The San Diego State football team should lose Saturday's game against No. 15-ranked Brigham Young by more than five touchdowns. That's what the prognosticators think and the betting line suggests. The Aztecs are 37-point underdogs, which illustrates just how far they've fallen.
The players give no credence to such things, focusing on execution instead of an outsider's odds of success.
"I really don't pay attention to it," San Diego State safety Corey Boudreaux said. "We're still doing the same thing. We're trying to score, win and do our job. Regardless of what people think on the outside, the only thing that matters is this team and what we can do if we stay together. Point spreads don't matter. We're going to keep on fighting each week."
The point spread may not matter, but the talent disparity inspiring it certainly does. On paper, Brigham Young is bigger, faster and just plain better in every way. The Cougars score points in bunches, ball hawk on defense and play physical all the time.
San Diego State's biggest hurdle, however, is not the Cougars' skill level. It's their size. Brigham Young's average starting offensive lineman is 6-foot-6, 326 pounds. The average Aztecs defensive lineman stands 6-3, 253 pounds.
"I'll be interested to see what (our defensive line) is like when BYU's offensive line breaks the huddle and comes up to the line of scrimmage," Aztecs head coach Chuck Long said. "... We have some mismatches physically, there's no doubt about that."
There will certainly be one with BYU sophomore running back Harvey Unga, a 239-pound power rusher who averages nearly 5 yards per carry. He's bigger than all three starting linebackers and a tick smaller than San Diego State's young defensive line, which will have its hands full with the Cougars' massive offensive front.
"They are the biggest offensive line that we've seen all year, without question," Aztecs linebacker Russell Allen said. "It's a challenge, but there are things we can do to counter that. We can stay on the move and do things that will catch them off guard."
Even if the game-plan works, the Aztecs' inexperience and lack of depth will catch up with them eventually. A trio of underclassmen will start along the defensive line, frequently a single backup for multiple positions.
That certainly hasn't helped a rush defense ranked last in the Football Bowl Subdivision, one that gives up nearly 300 yards on the ground every game. That means BYU's high-flying passing attack might be grounded against the Aztecs.
"My guess is that they'll line it up and run right at us," Long said. "We rarely see the spread (formation) anymore, even against spread offenses. Teams have been playing smash-mouth football against us, and they'll continue to do that until we perform better against the run."
If the Cougars are feeling frisky and take to the skies, that point spread might seem like an understatement. Junior quarterback Max Hall leads the nation' s No. 8-ranked air attack, which averages 314 yards per game and has produced 29 touchdowns.
"Their quarterback definitely knows how to run the offense," Boudreaux said. "He's crisp and knows what he's doing, because he has been around for a while. He has his favorite targets and he knows what to do with the ball. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're ready for anything. Whatever happens, we are going to do our best."
No matter how impossible the task or insurmountable the odds, this group of Aztecs has not turned on itself. Implosion, surprisingly enough, is not imminent.
"We've had our share of tough times this season, and each time it has happened we've stuck together," Allen said. "We've showed it by coming back after the New Mexico game and fighting the whole game against Colorado State. That game came down to the wire and we showed we're never going to quit. Against Wyoming, we had a rough first half defensively and in the second half we rallied and played pretty well. Time after time when things don't go well for us, we showed that we will never quit."
The players give no credence to such things, focusing on execution instead of an outsider's odds of success.
"I really don't pay attention to it," San Diego State safety Corey Boudreaux said. "We're still doing the same thing. We're trying to score, win and do our job. Regardless of what people think on the outside, the only thing that matters is this team and what we can do if we stay together. Point spreads don't matter. We're going to keep on fighting each week."
The point spread may not matter, but the talent disparity inspiring it certainly does. On paper, Brigham Young is bigger, faster and just plain better in every way. The Cougars score points in bunches, ball hawk on defense and play physical all the time.
San Diego State's biggest hurdle, however, is not the Cougars' skill level. It's their size. Brigham Young's average starting offensive lineman is 6-foot-6, 326 pounds. The average Aztecs defensive lineman stands 6-3, 253 pounds.
"I'll be interested to see what (our defensive line) is like when BYU's offensive line breaks the huddle and comes up to the line of scrimmage," Aztecs head coach Chuck Long said. "... We have some mismatches physically, there's no doubt about that."
There will certainly be one with BYU sophomore running back Harvey Unga, a 239-pound power rusher who averages nearly 5 yards per carry. He's bigger than all three starting linebackers and a tick smaller than San Diego State's young defensive line, which will have its hands full with the Cougars' massive offensive front.
"They are the biggest offensive line that we've seen all year, without question," Aztecs linebacker Russell Allen said. "It's a challenge, but there are things we can do to counter that. We can stay on the move and do things that will catch them off guard."
Even if the game-plan works, the Aztecs' inexperience and lack of depth will catch up with them eventually. A trio of underclassmen will start along the defensive line, frequently a single backup for multiple positions.
That certainly hasn't helped a rush defense ranked last in the Football Bowl Subdivision, one that gives up nearly 300 yards on the ground every game. That means BYU's high-flying passing attack might be grounded against the Aztecs.
"My guess is that they'll line it up and run right at us," Long said. "We rarely see the spread (formation) anymore, even against spread offenses. Teams have been playing smash-mouth football against us, and they'll continue to do that until we perform better against the run."
If the Cougars are feeling frisky and take to the skies, that point spread might seem like an understatement. Junior quarterback Max Hall leads the nation' s No. 8-ranked air attack, which averages 314 yards per game and has produced 29 touchdowns.
"Their quarterback definitely knows how to run the offense," Boudreaux said. "He's crisp and knows what he's doing, because he has been around for a while. He has his favorite targets and he knows what to do with the ball. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're ready for anything. Whatever happens, we are going to do our best."
No matter how impossible the task or insurmountable the odds, this group of Aztecs has not turned on itself. Implosion, surprisingly enough, is not imminent.
"We've had our share of tough times this season, and each time it has happened we've stuck together," Allen said. "We've showed it by coming back after the New Mexico game and fighting the whole game against Colorado State. That game came down to the wire and we showed we're never going to quit. Against Wyoming, we had a rough first half defensively and in the second half we rallied and played pretty well. Time after time when things don't go well for us, we showed that we will never quit."
