By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer
(@MickOnTheMesa)
On any given Saturday in the fall, I can expect a text message from my sister, informing me of the progress of her alma mater's football team.
Time was when her texts were few and far between, a sign that her team had lost again and that some things are better left unsaid. Why ruin a perfectly fine autumn afternoon by repeatedly ruminating on defeat? Those leaves that need raking in the backyard and the tomatoes that need harvesting before the first frost aren't going to take care of themselves.
Recently, however, her once forgettable football team, to which she continued to pledge allegiance during seasons of futility, has become somewhat notable, even to the point of being frequently positioned among the nation's top 25 teams.
So, last Saturday, as I awaited the start of the Aztecs' game against New Mexico State, I found myself watching the Iowa-Iowa State game. As in-state rivalries go, it ranks among the nation's best, even though Iowa has rubbed it in for several years now. My sister is a graduate of Iowa State, which makes her dislike Iowa the way most people dislike rashes.
At any rate, with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, officials stopped play, sending the teams to their respective locker rooms because of lightning in the area. There was a 49-minute delay.
Later, as FS1 did its best imitation of the Weather Channel, showing a radar image and using Reggie Bush to supply information on a "passing" storm that refused to pass, there was a 2-hour, 6-minute delay.
But as the delay wore on, the most amazing thing was happening. Rather than running for the turnstiles in a storm that also was producing wind and hail, a substantial number of those in attendance never budged. What's a little lightning among friends, or even rivals?
Ultimately, a game that kicked off at 3:11 p.m. ended at 9:04, with Iowa winning, 18-17. Fandom.
I mention all of this because it reminded me of an evening two years ago — Sept. 17, to be exact — when the Aztecs were going toe-to-toe with No. 19 Stanford. On its final drive of the game, SDSU had moved the ball 22 yards to its own 47 when the stadium suddenly went dark, prompting a 22-minute delay.
With the lights out at SDCCU Stadium, it started slowly, a chant familiar to those who have attended basketball games at Viejas Arena. And then it was tumbling through the stands like thunder, 43,040 fans offering up a chorus of "I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN," cell phone cameras flashing in the darkness, a scene not soon forgotten by those in attendance.
In the midst of all, as the chant grew ever louder, I was struck by the fact that maybe I had it all wrong. Having covered the team and been around the program for (gulp) more than 20 years, I readily admit my guilt in having questioned the loyalty of the fan base more than once. OK, a lot more than once. I wondered aloud and in print how a university (which I attended, by the way) with an enrollment of more than 35,000, with more than 200,000 alumni living in San Diego County, could generate such minimal attendance on Saturdays.
Yet by the time the lights came up and play resumed that night two years ago, there was no stopping what had started. Fueled by an Aztec spirit that years earlier had seemingly drifted away on a breeze through Mission Valley, fans remained standing, refusing to take their seats. In the midst of the most important drive of the game, I found myself staring at the stands rather than paying attention to play, absorbing a sight I'd seldom witnessed.
In the span of two plays — an 11-yard run by tailback Rashaad Penny and a 12-yard completion from quarterback Christian Chapman to Juwan Washington — SDSU advanced to the Stanford 19. An 11-yard pass from Chapman to Mikah Holder gave the Aztecs the ball at the Cardinal 8. And when Chapman delivered a touchdown pass to tight end David Wells on the next play, erasing a 17-13 Aztecs' deficit, there was enough electricity in the place to power the lights for seasons to come, electricity that might have melted a voltage meter when cornerback Kameron Kelly intercepted Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst's first-down pass on the ensuing series.
All of which leads us to Saturday's home game against Utah State.
For those unaware, the Aztecs (3-0) are one of 35 undefeated teams in the nation. Boasting a defense that ranks No. 11 in the country (248.0 yards per game), SDSU is about to test itself against a Utah State offense that is averaging 48.5 points and a staggering 656.50 yards per game, the second-highest total in the nation. The Aggies' lone setback came in a two-point decision in their season opener at Wake Forest, a winner over North Carolina last week. Utah State is also coming off a bye.
And while football press conferences often dissolve into gatherings dripping with flattery for the opposition, this week's media event with head coach Rocky Long included far less flattery than fact. Long knows what his team is up against. He'd also prefer that about 99.9 percent of those who were there when the lights went out return to help make things rough on Utah State.
"If you watch them on film and look at the statistics, you're very concerned," Long said. "We have to give ourselves a chance to stay in the game. As fast as they score points, you could be out of the game before it's even started. Obviously, we have to play good enough defense to keep the score at a point where our offense has a chance to outscore them."
Long's defense ranks among the best in the nation in numerous categories, including No. 3 against the rush (42.3) and yards per carry (1.7); No. 4 in scoring defense (8.0); No. 5 in total touchdowns allowed (3); and No. 16 in passing touchdowns allowed (3).
But the task at hand this week is far from routine. Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, who has been pegged as a potential first-round NFL draft pick, is averaging 371.5 yards total offense per game, including 355.0 yards passing. The Aztecs haven't allowed more than 250 yards in a game all season.
"He's a big, strong guy who can do things with his feet, but usually he doesn't have to," Long said. "He's got great accuracy; he looks like he throws effortlessly. He just kind of flicks the ball and he completes it 50 yards downfield. He's a very talented young man who had a very good year last year and has started off playing really well so far this year."
So has Long's football team, which, with a chance to move to 4-0 and a bye week in the offing, could be in position to make a run in the Mountain West. Following their game against Utah State, the Aztecs meet, in succession, Colorado State, Wyoming, San Jose State and UNLV, all games they would currently be favored to win.
But first things first. And, where Long is concerned, that means resurrecting the spirit that came thundering to life two years ago on a night when the lights went out in Mission Valley.
"I have no idea what kind of other things are going on this weekend or what the weather is going to do or anything like that, so, obviously, you have no control," he said. "For football fans out there, this ought to be a really good game. You're going to get to see one of the future NFL stars (Love) playing here, and a high-powered-everybody-likes-to-watch offense. It's a very entertaining prospect."
Much like a power outage.