SDSU Defeats Air Force and Why You Should Care

Note: I am an SDSU alum and blind supporter of the team. Everything I say in here should be taken with an appropriate grain of salt.

Coming off of back to back losses and a very slow start tonight, San Diego State pulled through over Air Force to win 41-27. The Aztecs, who were 7 point underdogs, scored on the opening possession of the game, but only saw the ball twice more in the first half, as the Falcons triple-option offense was very effective in controlling the ball and picking up first downs on key short yardage plays, including a touchdown on a fake field goal in the 2nd quarter. SDSU responded by taking the following kick off back for a TD, but Air Force held the ball for the rest of the half and kicked a field goal as time expired to tie the score 17-17 at halftime.

The 2nd half started with more of the same for Air Force as they opened the half with a 5:30 drive that resulted in a FG and a 20-17 lead. After a 3 and out for SDSU that actually lost 30 yards, all the momentum seemed to be in Air Force’s favor. However, they got sloppy with the ball, turning the ball over on consecutive possessions that led to 10 quick points for SDSU. After a Falcons 3 and out, Ronnie Hillman took over. With 2 long TD runs in the 4th quarter, Hillman finished the game with 172 yards on 28 carries, his 5th 100+ yard game this season.

Needless to say I was very excited about this victory. Admittedly I am and have always been more of an Aztecs hoops fan over the football team (Fisher’s Fanatics!!). But the football program has been on the up and up since they hired Brady Hoke 3 seasons ago. Hoke took over a team that went 2-10 in 2008 and the only real positive thing you could say about them was that freshmen QB Ryan Lindley looked like he COULD be decent one day. In Hoke’s first season, SDSU went 4-8 in what looked and felt like every other Aztecs season of the past 10 years.

Not many people (least of all myself) were expecting anything different in 2010. However the team started to gain a little buzz after a freshmen RB named Ronnie Hillman rushed for 150 yards and 4 TDs in the teams 2nd game. I was intrigued, but grounded, knowing that the performance came against lowly New Mexico State. But the team kept playing well. By the first weekend of November, the Aztecs had won 7 games, the most they’ve had since 1998, and were already bowl eligible. The season ended with a 35-14 victory over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl and a more than respectable 9-4 record. A quick breakdown of the Aztecs 4 losses show how good of a season they really had: a 4 point loss in Missouri (led by current NFL starter Blaine Gabbert), a 3 point loss at BYU, a 5 point loss at TCU (Rose Bowl champs led by current NFL starter Andy Dalton) and a 4 point loss at home vs. ranked Utah.

Hillman ended the year with over 1500 rushing yards and 18 total TDs. QB Ryan Lindley had 3800 passing yards with a 28:14 TD to INT ratio. Things were looking up for the Aztecs. Alas, as most everyone knows, coach Hoke took the job coaching Michigan and defensive coordinator Rocky Long took over as head coach. The Aztecs got off to a 3-0 start this year, but game 4 was the one everyone was anticipating: Aztecs traveling to Michigan to take on Coach Hoke and the Wolverines in the Big House. The game wasn’t as lopsided as the 28-7 final score might indicate as the Aztecs consistently had the ball in Michigan territory, but loss stung the fans as much as it did the players. After a week off, SDSU looked sluggish last weekend in losing to TCU 27-14 at Qualcomm.

This is why tonight’s game was so important. All the cards were stacked against SDSU: 2 game losing streak, short weak, traveling to Air Force, playing in altitude. They had every reason to lose tonight, especially after that less than impressive 1st half. But pulling out the win can signal a turning point in the season. With the next 3 games against Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado State, the Aztecs should be 7-2 going into the HUGE game in San Diego against Boise State. Now not even a blind homer like me seriously believes that they can win that game, but I’m just saying.

Ok, all that said, I think there is some NFL talent on this season’s team. Here are 4 guys I think will eventually play on Sundays:

Ronnie Hillman, RB, 5’10, 190 pounds, Sophomore

Say what you want about his 1500 rushing yards last year coming against Mountain West competition, but that number ranked him 10th in D-1 in rushing yards (btw, refuse to do the FBS thing). Some of the names that ranked ahead of him were LaMichael James, Denard Robinson, Daniel Thomas and Kendall Hunter, so he was in some pretty good company. After tonight’s game, Hillman now stands at 833 yards and 10 TDs, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, so its safe to say last year was no fluke. He is deceptively strong for his size and possesses breakaway speed.  At the very worst he would make an effective change of pace back in the NFL, but I would not be shocked at all if he becomes a 20 carry a game feature back in the NFL. He is that good. He is draft eligible this season but I’m almost positive he’ll return to SDSU for at least 1 more season, if not 2 more.

Ryan Lindley, QB, 6’4, 230 pounds, Senior

Ryan Lindley has a few things going for him that the NFL scouts are going to love. For one, he’s a 4-year starter; something NFL folks love when evaluating quarterbacks. He has the classic NFL size and arm strength that scouts love when evaluating QBs as well. Just by watching one game you can tell that he is able to make all the throws that an NFL QB will need to make. His biggest weaknesses have been accuracy and consistency however. For his career, he only has a 55% completion percentage and routinely will make plays in games that make me slap my forehead. He is definitely not going to be a franchise QB, but I think he’ll get drafted in the middle rounds in the draft and make for a very capable backup QB in the NFL.

Miles Burris, OLB, 6’3, 235 pounds, Senior

I think Burris is my personal favorite player on the Aztecs this season. He plays mostly weak side linebacker in the 4-3 or 3-3-5 defense, which allows him to basically play off his instincts, which is why he always seems to be around the ball. In the 3-3-5, coach Long loves to have him rush off the edge, something Burris excels at, racking up 9.5 sacks last season and 3 sacks so far this year. The one thing you will notice immediately when watching Burris is he is a very sure tackler. In 2010, he had 80 tackles, 20 of which were for losses, which led the MWC. After his 8 tackles tonight, he is up to 38 tackles this season, 9 for losses. He has obviously has the strength and size and seems to have the closing speed to be an effective NFL linebacker. Best comparison I can think of is Brian Cushing, minus the performance enhancers.

Gavin Escobar, TE, 6’6, 245 pounds, Sophomore

Escobar definitely has a long way to go before he can be considered a full-blown NFL prospect, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him. His size makes him one of Lindley’s favorite red zone targets, evidenced by his 4 TDs in 5 games this year (he didn’t play tonight). Plus he has those soft hands that every QB loves. Now I can’t comment on his pass blocking abilities because honestly I have no idea. But give him 2 more years on campus and I’m quite certain he’ll develop into a very good TE prospect.