From Aztecs point of view
San Diego State?s green field is not nearly as renowned as Boise State?s blue field, but it will have to do Saturday night at SDCCU Stadium when No. 19 SDSU (6-0, 2-0 Mountian West) meets the Broncos (3-2, 1-0) for the first time since the 2014 season.
Both teams were picked to win their respective conference divisions in a preseason poll. If that holds true, this game could go a long way in determining which school hosts the Mountain West Championship Game on Dec 2.
Here are five things to watch:
1. Stretching the field
There were high hopes coming into the season that the SDSU passing game would emerge to complement the Aztecs? run-dominated offense.
The presence of 6-foot-2 junior transfer Fred Trevillion, and a pair of redshirt freshmen in 6-4 Tim Wilson and 6-5 Isiah Macklin, was going to give the Aztecs the ability to stretch the field. So much for that.
A 31-yard catch by Wilson at Air Force is the longest reception by a receiver. Running back Rashaad Penny has longer RUNS than that in five of the season?s six games.
Senior Mikah Holder had more receptions ? nine ? last week at UNLV than the six Trevillion (three), Wilson (two) and Macklin (one) have combined for all season. Side note: Each of Holder?s reception was for a first down. Holder has impressively led the receivers, collecting 22 catches for 301 yards. He does not have a touchdown. None of the receivers do. Quarterback Christian Chapman has thrown seven TDs passes. Two have gone to Penny and the other five have been distributed among three tight ends.
The running game has been outstanding and the tight end depth has been an asset as well, but a long pass completion downfield to a receiver would be a welcome sight. Seeing him congratulated in the end zone would be even better.
In the midst of an unbeaten season, this may seem like asking for ice cream on top of candy, cookies and pie. Our snappy response: So?
2. Quarterback quandry
Boise State could keep the SDSU defense guessing with junior Brett Rypien (56-for-92 passing, 646 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs), a two-time all-Mountain West selection, and senior transfer Montell Cozart (38-for-60 passing, 433 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT/40 rushes, 207 yards, 2 TDs) taking turns behind center.
?It makes it more difficult to get ready to play them because both quarterbacks are very good players and both quarterbacks have a little different expertise,? Long said.
Rypien, the nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, is a classic drop-back passer who can move the offense quickly down the field with pinpoint passes. Cozart is a dual threat whose running adds a wrinkle to the Broncos offense.
?So when they alternate them and bring them in,? Long said, ?it?s not an entirely different offense but what they emphasize on offense is different depending on which quarterback is in there.?
Cozart emerged when Rypien went out with a concussion in the season?s second game against Washington State. Rypien took most of the snaps in last week?s 24-7 win over BYU, however, so Boise State?s strategy this week remains to be seen.
3. The SDSU O-line
SDSU came into the season with only one returning starter on the offensive line ? senior right guard Antonio Rosales ? but Long was encouraged a talented group would come into its own by midseason.
At the halfway point, the O-line has progressed but not as far as the head coach would have hoped.
?I think our progress has been slowed because of injuries,? Long said. ?Our most experienced offensive lineman is playing on a bad ankle and last week we had to put a new guy in because of an injury to one of our offensive tackles. At times we?re a lot younger than we started out to be, but we?re making progress. Even when we substituted the guys in for injuries and stuff, they played okay. They played pretty well.?
Rosales missed the Week 5 win over Northern Illinois with a bum ankle and was replaced in the lineup by true freshman Dominic Gudino. Junior right guard Ryan Pope (finger surgery) was out last week and replaced by junior Joe Salcedo.
The shuffling could continue against Boise State.
This week it?s redshirt freshman left tackle Tyler Roemer (ankle) who is slowed by injury, although indications by midweek were that Roemer may still play. If he is unable to go, Pope could return and slide over to left tackle with Salcedo again starting on the right side.
Offensive line coach Mike Schmidt moved players all around during preseason practice. This is where developing that versatility could pay off.
4. Creating turnovers
Much of SDSU?s success the past three years can be traced to its ability to produce turnovers while holding onto the ball like it?s money.
SDSU?s plus-44 turnover margin since 2015 leads the nation. It is plus-8 so far this season ? forcing 12 turnovers (eight interceptions, four fumbles) while committing just four (one interception, three fumbles).
SDSU has won 20 straight games when forcing at least two turnovers. They didn?t get one in last week?s 41-10 win at UNLV, which didn?t sit well with cornerback Kameron Kelly, among others, when the backups went in late in the game.
?The starters were upset that they had not gotten the turnover yet,? SDSU defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. ?That was positive to hear. Kam was like, ?If they get my pick, I?m going to be (mad).? There were two balls that should have been intercepted by those young guys, and (the starters) were giving them a hard time, which is good.?
5. Drawing a crowd
Ticket sales have been brisk this week and a good game-day walk-up would mean a crowd approaching 50,000 for the game. The Aztecs have had 16 such crowds in school history. Half of those gatherings have come in the 2000s, although in only two instances ? against UCLA in 2005 and Boise State in 2011 ? did fans not have the added incentive of postgame fireworks.
A school official said Friday evening that ticket sales are 5,000 ahead of what they were at this point four weeks ago for the Stanford game (43,040). Students already have picked up more than 10,000 tickets, which means overflow seating will be needed in the View level to accommodate them.
SDSU has averaged 41,630 fans through its first three home games, putting the Aztecs on pace for 40k for only the fourth time in school history. The others were in 1969 (41,139), 1975 (42,040) and 1992 (46,766).
San Diego State?s green field is not nearly as renowned as Boise State?s blue field, but it will have to do Saturday night at SDCCU Stadium when No. 19 SDSU (6-0, 2-0 Mountian West) meets the Broncos (3-2, 1-0) for the first time since the 2014 season.
Both teams were picked to win their respective conference divisions in a preseason poll. If that holds true, this game could go a long way in determining which school hosts the Mountain West Championship Game on Dec 2.
Here are five things to watch:
1. Stretching the field
There were high hopes coming into the season that the SDSU passing game would emerge to complement the Aztecs? run-dominated offense.
The presence of 6-foot-2 junior transfer Fred Trevillion, and a pair of redshirt freshmen in 6-4 Tim Wilson and 6-5 Isiah Macklin, was going to give the Aztecs the ability to stretch the field. So much for that.
A 31-yard catch by Wilson at Air Force is the longest reception by a receiver. Running back Rashaad Penny has longer RUNS than that in five of the season?s six games.
Senior Mikah Holder had more receptions ? nine ? last week at UNLV than the six Trevillion (three), Wilson (two) and Macklin (one) have combined for all season. Side note: Each of Holder?s reception was for a first down. Holder has impressively led the receivers, collecting 22 catches for 301 yards. He does not have a touchdown. None of the receivers do. Quarterback Christian Chapman has thrown seven TDs passes. Two have gone to Penny and the other five have been distributed among three tight ends.
The running game has been outstanding and the tight end depth has been an asset as well, but a long pass completion downfield to a receiver would be a welcome sight. Seeing him congratulated in the end zone would be even better.
In the midst of an unbeaten season, this may seem like asking for ice cream on top of candy, cookies and pie. Our snappy response: So?
2. Quarterback quandry
Boise State could keep the SDSU defense guessing with junior Brett Rypien (56-for-92 passing, 646 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs), a two-time all-Mountain West selection, and senior transfer Montell Cozart (38-for-60 passing, 433 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT/40 rushes, 207 yards, 2 TDs) taking turns behind center.
?It makes it more difficult to get ready to play them because both quarterbacks are very good players and both quarterbacks have a little different expertise,? Long said.
Rypien, the nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, is a classic drop-back passer who can move the offense quickly down the field with pinpoint passes. Cozart is a dual threat whose running adds a wrinkle to the Broncos offense.
?So when they alternate them and bring them in,? Long said, ?it?s not an entirely different offense but what they emphasize on offense is different depending on which quarterback is in there.?
Cozart emerged when Rypien went out with a concussion in the season?s second game against Washington State. Rypien took most of the snaps in last week?s 24-7 win over BYU, however, so Boise State?s strategy this week remains to be seen.
3. The SDSU O-line
SDSU came into the season with only one returning starter on the offensive line ? senior right guard Antonio Rosales ? but Long was encouraged a talented group would come into its own by midseason.
At the halfway point, the O-line has progressed but not as far as the head coach would have hoped.
?I think our progress has been slowed because of injuries,? Long said. ?Our most experienced offensive lineman is playing on a bad ankle and last week we had to put a new guy in because of an injury to one of our offensive tackles. At times we?re a lot younger than we started out to be, but we?re making progress. Even when we substituted the guys in for injuries and stuff, they played okay. They played pretty well.?
Rosales missed the Week 5 win over Northern Illinois with a bum ankle and was replaced in the lineup by true freshman Dominic Gudino. Junior right guard Ryan Pope (finger surgery) was out last week and replaced by junior Joe Salcedo.
The shuffling could continue against Boise State.
This week it?s redshirt freshman left tackle Tyler Roemer (ankle) who is slowed by injury, although indications by midweek were that Roemer may still play. If he is unable to go, Pope could return and slide over to left tackle with Salcedo again starting on the right side.
Offensive line coach Mike Schmidt moved players all around during preseason practice. This is where developing that versatility could pay off.
4. Creating turnovers
Much of SDSU?s success the past three years can be traced to its ability to produce turnovers while holding onto the ball like it?s money.
SDSU?s plus-44 turnover margin since 2015 leads the nation. It is plus-8 so far this season ? forcing 12 turnovers (eight interceptions, four fumbles) while committing just four (one interception, three fumbles).
SDSU has won 20 straight games when forcing at least two turnovers. They didn?t get one in last week?s 41-10 win at UNLV, which didn?t sit well with cornerback Kameron Kelly, among others, when the backups went in late in the game.
?The starters were upset that they had not gotten the turnover yet,? SDSU defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. ?That was positive to hear. Kam was like, ?If they get my pick, I?m going to be (mad).? There were two balls that should have been intercepted by those young guys, and (the starters) were giving them a hard time, which is good.?
5. Drawing a crowd
Ticket sales have been brisk this week and a good game-day walk-up would mean a crowd approaching 50,000 for the game. The Aztecs have had 16 such crowds in school history. Half of those gatherings have come in the 2000s, although in only two instances ? against UCLA in 2005 and Boise State in 2011 ? did fans not have the added incentive of postgame fireworks.
A school official said Friday evening that ticket sales are 5,000 ahead of what they were at this point four weeks ago for the Stanford game (43,040). Students already have picked up more than 10,000 tickets, which means overflow seating will be needed in the View level to accommodate them.
SDSU has averaged 41,630 fans through its first three home games, putting the Aztecs on pace for 40k for only the fourth time in school history. The others were in 1969 (41,139), 1975 (42,040) and 1992 (46,766).
