Vyrus
Agree that SDS is a much improved team. They have a solid RB and QB but I think they have issues on the o-line. They only return 1 starter on the line and considering what Chuck Long wants to do on offense. Might be a few seasons before he has the players needed to run the same type O he was used to in Norman. I think the book looks into how poor the miners finished the season but they till return a lot of talent, a strong coach and the ability to run by this SDS team. Even with 10 players coming back on defense I don't see the minors holding people out of the endzone.
Cheers
Irish
very true, many times people will buy into "returning plays" as being "good players". Alot of the time, their is a a younger, more talented backup who only is sitting on the bench because the elder player will get the nod most of the time. Almost a respect thign, and we saw a great example with Koetter picking Keller over Carpenter in Tucson, only to be criticized by his "governing" players and AD. But you dont have that influence in smaller schools, and many times a player will have to wait out his callup until the other graduats or is injured. Sometimes a returning favor is actually worst for a team, because since he was a starter the previous year, he is given the respect of keeping the job until he plain and simple sucks...anyhow, i like the play, but i can also see SDSU coming out and taking this by storm and becom this year what Utah became 2 years ago Meyer..sure O'Connell isnt Smith (he did had 429 yards RUSHING and 6 tds, on top of his 2900/19-12 Passing), but he has a better arm, and a NFL caliber RB in Hamilton...and we all know Craft;s defenses were his pride and joy, and the ironic part is this years Aztecs D may carry them llike no other, with 8 returning starters on D themselves, and these are dominant starters.. Linebcackers have been the SDSU strength the last couple years (3 LB's drafted in the NFL draft in the last 2 years), and they always have been able to fill the position with one breakthrough player after another. Martin was a starting outside LB (and honorable mention), who has moved to MLB with the drafting of Freddie Keiaho, and returning starter at OLB Russell Allen is still thir. So 2 out of 3 LB's are still playing, both having great seasons as well, and a name the program has praised in Andrw Schantz now has his chance. D-Line is my favorite this year (even though the secondary returns 3 starters, 2 of whom are all-conference), with SR Jonathan Bales at DT, and JR's Antwan Applewhite (ANOTHER defensive honorabl mention) and Nick Osborn at the opposing end position, I really love their defense in the trenches with these 3...and th Secondary which i mentiond before, SS Reggie Grisby and CB Terrell Maze were both honorable mentions, but what is even more intriguing is that many believe CB Donny Baker didnt make Honorable Mention BECAUSE of Maze; they are considered by many as equals in talent. So the SDSU secondary is something teams will know about, and what I cant wait to see is the trench warfare with SDSU's d-line and if they play as good as many close to the program believ they will...we have a great defense her in San Diego this year, ALOT of All-Conf/Honorable Mention players, and this is while SDSU still allowed 406 yards/g last year. This defense made some big plays last year, but allowed almost 4 TD's a game and the yardage i mentioned earlier, so with so many all-conference selections, and a new prove nwinner coaching,this defense may finally come around to play to its potential, b/c it def has the players...Most pubs hav Kyle Bell (Col St) and Curtis Brown (BYU, has my vote for all-conf as well) as their 2 All-MWC preseason RB's, but Hamilton who was a frosh All-American in '03, has the speed and power that is very similar to my Heisman candidate: Marshawn Lynch. He lost alot of his hype last year, as a victim of a brutal O-Line, and I think thats exactly what he needs to shine. If not he would be another Adrian Peterson, who shined as a frosh, and was only expected to be heroic in every year after that. But Hamilton has lost the spotlight, and even though he is considered to have had a bad year for his talent, he still amassed 11 TD's and 980 yards, and has gained NCAA All-MWC (it might be 2nd team, but I do think it was actually 1st...either way All MWC by the NCAA themselves, not just another tout magazine) in a conference that boasts names I mentioned above like Kyle Bell, Curtis Brown, Wendell Seldon (Wyoming back who had 11 TD's as well, and had a higher YPC average then Hamilton) and the big 1-2 punch @ TCU of Robert Merrill (honorable mention) and Aaron Brown (Frosh of the Year, LY)...the MWC is loaded with running backs, and the sad part is that one of top 3 in my boy Lionel Hamilton, still will have a horrible O-Line...O-Line truley is the only "weak" area of the SDSU Aztecs this year...however many changes have been made with JUCO transfers Peter Manuma and David Hathaway, and a large beast of a man in true frosh Whitly Fehoko...from what ive read, all 3 could end up as starters and replace the tiny o-line that SDSU had last year...so they got their size now, only problem is they wont have a game of experience between the 3 of them if they do all end up starting, which is highly likely....anyhow, got a littl carried away here, but I just dont see any reason why so many people are sold that UTEP will destroy SDSU...im not a homer either, dont really like the Aztecs as they have let me down alot, but how can you say any team will destroy another when Vegas believes that their about even (obv couple points for away team), and th home team is so well rounded that half its squad is either all-conference or honorable mention, and a RB who would hav blasted for 1500 yards GUARENTEED, if he had an offensive hline that was HALFWAY decent
