MWC 2011 Preview: San Diego State Aztecs

2010 was a breakthrough. After over a decade of bowl drought, San Diego State rose up to show that they could indeed be a winning team in the Mountain West Conference. A strong-armed quarterback, a freshman phenom at running back, and two senior studs on the outside made the Aztec offense a scoring machine. SDSU finished 9-4 with an impressive bowl victory over Navy. All four of SDSU’s losses came against teams who played in bowl games, and were lost by a combined 15 points.

But with some significant changes in the program, the question still remains on Montezuma Mesa: can winning become a tradition?

The man behind the improvement was Brady Hoke, who left for the head job at Michigan and took offensive coordinator Al Borges with him. Defensive coordinator Rocky Long was promoted to head coach. The Aztecs will certainly have plenty of coaching experience, as both Long and new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig have plenty of years in the MWC under their belts.

Hillman aims to duplicate his success

As for the offense, it returns senior Ryan Lindley, said strong-armed QB, along with that freshman sensation Ronnie Hilman in the backfield. San Diego State returns eight total starters from its offense which ranked 16^th in total offense last season. But, two of the three players lost were receivers Vincent Brown and Demarco Sampson, both drafted into the NFL (Brown in the third round, at that). The dynamic duo provided for two-thirds of Lindley’s passing yards. Junior Dominique Sandifer and redshirt freshman Ezell Ruffin will be counted on to step up and fill what might be the only hole in the Aztec offense. 

Defensively, SDSU welcomes back two all-conference performers in LB Miles Burris and CB Leon McFadden. Beyond them, just three more starters return from a very underrated defense that kept SDSU in every game last season (giving up 22 points per game). If the offense can continue churning at a high level, the defense should be afforded some time to come together and be good enough to produce victories.

San Diego State’s non-conference slate should allow it to bolster spirits and be safely bowl-eligible. As long as the Aztecs don’t let the tough Michigan-TCU-Air Force stretch to ruin their confidence, they will be on track for another winning season.

SCHEDULE & PREDICTIONS

Date/Time	TV	Opponent	Zach	Brett
Sat. 09/03/11 7:00 p.m. PT	The Mtn.	CAL POLY	W	W
Sat. 09/10/11 9:00 a.m. PT	CBS SN	at Army	W	W
Sat. 09/17/11 3:30 p.m. PT	The Mtn.	WASHINGTON STATE	W	W
Sat. 09/24/11 Time TBA	---	at Michigan	L	L
Sat. 10/08/11 7:30 p.m. PT	CBS SN	TCU	L	L
Sat. 10/15/11 5:00 p.m. PT	CBS SN	at Air Force	L	L
Sat. 10/29/11 7:00 p.m. PT	The Mtn.	WYOMING	W	W
Sat. 11/05/11 5:00 p.m. PT	The Mtn.	NEW MEXICO	W	W
Sat. 11/12/11 3:00 p.m. PT	The Mtn.	at Colorado State	W	W
Sat. 11/19/11 5:00 p.m. PT	CBS SN	BOISE STATE	L	L
Sat. 11/26/11 7:00 p.m. PT	The Mtn.	at UNLV	W	W
Sat. 12/03/11 5:00 p.m. PT	CBS SN	FRESNO STATE	L*	W*
			7-5	8-4

(schedule courtesy FBSchedules.com)