San Diego State Aztecs vs Cal Poly Mustangs Football Recap

And now, the hard part begins for the San Diego State Aztecs.

It was one thing to sneak up on the college football world and very nearly author a 12-win season. It will be quite another matter to sustain that success a year later without the man who engineered the resurgence of a slumbering program.

Plainly put, 2010 was a breakout year for San Diego State. After over a decade without a bowl appearance, the Aztecs became a winning team and an offensive machine. With quarterback Ryan Lindley at the helm of the offense and running back Ronnie Hillman leaving linebackers in the dust, San Diego State finished 9-4 with a Poinsettia Bowl win over Navy. Yet, as great as SDSU’s season proved to be, it easily could have been off the charts. The Aztecs’ four losses were all scant ones; San Diego State lost by a combined 15 points to four bowl teams. The Aztecs had Utah and Missouri on the ropes but allowed those two games to slip away. SDSU stormed to a two-touchdown lead over TCU, but the Horned Frogs had just enough in the tank to pull out a one-possession win on their home field in Fort Worth, Texas. With a bounce here or a prudent decision there, San Diego State could have had a 12-1 record and a football season every bit as spectacular as the basketball team’s tour de force this past winter.

Enough of the couldas, shouldas and wouldas, though. San Diego State still did extremely well, and was able to celebrate a bowl win as proof of its rise to prominence. Now, though, the program is faced with a gut-check season. After finally breaking through, change has hit the Montezuma Mesa. Coach and program architect Brady Hoke left for the University of Michigan and took offensive coordinator Al Borges with him. Defensive coordinator Rocky Long was promoted to head coach, and he brought aboard former Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig to call plays for SDSU.

Lindley returns as a senior with over 9,500 yards under his belt, and Hillman is back after his outstanding 1,532-yard freshman performance. The run game will continue to be a menace for opponents – the offense returns eight starters. The problem is that two of the departed three players were receivers Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson. The duo combined for a whopping 2,572 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Junior Dominique Sandifer will be expected to step up and fill the void.

Defensively, the Aztecs return five starters from an underrated unit. Two of those returning players are stars, linebacker Miles Burris and cornerback Leon McFadden. On top of that, this will be Long’s second year with his defense. Long is a coach with a track record of maximizing defensive talent; if he can work his magic this season, the Aztecs should hold their own and finish third in the Mountain West behind league powers Boise State and TCU.

The Aztecs open with Cal Poly, which went 7-4 last year with a top-15 rushing offense and rushing defense.   Junior Andre Broadous returns after splitting time at quarterback last season. The Mustangs also return leading rusher Mark Rodgers.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer