These are San Diego State football's national rankings on offense last year: 111th in scoring, 98th in total yards and 89th in passing.
These are the Aztecs' season ticket sales: 16,475 in 2000, 13,600 in 2001 and a projection of between 12,000 and 13,000 in 2002.
The numbers are directly related.
In a city where Don Coryell's passing offenses electrified fans in his time with both SDSU (1961-72) and the Chargers (1978-86), running the ball and keeping the score close with a strong defense doesn't sell.
That style of play, combined with three straight losing seasons, is why SDSU ticket sales dwindled under former coach Ted Tollner.
Tom Craft, the Aztecs' new head coach, is confronted with the challenge of not only winning, but resuscitating SDSU's reputation for throwing the ball. The Aztecs begin full-squad, two-a-day workouts at 8:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. today as they prepare for their season opener Aug. 29 at Fresno State.
"There is an imbalance in our offense that we need to address," Craft said. "There is no question we have to throw the ball better. We have to get more balance in our offense."
Craft's style is a no-huddle offense that spreads the field in three-and four-receiver sets. He also likes to spread the ball around to three to five running backs and six to seven receivers shuttled in and out of the game.
But Craft must retool SDSU's offense with the same two quarterbacks who combined for five touchdown passes and 15 interceptions a year ago.
Junior Adam Hall, who started only the UNLV game in 2001 but emerged as No. 1 in spring practice, finished the season 46-of-93 (.489) for 600 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
"Last year is not going to happen again," Hall said. "We were better in the spring than we were last year. This is going to be a point-scoring offense."
Fifth-year senior Lon Sheriff, who started 10 games, was 111-of-236 (.470) for 1,295 yards with three touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Sheriff never used a nagging thumb injury as an excuse, but his numbers dropped off from a promising sophomore season when he was 155-of-290 (.534) for 2,163 yards with six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
"The major difference is the scheme," Sheriff said. "We're going to have more four-receiver sets. Last year we had a lot of two-backs, two-tight ends sets and that only leaves two receivers."
Senior J.R. Tolver managed to catch 63 passes for 878 yards last year, but Tolver and Derrick Lewis, now a free agent in the Jacksonville Jaguars' training camp, struggled to get open consistently against double coverage.
Hall and Sheriff also said Craft studied and adjusted their techniques so closely, they agreed that if baseball were Craft's sport he would be a hitting coach.
For Hall, Craft took a hitch out of his delivery. He was dropping the ball and wasting time before cocking to throw.
"I always knew I had the hitch and tried to work on it, but he kept on me," Hall said. "I'm sure I'll go back to it at some point, and he'll get on me about it. He really concentrates on details like that."
Sheriff said Craft improved his footwork.
"He breaks it down to fundamentals and techniques at the quarterback position far deeper than any coach I've had," Sheriff said. "I never had anyone deal with specifics of the quarterback position as much as Coach Craft did in the spring."
Craft, who serves as his own offensive coordinator and calls plays, also has focused on improving his quarterbacks' supporting cast.
Tolver, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound third-year starter, was joined in the spring by Cal Poly transfer Kassim Osgood (6-6, 210) and Cal transfer Ronnie Davenport (6-1, 195) to give the Aztecs a big receiving corps.
Sophomore Jeff Webb (6-2, 190) and community college transfers Wesley Williams (6-4, 220) and Jermaine Moore (6-0, 190) also will compete for playing time. The transfers were impressive in three days of workouts for newcomers.
"You'll see us on third-and-1 use play action and go deep or on fourth down instead of punting go to a no-back offense and throw the ball," Craft said. "We'll be a little unconventional. I think we have to do it because we have a big schedule. We need to take risks to move this program into another area."
These are the Aztecs' season ticket sales: 16,475 in 2000, 13,600 in 2001 and a projection of between 12,000 and 13,000 in 2002.
The numbers are directly related.
In a city where Don Coryell's passing offenses electrified fans in his time with both SDSU (1961-72) and the Chargers (1978-86), running the ball and keeping the score close with a strong defense doesn't sell.
That style of play, combined with three straight losing seasons, is why SDSU ticket sales dwindled under former coach Ted Tollner.
Tom Craft, the Aztecs' new head coach, is confronted with the challenge of not only winning, but resuscitating SDSU's reputation for throwing the ball. The Aztecs begin full-squad, two-a-day workouts at 8:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. today as they prepare for their season opener Aug. 29 at Fresno State.
"There is an imbalance in our offense that we need to address," Craft said. "There is no question we have to throw the ball better. We have to get more balance in our offense."
Craft's style is a no-huddle offense that spreads the field in three-and four-receiver sets. He also likes to spread the ball around to three to five running backs and six to seven receivers shuttled in and out of the game.
But Craft must retool SDSU's offense with the same two quarterbacks who combined for five touchdown passes and 15 interceptions a year ago.
Junior Adam Hall, who started only the UNLV game in 2001 but emerged as No. 1 in spring practice, finished the season 46-of-93 (.489) for 600 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
"Last year is not going to happen again," Hall said. "We were better in the spring than we were last year. This is going to be a point-scoring offense."
Fifth-year senior Lon Sheriff, who started 10 games, was 111-of-236 (.470) for 1,295 yards with three touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Sheriff never used a nagging thumb injury as an excuse, but his numbers dropped off from a promising sophomore season when he was 155-of-290 (.534) for 2,163 yards with six touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
"The major difference is the scheme," Sheriff said. "We're going to have more four-receiver sets. Last year we had a lot of two-backs, two-tight ends sets and that only leaves two receivers."
Senior J.R. Tolver managed to catch 63 passes for 878 yards last year, but Tolver and Derrick Lewis, now a free agent in the Jacksonville Jaguars' training camp, struggled to get open consistently against double coverage.
Hall and Sheriff also said Craft studied and adjusted their techniques so closely, they agreed that if baseball were Craft's sport he would be a hitting coach.
For Hall, Craft took a hitch out of his delivery. He was dropping the ball and wasting time before cocking to throw.
"I always knew I had the hitch and tried to work on it, but he kept on me," Hall said. "I'm sure I'll go back to it at some point, and he'll get on me about it. He really concentrates on details like that."
Sheriff said Craft improved his footwork.
"He breaks it down to fundamentals and techniques at the quarterback position far deeper than any coach I've had," Sheriff said. "I never had anyone deal with specifics of the quarterback position as much as Coach Craft did in the spring."
Craft, who serves as his own offensive coordinator and calls plays, also has focused on improving his quarterbacks' supporting cast.
Tolver, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound third-year starter, was joined in the spring by Cal Poly transfer Kassim Osgood (6-6, 210) and Cal transfer Ronnie Davenport (6-1, 195) to give the Aztecs a big receiving corps.
Sophomore Jeff Webb (6-2, 190) and community college transfers Wesley Williams (6-4, 220) and Jermaine Moore (6-0, 190) also will compete for playing time. The transfers were impressive in three days of workouts for newcomers.
"You'll see us on third-and-1 use play action and go deep or on fourth down instead of punting go to a no-back offense and throw the ball," Craft said. "We'll be a little unconventional. I think we have to do it because we have a big schedule. We need to take risks to move this program into another area."
