San Diego State Aztecs @ Michigan Wolverines Football Preview

The matchup between San Diego State and Michigan was already circled as a game of interest on the calendar. After a long-awaited rise to success on Montezuma Mesa, coach Brady Hoke left San Diego State, the sought-after “Michigan Man” to replace Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor. The winning ways Hoke brought to the Aztecs, who went 9-4 with a bowl win last season, were hoped for at Michigan.

Now with both teams at 3-0, and Michigan ranked 22nd in the nation, the circle on the calendar for this game is much more pronounced. Veteran coach Rocky Long has San Diego State continuing on the winning track, gutting out a victory at Army and overwhelming Washington State with the run game. Tailback Ronnie Hillman has been as good as advertised to start his sophomore season. Hillman is averaging 166 rushing yards per game on 6.5 yards per carry, and has tallied eight rushing touchdowns on the young season.

The Aztecs have also received expectedly strong play from senior quarterback Ryan Lindley. The passing game has been a perfect balance to the rushing talents of Hillman. Colin Lockett has emerged as a big-play threat on the edges, catching 12 passes for 254 yards. Sophomore tight end Gavin Escobar is emerging as a new facet to the Aztec offense, with a game reminiscent of San Diego’s professional tight end for the Chargers, one Antonio Gates. Escobar leads the Aztecs with three touchdown catches.

Hoke has the Wolverines in the right direction as well, sandwiching the thrilling victory over Notre Dame between easy wins over directional Michigan schools. After a subdued performance in a weather-shortened opener, quarterback Denard Robinson got back to performances fans are used to. After a 338-yard-passing, 108-yard-rushing performance against Notre Dame, Robinson rushed for 198 yards against Eastern Michigan. The dual-threat quarterback’s play-making abilities remains Michigan’s best form of offense, as the traditional passing game has been slow to develop. Most of Michigan’s passing yards came against the Irish by way of jump balls and home run plays. Outside of that game, Robinson averages 97 passing yards per game, and he completed only 7 of 18 passes against Eastern Michigan. The Wolverines will definitely need more consistency as the schedule gets tougher, which starts with this game.

The key matchups of the game will be the run defenses against the rushing offenses. The Wolverines’ defense is surrendering 202 rushing yards per game, which will simply not cut it against the prowess of Hillman. On the other side, San Diego State has given up an average of 197 rushing yards per game. Although that number is skewed due to a matchup with Army, it does show that perhaps the Aztecs could struggle with a strong run game powered by a mobile quarterback such as Robinson.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer