chances of getting really good players are much better than our chances of getting really good players.
"But the great thing about athletics is that there are players out there where, if you do a good job of evaluating and getting the right kinds of kids, the kids who believe in your program and work hard and develop and get their skills to the point where they can compete (with athletes from Power 5 schools), then the game is up for grabs. Just because they have better resources than we do doesn't mean our players are going into the game thinking (Cal) deserves to win."
Said senior Malik Smith, assigned to one of two "Warrior" positions in Long's 3-3-5 defense: "We all play Division I football. The only difference between us and Power 5 football is money. That's the only difference. Everybody plays football, everybody works out the same, everybody goes through the same drills. There's no big difference between the athletes."
"You have to go out and play hardest the longest," Smith continued. "Whoever does that is going to win the game. There's no secret formula to winning. You go out and do your job, and whoever plays hardest the longest is usually going to win."
And whoever doesn't goes under the microscope. It's what we do, what we do best.
Even if it means discarding the fact that from 2000-09, SDSU's winning percentage of .322 ranked 106th nationally, a mark that has climbed to No. 24 (.663) since 2010.
Even if it means ignoring the fact that the team's 52 wins in the last six seasons are the most in a six-year period at SDSU since 1972-77 (55).
Even if it means forgetting the fact that the Aztecs are one of just 25 teams nationally and only one of three Group of 5 teams to appear in six straight bowl games.
Even if it means remembering that a program once routinely bullied and beaten is no longer to be approached about surrendering its lunch money.
"Our players are going to play (Cal) as tough as they can play them," Long said. "And if we're skilled enough and execute well enough, we've got a chance to win."
Given recent accomplishments, they already have.