By Mick McGrane, GoAztecs.com Senior Writer
(@MickOnTheMesa)
Its starting quarterback, Adam Hall, was in a walking boot, the result of a high ankle sprain suffered in the season opener.
The backup, sophomore Matt Dlugolecki, had never started a collegiate game, having sat out the previous season after transferring from Illinois.
It was Week 2 of the 2003 season at San Diego State, and if there was the slightest reason to eye the glass as half-full, there also was reason to run for cover. The upcoming opponent? Defending national champion and No. 2-ranked Ohio State.
In the week leading up to the contest, an Aztec defense that would ultimately place four players in the NFL gathered to gauge the magnitude of the moment. One of those players, linebacker Kirk Morrison, would become a first-team All-American by season's end and a third-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders.
"We basically said to each other, 'Hey, fellas, we've got a backup quarterback starting this game and he's not ready for this,' " said Morrison, the school's all-time leader (since 1979) in career unassisted tackles with 241, and currently a color analyst for ESPN. "As a defense, we had to step it up. We knew things were at a point where it was going to be up to us. We also had a true freshman running back in Lynell Hamilton. There was so much uncertainty, so many unknowns. Our coaches told us, 'Hey, this is going to be on you, because we aren't going to get much offense.' "
And the Aztecs didn't. They scored 13 points — and lost 16-13 in a game that turned on a 100-yard interception return by Ohio State's Chris Gamble.
Sixteen years later, as SDSU prepares for Saturday's home game against Wyoming, there may be fewer questions about the offense, but make no mistake: The defense, while perhaps not yet worthy of "The Dark Side" moniker affixed to Morrison and his mates, is fast building a reputation of its own.
SDSU, which ranks No. 1 in the nation in rushing defense (45.4 yards per game), enters Saturday's contest having allowed a mere 18 yards on the ground in last week's 24-10 win at Colorado State. The Rams, who had been averaging 501 yards total offense, managed but 235 against the Aztecs.
Yet, SDSU's rush defense is but one category in which it ranks among the best in the country. Among FBS programs, the Aztecs also rank:
* T-2nd in rushing yards allowed per carry (1.8)
* T-2nd in passing touchdowns allowed (3)
* T-6th in total touchdowns allowed (6)
* T-7th in rushing touchdowns allowed (2)
* 8th in scoring defense (11.4)
* 8th in total defense (270.8)
* 9th in tackles for loss (8.4)
* 10th in first downs allowed (74)
* T-15th in turnovers forced (11)
* 16th in interceptions (6)
* 22nd in passing yards per attempt (6.03)
* 24th in pass defense efficiency rating (113.7)
In the Mountain West, SDSU is No. 1 in total defense, rush defense, pass defense efficiency, opponent first downs (74) and opponent fourth-down conversion percentage (12.5). It ranks second in turnover margin (+8), third in sacks (14) and is tied for third in red zone defense (72.7).
Think slamming your hand in a car door and initiating the healing with a hammer. When the Aztecs' "Dark Side" defense concluded the 2003 season, it ranked No. 13 nationally (289.8 yards per game) and No. 1 in the MW. No Aztec defense had allowed fewer than 300 yards per game in 27 years (SDSU's 2015 defense would yield 283.7). All three of the team's linebackers --- Morrison, Matt McCoy and Heath Farwell --- ended up in the NFL, as did safety Marviel Underwood.
Whether the 2019 SDSU defense produces a draft pick in April remains to be seen. But Morrison, who spent eight seasons with the Raiders, Jaguars and Bills, emphasized that success is not always a byproduct of a team's stars.
Consider senior cornerback Luq Barcoo, a transfer from nearby Grossmont College. Against Colorado State, Barcoo, who didn't start a game last season, became the first collegiate player since 2015 to end three consecutive opponent drives with an interception. In this decade, only 45 players have intercepted three passes in a game (none has more than three). Damontae Kazee, who played at SDSU from 2013-16 and is now a member of the Atlanta Falcons, had three in a game against USD on Sept. 5, 2015.
"You kind of sit back and marvel and say to yourself, 'Who's going to be the guy this week?' " Morrison said. "I had a coach (former Aztecs linebackers coach Andy Buh) who used to always use the term 'big sombrero.' Who was going to be the guy that wore the big hat that week? Every game is geared toward playing defense as a team, but there's also one guy every week that has to be special. I was told many times, 'Hey, Kirk, we need you to be special this week,' or 'Hey, Heath Farwell, we need you to be special this week.' And we really embraced it."
SDSU will need to embrace it even more this week. Matched against a Wyoming offense whose average of 250.60 yards rushing per game ranks 14th in the nation, the Aztecs will be minus starting senior safety Kyree Woods, who was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury last week. Woods, whose 22 tackles are tied for third most on the team, also has a sack, a forced fumble and a pair of pass breakups.
"We preach next man up, but losing Kyree was a hard deal," said senior standout middle linebacker Kyahva Tezino. "When I heard the news, it was hard for me to even eat, because that's one of my brothers. It's hard to see someone go down who means so much to the team, especially a senior who has put in so much work. But we preach next man up, and I'm sure the next man is going to be great."
He better be. If SDSU's defensive performance to date is impressive to some, its head coach isn't doling out an over abundance of adulation.
"I think our defense played well last week, but we're not even halfway through the season yet," said Rocky Long. "You can't tell if we're any good on defense or not."
Maybe. Six weeks into the season, however, a polling of the opposition might provide an entirely different perspective.