San Diego State Aztecs vs Wyoming Cowboys Football Preview

If you held a crystal ball at the beginning of this season, you’d be surprised by the nature of this weekend’s matchup between the Wyoming Cowboys and the San Diego State Aztecs. You might also wonder how Wyoming will get out of San Diego alive.

After six games in the 2011 college football season, it is safe to say that these two schools have arrived at their clash from very different directions. After enjoying a bye week, both Wyoming and San Diego State sit at 4-2 and are ready to take the next step toward bowl qualification as the Cowboys travel to San Diego for a late-night matchup. A win for either team keeps it on pace in the conference race, while a loss sends the loser into the middle of the pack.

What jumps out in this matchup is the fact that Wyoming has a winning record to begin with. The Cowboys weren’t supposed to be a part of the upper tier of the Mountain West Conference, but here they are, alongside San Diego State and right behind the Boise State-TCU combination that controls the league with unmistakable consistency.

After getting blasted 63-19 by Utah State, Wyoming entered its bye week off a convincing 41-14 win against UNLV. While holding the Rebels to its average output of 258 total yards, Wyoming tallied a modest 355 yards and added a punt return for a touchdown to secure the blowout win. The Pokes’ relative success has been driven by quarterback Brett Smith, who has been as good and consistent as you could ever want from a true freshman. Smith is completing 60 percent of his passes and has thrown nine touchdowns to five interceptions.

However, Smith will be facing the best pass defense to date in San Diego State, whose pass defense is statistically similar to Nebraska’s. Smith was a respectable 17-33 for 166 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in Wyoming’s loss against the Huskers earlier this season. With that having been said, though, concern over San Diego State’s pass defense will pale compared to what concern Wyoming should have in stopping the run. The Pokes gave up over 300 rushing yards to both Nebraska and Utah State, the two best running teams they have played. The nation’s leading rusher, Ronnie Hillman, will get plenty of carries for the Aztecs, so Wyoming will need to fix its run defense or Hillman’s average of 139 rushing yards per game could be on the rise.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer