The San Diego State Aztecs have routinely been one of the Mountain West Conference’s top clubs. Once again, head coach Rocky Long and is coming off of back-to-back conference titles. San Diego State remains a threat in 2017 but will field a different offensive monster this year.
The offensive look has changed because of the departure of the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher Donnel Pumphrey. Instead, the Aztecs will be handing the ball off to another 1,000-yard back. San Diego State also has earned the reputation as a stout defensive team, that capitalizes on other squads mistakes. Even though some key players have to be replaced, the Aztecs’ should continue to rack up plenty of wins.
Offense
San Diego State is a team that runs the ball first, then looks to the play action pass for large chunks of yardage downfield. Now, they must replace NCAA all-time leading rusher, Donnel Pumphrey. Pumphrey gained 6,405 rushing yards throughout his career as an Aztec. Believe it or not, the task may not be as difficult as one might think.
In fact, San Diego State was the first team in NCAA history to feature both a 2,000-yard rusher in Donnel Pumphrey(2,133), and a 1,000-yard rusher Rashaad Penny (1,018) in the same season. As a result, they set a school mark with 3,680 rushing yards.
Senior Rashaad Penny is ready to take over full-time duties and scamper his way to another productive season. As the second option, he carried the ball over 100 times for over 1,000 yards with an impressive 7.5 yards per carry. He also doubles as the Aztec’s return specialist. In 2015-16 he was the Mountain West special teams, Player of the Year. Last season, he returned two kicks for scores.
Out of all 130 teams in the FBS, San Diego State ranks 129th in returning starts for offensive line play (14). Only, Arkansas State returns less (2).
The San Diego State passing attack doesn’t exactly strike fear into anyone. Last year, quarterback Christian Chapman wasn’t asked to do much but limit the turnovers and hand the rock off to Mr. Pumphrey. He did manage to toss 20 scoring passes despite throwing for just 1,994 yards. The junior also avoided mistakes and threw just six interceptions.
To help with the offensive production in the passing game, senior wide out Mikah Holder is back. Holder is the Aztec’s top receiver who caught 27 balls for and five touchdowns. His 21.5 yards per catch average is indicative of how potent San Diego state’s play action pass can be. Senior tight end David Wells also had 25 grabs and is a solid option for Christian Chapman.
Defense
Head coach Rocky Long has fielded an opportunistic defense during his tenure as the Aztec’s coach. San Diego State has picked-off the most passes (49) in the nation over the last two years. Senior Kameron Kelly nabbed five last season and will move to cornerback. He will replace career interception leader Damontae Kazee (17), Kazee was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
Helping to replace the loss of Damontae Kazee is sophomore Ron Smith. Smith returned two of his three interceptions for touchdowns last season. Also, junior Parker Baldwin is the most talented returnee in the club’s three-safety packages.
San Diego State’s front seven should be just fine. Junior outside linebacker Ronley Lakalaka is back. Lakalaka was second on the team with 73 tackles and returned a pick for a score in 2016. Senior run-stopper Ryan Dunn moves from the middle to the outside. The defensive minds at work, believe the move will increase his production. The defensive line does have some holes to fill, but senior end Dakota Turner and defensive end Noble Hall have been solid.
Prediction
I expect that the Aztecs will be in contention once again in 2017. San Diego State went 16–2 against opponents and won back-to-back Mountain West titles. In fact, the San Diego State has won 11 games four times in school history. Two of those campaigns have come in the last two years. with two of those seasons coming in the past two years. Long has established San Diego State as a
It’s clear to me, that head coach Rocky Long has established a proven system down in Southern California. The plan has been simple, by using the formula of running the football and having an aggressive, opportunistic defensive.
Now, the Aztecs will look to add to their school-record seven consecutive bowl appearances. Finishing out strong hasn’t been an issue either. San Diego State routed Cincinnati and Houston by a combined 76–17 in their past two bowl games.
The oddsmakers in Sin City have the Aztec’s team win total at 9.5, tops in the Mountain West. With a new offensive line and the departure of Donnel Pumphrey, this could be a difficult task. San Diego State has churned out plenty of double-digit win seasons, so it’s not out of the question. Linesetters have given the Aztecs a 7 to 4 chance to capture another Mountain West crown. At +175, this could be a great bang for your buck.
Schedule
9-2 vs. UC Davis
9-9 @ Arizona State
9-16 vs. Stanford
9-23 @ Air Force
9-30 vs. Northern Illinois
10-7 @ UNLV
10-14 vs. Boise State
10-21 vs. Fresno State
10-28 @ Hawaii
11-4 @ San Jose State
11-18 vs. Nevada
11-24 vs. New Mexico
The getmoresports.com NCAA College Football Throwdown Podcast will be returning to the air on August 24th. We will be highlighting the first five games on August 26th of the 2017 NCAA College Football season. That will be the first of three installments leading into the first week of the season. We also we will be covering our expectations for the Heisman Trophy front runners as well as predictions for conference winners and team totals.
Our second NCAA College Football Throwdown is penciled in for August 29th. In that installment, we will be discussing all the games that will be played on August 31st and the 1st of September.
Our third segment will officially be airing on August 31st. In this edition of the NCAA College Football Throwdown, we will be covering all the relevant games for Sept 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Keeping with tradition, EJ the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun will give their predictions for the contests. On top of that, we will be providing our dog play of the podcast as well as cash money plays for the week. Join us for all three opening episodes and improve your college football knowledge while increasing the size of your sports book betting account. Come join us and help everyone make it rain. #moneytreesgrow
