San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Besides being the best possible match-up, the Poinsettia Bowl also features many story lines. Longtime friendly head coaches, longtime former conference foes, both with recent struggles finding life after the MWC.  We could go on and on, but we’re here to get you prepared for the game.

Brigham Young

BYU hasn’t played a bowl game in San Diego since its last Holiday Bowl appearance in 1993.  Overall, the Cougs have played there 11 times.  When the Bowl game first started, BYU played in the first seven, earning the moniker of the first “BYU Bowl.”  The Cougars are 12-17-1 in bowl games and are 27-7-1 all-time against the Aztecs.

I’m going into this preview of the mind that James Lark will get the start and BYU will force some occasional work Riley Nelson’s way.

San Diego State

Here are some interesting tidbits on San Diego State:

• Rocky Long has the highest winning percentage of any SDSU coach since Claude Gilbert, who coached the Aztecs from 1973-1980.
• After winning just 38 games in the first decade of 2000, SDSU has amassed 26 wins since 2010.
• The Aztecs are just 2-5 in bowl competition.
• SDSU scored 244 points during their 7 game win streak to close the season.   BYU has given up 176 points all season.

BYU will win if their:

Offense has James Lark under center.  They could win with Riley Nelson, but I don’t think it will be him, so it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is, James Lark is going to do something Nelson can’t . . . keep the defense honest.  Sure, he may not be the great “could have been“ quarterback Cougar fans (like myself) think he is, but it doesn’t matter.  He can make the throws well enough that SDSU will have to stay honest in their coverage which will open up running lanes for freshman wunderkind Jamaal Williams.

The most basic key for the Cougs offense will be to give the defense time to watch from the sideline.  If they do that, BYU wins.

Defense keeps San Diego State from reaching their weekly totals of 5.1 yards/carry and 229.1 rushing yards per game.  Adam Muema is actually the workhorse at 6.4 YPC and 112.9 yards/game.  However, Walter Kazee is no slouch himself.  BYU’s defense will have its hands full all game long.  Shortening the team average by a yard or more and holding them to less than 150 total yards rushing should do the trick.

In the passing game, the defense shouldn’t be tested too much.  Sophomore Adam Dingwell is more of a game manager and only averages 13.8 receptions/game in five games.  He gains about 153 yards in the air with close to 2 TD and 1 INT per game.  If BYU can force SDSU into long down and distance situations, they should come up victors on third down at their usually better than 80% rate.

SDSU will win if their:

Offense does what has worked best for them; run the football.  It’s no small feat trying to be productive on the ground against this BYU defense.  In order to maintain effectiveness, the Aztecs must have a presence by throwing the football.  SDSU will throw the ball more than they usually do or they’ll punt a lot.  The Aztecs must find a way to keep BYU’s uber-aggressive front seven off-balance.  And it would be really helpful if kick returner Colin Lockett could continue doing what he’s been doing all year.  He’s in the top 20 nationally in kickoff return yards and averages nearly 27 yards each time he touches it.  Did I mention he’s returned two for touchdowns?  A freebie touchdown would get a home crowd fired up quickly and give a huge advantage to the Aztecs.

Adam Muema needs to play the toughest game of his life.  He’s on a roll lately notching 255 yards in his last game and averaging 145 over his last 4.  He’ll need to keep the BYU defense occupied and will need to give quarterback Adam Dingwell time to develop passing plays.  And don’t call Dingwell a back-up QB.  He’s been nothing short of formidable under center, with a passer rating and touchdown to interception ratio both better than Riley Nelson’s.  He doesn’t make a ton of mistakes and he puts the team in position to win ball games.

Defense can keep Cody Hoffman from catching footballs.  Put two or three guys in a zone coverage to keep him covered up.  If I were to keep two players on or close to him, I’d probably jam him on the line every single down knowing I had help behind.  While keeping Hoffman in check, they’ll want to frustrate BYU’s offensive line.  If SDSU can win the battle of the line of scrimmage, BYU’s running game will suffer.  Additionally, the passing game will suffer.  That will lead to a lot of punts and many chances for the Aztecs to move the football with their offense on the field and not BYU’s.  If they can somehow contain the Cougar offense, it will be only a matter of time before SDSU’s offense wears out the BYU defense.

BYU keys to success:

Offensively: Lark passes over 225 yards for 2 touchdowns, Cody Hoffman goes for at least 10 for 125 and a score, and Jamaal Williams has 21 total touches for 125 total yards.

Defensively: Allow fewer than 150 rushing yards, win third down, and don’t lose the turnover battle.

Special teams: Riley Stephenson continues to do his thing by providing the extra little offensive firepower the team needs.

SDSU keys to success:

Offensively: Adam Dingwell has no turnovers and Adam Muema reaches the 125 rushing yards plateau

Defensively: Hold BYU under 24 points – in all five BYU losses they failed to score more than 24 and in just one of their wins did they score fewr than the magic number.

Special Teams: Colin Lockett does what Colin Lockett do.

Final Thoughts:

If Riley Nelson is starting for BYU, SDSU should have the advantage.  If JamesLark starts, the Aztecs just don’t have enough on the guy to know how good he really can be.  It may take a couple of quarters to figure it out.  But will it be all over by then?  SDSU cannot, CANNOT afford to get behind early.  They need to play their style of football to stay competitive in this game.  And I think they will.  BYU probably comes out and commits a couple of drive-killing penalties or turnovers and could get behind early as well.  Expect this to be a very entertaining game.  And please don’t let it end in controversy like ‘Replaygate.’

Predictions:

Matt picks BYU to win 31 – 20

Carl picks SDSU to win 24 – 19

•San Diego State’s young back
San Diego State RB Adam Muema has done an excellent job of replacing Ronnie Hillman this year, running for 1,355 yards and 16 TD.

•A game-breaking return man
San Diego State KR Colin Lockett is averaging nearly 27 yards per return and ran two kicks back for touchdowns this season.

•BYU’s #3 national defense has playmakers
BYU LB Kyle Van Noy leads the #3 defense in the nation with his 11.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for a loss. Fellow LB Ezekiel Ansah recorded 13 tackles for a loss of his own.

The Aztecs had been 0-31 in such games before stunning the Broncos 21-19 in one of the biggest victories in school history.

Seeing that San Diego State is just 7-59 all-time against nationally ranked teams, there aren’t a lot of big wins in program history. But defeating Boise State on the famed Blue Turf where the Broncos lost for only the fourth time in 82 games since 2000 is big-time stuff for a program that has floundered way too often.

The biggest victory in school history was when the Deacon Turner-led Aztecs slaughtered No. 15 Florida State 41-16 back in 1975. Head coach Claude Gilbert called off the dogs too or the beating would have been even more severe.

Now Rocky Long’s squad has put itself on that short milestone win list with a terrific effort in which the Aztecs were physically tougher than Boise State. That fact is something I never would have envisioned typing prior to the start of the season.

But Long is building on what former coach Brady Hoke started – toughening up the program. Gone are those silly soft finesse teams under Tom Craft and the had-no-chance squads put together by Chuck Long.

Hoke began recruiting a different type of player and instilled toughness that San Diego State squads have traditionally lacked.

The Aztecs now have a five-game winning streak to boast about for the first time since 1995 and have a rare chance at a conference title. You have to go back to the 1986 Holiday Bowl squad quarterbacked by Todd Santos to find a conference championship squad at San Diego State.

But there sits the Aztecs (7-3, 5-1) atop the Mountain West along with Fresno State. The victory over Boise State adds an extra dose of momentum for a team that notched an electric comeback win over Nevada two weeks earlier.

These Aztecs are winning the type of games in which the program has traditionally fell short. San Diego State is famous for having close encounters get away – see Ohio State in 2003 and Michigan in 2004 during the Craft era, close calls against Miami and USC during Al Luginbill’s reign and the forgettable Brandon Sullivan fumble that would have given San Diego State a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame in 2008.

The Aztecs always find a way to lose – you might call it the “Curse of Marshall Faulk” due to the program not taking advantage of having a once-in-a-generation superstar – but it didn’t happen to this squad in this game against the Broncos.

Colin Lockett’s game-opening 100-yard kickoff return got San Diego State off to a good start but the Aztecs were down 13-7 at halftime due to two touchdown runs by Boise State’s D.J. Harper.

A blocked punt by Dwayne Garrett set up Adam Muema’s go-ahead 3-yard run in the third quarter and Walter Kazee’s 1-yard plunge gave the Aztecs an eight-point lead with 12:20 to play.

At this point, you know there were San Diego State fans everywhere picturing dreadful things – like Brigham Young’s Ty Detmer rallying his club from a four-touchdown, third-quarter deficit to forge a 52-52 tie or Andy Trakas’ chip-shot field goal against USC landing in the middle of Interstate 15 near Tierrasanta and settling for a 31-31 tie.

As if on cue, Boise State’s Joe Southwick led the Broncos on an impressive drive and hit Dan Paul for a 1-yard score. But Rene Siluano intercepted the tying two-point conversion pass and an even more unlikely thing happened after the Aztecs got the ball back with 5:35 to play.

San Diego State never gave the ball back.

Killing that much time against a solid opponent isn’t the type of thing San Diego State does. What the Aztecs typically do is fold or make a silly mistake or fall victim to some kind of odd misfortune.

Instead, they ran nine offensive plays, picked up three first downs – including the clinching one on fourth-and-2 – and were suddenly taking two victory-formation knees on a blue field and about to celebrate just their second victory in their last 30 contests against ranked foes.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen doesn’t get out-coached very often but Long and his staff did the better coaching job and San Diego State finally has a signature victory to point at when courting recruits and selling its vision for the program.

Think about it again one more time – San Diego State had never beaten a ranked team outside San Diego prior to slaying the mighty Broncos.

That is both silly and asinine at the same time.

And, um, no longer the case.

The Aztecs’ coach had a kicker boot the extra point.

Happened again five more times in San Diego State’s 42-7 trouncing of the Black Knights just one week after Long apparently didn’t know the “K” on the roster stood for kicker.

But this wasn’t a contest in which Aztecs’ fans had to worry about their “Mad Strategist Coach.” San Diego State was better than Army at every position and dominated the contest.

Blowout victories take the strategy factor out of the equation, a good thing with Long manning the sidelines.

It was a solid performance and one the Aztecs (1-1) needed after a 21-12 season-opening defeat against Washington.

Quarterback Ryan Katz was more comfortable running the offense, both Adam Muema and Walter Kazee ran the ball well, and a receiver named Ezell Ruffin emerged out of nowhere – the sophomore had no career receptions entering the contest – to haul in five passes for 132 yards.

The defense fared well against Army’s option offense and forced three turnovers – safety Eric Pinkins and linebacker Josh Gavert had interceptions and linebacker Derek Largent recovered a fumble.

There was even a special teams’ contribution as Colin Lockett returned a kickoff 96 yards for his second career touchdown return.

But you know there were things that occurred that bothered Long. You know, like twice lining up to attempt field goals and having Chance Marden miss them both – from 40 and 37 yards.

As long as the Aztecs don’t dismantle the goal posts for next Saturday’s game against North Dakota, you can be certain Long will have some more wackiness in store.

Hopefully, whatever the “Mad Strategist Coach” comes up with isn’t as silly as the decisions against Washington, when twice bypassing extra points in favor of failed two-point conversions and the odd call of passing on a field goal when down two possessions with under five minutes to play hindered San Diego State’s chances of mounting a comeback.

There were no such issues in Game 2 – San Diego State was ahead from the outset and put on a solid performance.

Newly christened starting quarterback Ryan Katz connected on just 52 percent of his passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He also had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage that was intercepted, and often looked uncomfortable in the pocket, holding the ball too long and overthrowing his receivers on nearly half of his incompletions. Katz regularly missed open receivers downfield, sometimes overthrowing them by over five yards, and his only touchdown pass was a short screen pass. Junior wide out Colin Lockett took that short pass 72 yards down the sideline, blazing past the second team defense while flashing the play making ability that made him last season’s top receiving target.

It’s possible that Katz is still uncomfortable with the new offense after transferring from Oregon State for his final season of eligibility. It’s also possible that the Aztec defense is accustomed to playing against him each day and thus knows his tendencies well. It’s also possible that the second team defense and Rocky Long’s 3-3-5 scheme are just THAT good. But if the Aztecs expect to beat Pac-12 teams and Pac-12 caliber opponents, Katz will have to play the quarterback position infinitely better than he did on Saturday.

 Three Thoughts:

1. During the first quarter of the scrimmage, a coach could be heard yelling “Four down territory!” after the offense had just barely crossed midfield. This seemingly answered in the affirmative the question that Aztec fans have had of whether or not the team will go for it every time on the opponents side of the 50-yard line, as head coach Rocky Long has said they might do. However, after not picking up any yardage on the first three downs of that series, the offense did punt the ball away. On other occasions, they did indeed go for it on fourth downs, including a fourth-and-30 situation in the second half. As of now, it looks like the 50-yard line will not be a rigid boundary between going for it and punting, and the Aztecs may occasionally punt after crossing midfield.

 2. The scheme by the Arkansas high school coach from which Long has borrowed his ideas involves four main ideas: no punting; no field goal kicking; always going for two-point conversions; always kicking on-sides on kickoffs. The scrimmage was played without actual kickoffs- the ball was placed on the 25-yard line after touchdowns- or punt returns, however the team attempted no field goals or extra points either. On each of the three touchdowns by the first team offense and the single touchdown scored by the second team offense, the coaches dialed up two-point conversion plays, two of which succeeded and two that did not. In theory then, the idea worked- they scored 28 points, the exact total they would have scored had they successfully converted one extra point attempt after each touchdown.

The concern is what the team will do should they find themselves in a situation where they need a field goal. For example, should the Aztecs find themselves trailing an opponent 21-20 or by a similar score late in the fourth quarter, clock ticking away and the ball on the 30-yard line. It seems obvious that any team would run out their field goal kicker, but how can a coach justify only using his kicker in extreme pressure situations? If a kicker hasn’t kicked an extra point all game, much less a field goal, can he be expected to nail a 45-yard, pressure-packed game winner? The fact is, getting three points can be a very important part of winning a football game, but could end up being an underdeveloped part of this year’s team. It is a situation that Rocky Long and his coaching stuff must assess and decide how to confront before the start of games that matter, when late field goals could end up being the difference between a losing season or a third straight bowl appearance.

3. After watching both new punters trying-out to fill the void left by Aztec great Brian Stahovich, even the most conservative coach would consider going for it on every fourth down. Freshman Seamus McMorrow and sophomore Joel Alesi seemingly couldn’t put a punt past 40 yards, regularly kicking low, short punts with virtually no hang-time. And that was with no linemen, no return, and no pressure in their face. Once the real games start and teams line up 10 guys to block the kick, those punts are likely to be even shorter and lower than they were in the exhibition.

Three defensive players that stood out:

 Sam Meredith, Sophomore, Defensive Tackle. Meredith was extremely impressive, racking up three sacks in the first half and generally wreaking havoc on the front line. Although not a starter last season, he played big minutes behind Jerome Long who has since graduated. He is long and lean for a FBS nose tackle, listed at 6-4 and 275 pounds, but the Helix High School product is extremely strong and active and regularly pushed aside larger blockers, picking up where he left off from a stellar true freshman season.

Jake Fely, Sophomore, Middle Linebacker. No surprise here, as Fely had an outstanding season last year as a freshman. He was everywhere on defense Saturday, racking up three sacks and returning an interception 45 yards for a near touchdown.

Leon McFadden, Senior, Cornerback.  Once again, this comes as no shock to anyone, seeing as McFadden is the preseason choice for Mountain West defensive player of the year. What the coaches have to love from McFadden is the way he tackles- shoulders square, facemask faced up and forward, and uses his arms to wrap up the ball carrier. McFadden shuns the highlight reel hits, instead opting to just get the job done. He did let a sure interception slip through his fingers in the first half, but he broke up a few balls, defended receivers well, and made sure tackles all throughout the scrimmage.

McFadden is a known commodity, and with Meredith and Fely controlling the middle of the field, the Aztecs have marquee playmakers on the line, at the linebacker spot and in the defensive backfield.

 Three offensive players that stood out:

D.J. Shields, Senior, Tight End. After starting tight end Gavin Escobar left the scrimmage with an injury and did not return, Shields took his place with the first team offense and showed the exceeding depth the Aztecs possess at the tight end position. Shields routinely got open, and when the quarterbacks actually got the ball near him, he caught it, including a successful two-point conversion in the first half.

Brice Butler, Senior, Wide Receiver. The USC transfer ran clean, crisp routes and showed sure hands in catching everything within his reach. On multiple occasions he outraced coverage, only to be overthrown by the quarterback (he played snaps with both Katz and Adam Dingwell under center). From the look of the routes that they ran, Butler will most likely run more deep routes while returning deep-threat Colin Lockett will run more routes over the middle. If Katz can improve his accuracy, the Butler and Lockett duo can end up being a lethal combination.

De’Sann Hardwick, Freshman, Running Back. The local product from Madison High looked terrific, running well behind his blockers and bursting through holes. The 5’9” redshirt freshman stays low to the ground, churns his legs well after contact, and is shifty. He broke off an 18-yard run and a 47-yard run while carrying the heaviest load of any of the Aztec backs. The only thing he didn’t show was breakaway speed, but along with senior running back Walter Kazee, Hardwick should give the Aztecs a dangerous running game.

Brice Butler’s Total Recall experience.

Last year at this time — back when this blog was so new that I hadn’t even made my 50th “Brady Hoke is fat” joke yet — I was trying really hard to make a big impression on you people. In order to build my reputation as a trusted blogger (LOL), I knew I had to display early on the kind of prescient football analysis my fertile mind had to offer. So then I wrote this about the depleted receiving corps:

Maybe I’d feel a little more apprehensive about this if the offense weren’t loaded at every other position. Good line, good quarterback, great running back, good tight ends, shaky receivers. Meh, we’ll live.

And with that, I had accomplished my goal of letting you know what to expect: Me not knowing shit about football.

Turns out, last year’s receivers wavered between pretty meh and fairly awful. And it kinda mattered. You know, if you consider it a big deal to turn your senior first-round hopeful quarterback into a shellshocked mess whose completion percentage and draft prospects plunged faster than Groupon stock.

But here’s the deal: If last year’s craptacular receiving turned out to make a huge difference to the offense’s success, why would a suddenly stacked group of pass catchers matter any less? And why should you be listening to what my clueless ass has to say about it?

Please do not ponder that second question while I make my projections for the 2012 Aztecs receiving corps:

The top target
At 6-6, 255 pounds, Gavin Escobar is pretty much a freak. He’s too fast for a linebacker to cover, and too likely to use a defensive back’s torso as a tool to pick bits of Butterfinger out of his molars.

Last year, I picked Escobar to lead the team in receptions and he came close. I think he’s actually going to do it this season now that he has more established playmakers around him. Bank on this: Ryan Katz is going to gravitate to Escobar in the same way my niece used to constantly clutch her favorite sippy cup. As well he should. As well he should.

Prediction: 68 receptions, 813 yards, 10 touchdowns

The (other) top target
Things I know about Brice Butler:

• He was good enough to see the field quite a bit for USC.
• Charlie Weis wanted him as a transfer.
• He was smart enough to choose to come to a program where he could make a big impact and springboard himself into the draft.

I for one am more than happy for Brice to use the hell out of this program to bolster his pro aspirations. Uuuuse us, Brice!

Prediction: 59 receptions, 884 yards, 6 touchdowns

Pretty good too
Last year, I kept a Colin Lockett joke file at the ready, for use whenever I needed to describe how terrible he was at catching footballs. Let’s open that sucker up, shall we:

Q: What’s the difference between Colin Lockett and Justin Bieber?
A: Bieber’s balls will probably never drop.

Ha! Take that, Justin Bieber! OK, so perhaps I should have cut a little more slack to a guy trying to learn a new position. But hey, I’m kind of asshole like that.

However, as the season went on, a funny thing happened. I stopped needing the jokes. At some point, Colin Lockett went from a consistent punch line to a consistently dangerous weapon. He learned to run routes. He learned to do that Dwight Clark hands-triangle thingy instead of trying to snag passes in his untucked jersey.

Heading into his junior year, I am finally adjusted to the new reality: Dude is good. His numbers probably won’t be nearly impressive as last season (58-970-8), but that has more to do with the talent now around him. Still, as the Alvin Harper to Butler and Escobar’s Irvin and Novacek? Damn useful player.

Prediction: 38 receptions, 614 yards, 4 touchdowns

Don’t forget about
Shit, remember Nico Sandifer? He was going to be the guy last year before the entire crop of receivers started to drop in bizarre gardening accidents. It seems like a million years ago now, but Sandifer actually started the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl. If the senior’s knee is all healed up, he could win a starting job. Even if he doesn’t start, he’s going to play.

Prediction: 30 receptions, 387 yards, 2 touchdowns

This is far from a complete list, of course. A fresh face like Ezell Ruffin or Larry Clark might step up. Who knows, Dylan Denso might even scrap his way back onto the field. But these are the four guys I’m going with.

The consolation for everyone else: I’m pretty much always wrong about everything.

The Bowl season is one of the best parts of the NCAA season with a total of 35 bowls to be played. One of the best parts about these 35 bowls is that there are a number of great games between teams that you rarely see on National TV. This was the case in the first bowl week as the three bowls that opened the season featured a number of unranked, yet good, teams. One of these bowls was the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between the San Diego State Aztecs and the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. The San Diego State Aztecs have not been ranked in the major college division but have had success in the postseason. They had a long layoff from 1998 until their next bowl game in 2010 where they beat Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. This year they were back in the postseason again and were trying to make it two bowl wins in a row as they continue to build a good program. The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns did not have the same success as their opponents recently as they had not been in a bowl game since 1970 when they were members of the Small College Division. Since entering the Division I-A the Ragin’ Cajuns have not been in a bowl game but that changed this week as they entered their first bowl game in 41 years and their first bowl game in the Division I-FBS. They would take on the more experience Aztecs in the New Orleans Bowl that was essentially a home game in the Metrodome. The story leading into the game was that of Ronnie Hillman who was touted as the best running back that nobody had heard about. Hillman had run his way into the third spot in the NCAA D-I books behind Trent Richardson and LaMichael James and was expected to take over the game against Louisiana-Lafayette. From the start it was obvious that the Ragin’ Cajuns had prepared for Hillman (24 rsh, 55 yds, 0 TD) and had done it well not letting him take over. Instead it was Blaine Gautier (24/40, 470 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT) who took over the game and did it for the Cajuns. Louisiana-Lafayette led from the start of the game and never looked back. At halftime the Cajuns led the Aztecs 13-3 but the Aztecs were not there because they gave up on games. The second half saw San Diego State mount a comeback with two TDs in the 3^rd quarter. Late in the fourth quarter the Aztecs took over the lead for the first time, 30-29, thanks to a TD by Ryan Lindley (28/49, 413, yds, 3 TD) to Colin Lockett (6 rec, 85 yds, 3 TD). It came down to Gautier in the last possession of the game and he came through as he led a 44 yard drive that put the Cajuns’ kicker Brett Baer (2/2 FG, 50 lng, 2/4 XP, 8 pts) 55 yards away from winning the game. He got a bit of a break though as SDSU earned a pre-snap penalty that pushed the field goal forward 5 yards to make it a 50 yard attempt. Baer came through in the clutch and kicked the field goal for the win. It was the Ragin’ Cajuns first bowl win ever making the New Orleans Bowl the biggest win in school history. It was big for even more than just the fact that they won a bowl as some Cajuns’ players had the performances of their lives. One of these was Brett Baer who came through in the clutch with the last second kick that marked the longest kick in his career. More than Baer though was the performance of Blaine Gautier who shattered records while leading his team to the win. First was the Bowl record for most passing yards as Gautier threw for 470 yards shattering the former record held by Troy’s Corey Robinson who threw for 387 yards in 2010. The bigger record for him may have been the school record as the bowl performance broke the school record for most yards and TDs in a single season. Gautier’s new records stand at 2,958 yards and 23 TDs that were previously held by Jake Delhomme who had 2,901 yards and 20 TDs in his 1996 season. The game went down to the wire as the underdogs pulled out a win close to home which was a great finish to the first day of the Bowl season.

Before the trilling game in New Orleans four more teams were looking to put their names in the books as bowl winners. The first bowl of the day was the New Mexico Bowl where Temple took on Wyoming in a matchup of two 8 win teams. The game was Temple’s to lose from the start as Bernard Pierce (25 rsh, 100 yds, 2 TD) took over the game quickly. Pierce scored two TDs in the first half against a defence that could not seem to figure out how to stop the Temple running game. The game was essentially over at halftime with Temple leading 28-7 and the lead got worse in the second half as Temple continued to dominate the Wyoming Cowboys. Temple took home the win as they earned their first Bowl victory since 1979. With a blowout in the books the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl followed between the Ohio Bobcats and Utah State Aggies. Both teams had not had much success in the postseason with Ohio winless in the last five bowl games. They changed all that as the Bobcats took the ball down the field at the end of the game. Ohio QB Tyler Tettleton (19/26, 220 yds, 2 TD) ended their five bowl game losing streak almost single-handedly in the 4^th quarter. Down by six, Tettleton led the Bobcat offence on a 61-yard drive down the field. He then ran a QB keeper that was stopped short but they did not give up as they ran another keeper that was successful. With the TD and the extra point the Bobcats took home the win in a thriller. With the first weekend of bowls over the rest of the bowls will take place and we can only hope that the rest of the bowls reflect the great performances in the New Orleans Bowl and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Last Week:

New Mexico Bowl:

Temple Owls 37 – 15 Wyoming Cowboys

- Bernard Pierce took over the game as he ran all over a weak Wyoming run defence as the Temple Owls won their first Bowl game since 1979

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

Ohio Bobcats 24 – 23 Utah State Aggies

- Tyler Tettleton led a 61-yard drive in the last quarter for a TD that won the game and ended a five game bowl losing streak for the Bobcats

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns 32 – 30 San Diego State Aztecs

- The Ragin’ Cajuns made a big step towards building a good program as they won their first Division I-FBS bowl with a record-breaking performance by Blaine Gautier

Next Week:

Beef “O” Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg:

Florida International Golden Panthers vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (December 20^th; 8:00 pm)

- FIU is coming off of the best season in school history winning 8 games for the first time but will have their hands full against Marshall DE Vinny Curry who has the second most sacks, with 21.5, in the NCAA

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:

#18 TCU Horned Frogs vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (December 21^st; 8:00 pm)

- TCU won every game in their conference but could not manage a BCS Bowl appearance but will take on Louisiana Tech who accepted their invitation before American Thanksgiving

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. #7 Boise State Broncos (December 22^nd; 8:00 pm)

- The Broncos could not bust the BCS another time as they were ranked #7 but could not get an invite to a BCS Bowl and will take out their frustrations on the Sun Devils who lost their last four games of the season

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: 

Nevada Wolf Pack vs. #21 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (December 24^th; 8:00 pm)

- The Wolf Pack has the 7^th ranked rushing offence in the league but may have their hands full against the Golden Eagles who shut down the NCAA’s top offence in Houston and were hoping to earn a BCS bid for that win but will travel to Hawaii for Christmas Eve

San Diego State All-American tailback Ronnie Hillman was held to just 55 yards rushing on 24 carries, often being met behind the line of scrimmage by Louisiana-Lafayette defenders. The Aztec offensive line was beat on play after play, and even when it looked like Hillman had a seam to run through, the Cajun defenders came up with extremely sure tackles time after time. More than any other facet of the game, the Cajuns’ dominance of the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball was what resulted in their winning the first bowl game they’ve played in since 1970. If this was the last time fans will see Hillman in an Aztec uniform, it was quite an unremarkable way to end a stellar two-year reign on Montezuma Mesa.

The Cajun receivers also had a field day against SDSU’s defensive backfield. ULL quarterback Blaine Gautier threw for 470 yards and 3 touchdowns, many of them coming from circus-grabs by a group of extremely talented wide receivers and tight ends. Enough cannot be said about how well Cajun receivers Javone Lawson and Ladarius Green played. Lawson made a few incredible one-handed catches, and the Cajun receivers consistently beat the SDSU secondary, including the last drive of the game in which the Aztecs allowed the Cajuns’ to drive from their own 18-yard line for the winning field goal in just 30 seconds and with no timeouts left.

The University of Louisiana-Lafayette was the better team in New Orleans on Saturday night, with a better game plan, a dominate run defense and an excellent wide receiving corps. They deserved to win after shutting down Hillman and decimating the Aztec secondary.  

For those fans who would rather not give ULL credit though and instead dwell on the lost opportunities that could have changed the game, there are plenty of those as well:

-Colin Lockett caught 3 touchdown passes, including the score to put the Aztec’s ahead with just 35 seconds to play. But on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt, he stepped out-of-bounds before making the catch, nullifying what would have given the Aztecs a 3 point lead. And with a 3 point lead, the Cajun’s last second field goal would have merely tied the game.

-Late in the first half, Aztec defensive back Dey Juan Hemmings jumped in front of a Blaine Gautier pass on 4^th and goal from the 3-yard line, snagging an interception that put an abrupt end to a 93-yard Cajun drive. The pick completed an impressive goal-line stand for SDSU and kept the deficit at just 13-3 going into the half, but qualifies as a missed opportunity because Hemmings had nothing but green grass turf between him and a pick-six. If Hemmings could have stayed on his feet- and it looked like he very easily could have- it would have given the Aztecs seven points and a ton of momentum heading into the second half, in which they outscored Louisiana 27-19.   

 -Early in the first half, Dylan Denso made a fantastic catch, beating several defenders inside of the red zone, and looked to have a clear path to the end zone. But he was inexplicably caught by a defender after stumbling near the 10-yard line. The Aztecs still had the ball for 1^st and goal, but were unable to punch it into the end zone, instead settling for a field goal after Denso looked to have a sure touchdown. The 4-point swing was ultimately very costly in a game decided by 2 points.

-Dropped passes, errant throws and missed field-goals were a theme of the entire season, and tonight was no different. Aztec receivers dropped several passes, and quarterback Ryan Lindley- who chose the perfect time to have his best game of the season- missed Lockett on what would have been a sure touchdown in the fourth quarter. Lockett made a beautiful double-move on the Cajuns’ safety to get wide open in the middle of the field at about the 10-yard line, but Lindley’s pass sailed high and wide of Lockett, and the Aztecs settled for a field goal- which Abel Perez snap-hooked wide right.

-“Illegal spinning.” That was the call on the field when SDSU senior linebacker JJ Autele was called for drawing a false-start on a ULL offensive lineman before the decisive field goal attempt. The call resulted in a 10-yard swing; rather than a false start being called that would have pushed the 55-yard attempt to 60-yards, the “illegal spinning” moved it forward for a 50-yard try. Never heard of “illegal spinning”? Neither has anybody else. Apparently the call is supposed to be illegal “stemming,” but even Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel tweeted “It’s for trying to get the opponent to jump early. Still had never heard of it.”  According to ESPN’s Sports Center, Rule 7, Section 1, Article 5 of the college football rule book states that “it is illegal for a defensive player in a stationary position within one yard of the line of scrimmage to make any sudden movements that are not part of normal defensive movement.” In essence, it is akin to a defensive false-start, however the rule is very rarely enforced, so rare that even long time college football writer Mandel had never heard of it.

There’s a redonkulous amount to cover after San Diego State’s stirring 35-28 comeback win over Fresno State. But in the interest of fairness, I feel compelled to begin with this:

Colin Lockett. Dude just won the Aztecs the Old Oil Can.

He certainly didn’t do it singlehandedly. I seem to remember hearing the name of a player being repeated over and over on the telecast (Robbie Hallman or something like that?). But of the 10 biggest plays of this game, I credit Lockett with four of them.

He hauled in a long bomb that allowed SDSU to score before half and pull within 21-14. Do you think the Aztecs win this game if they don’t punch it in there? Yeah, me either.

He also kept the game-winning drive alive with two huge first down receptions that seemed to prime the pump for an offense that had been flat-lining for the entire fourth quarter. Then, to top it all off, he broke off a huge run on an end-around to get the ball down to the 6 and set up the game winning score.

Do you think I’m overdoing it with the Lockett love? I don’t.

See, Lockett has been a bit of a punching bag on this blog this season. After the Wyoming debacle, I even managed to make fun of him in the process of making fun of Abel Perez (I’m a dick like that).

Frankly, he’s just been an easy target. When you’re a converted cornerback trying to replace a guy now playing in the NFL, your growing pains will be magnified. Especially when you appear to be perpetually playing with gloves greased in walrus blubber.

See, I’m making fun of Lockett again. Sorry. Wasn’t even trying to, I swear.

But tonight? Tonight Colin Lockett just lobbed a big “Go fuck yourself” to me and the rest of his detractors. And to that I say, “Thank you, sir may I have another?”

I’d also like some more Ronnie Hillman, if it’s not too much trouble.

If this was his last home game as an Aztec (nice to hear Aaron Taylor on the telecast saying he wasn’t ready for the NFL), Hillman picked a damn fine way to go out with 178 yards and four touchdowns, including the game winner with a minute to go. I think he has more than earned the right to be fully supported by Aztecs fans, whatever he decides to do with his life. Enter the draft, run away to join the circus, join the merchant marines, anything.

But let’s not worry about that now. For now, you have to just admire the fight and toughness Rocky Long’s players have shown all season.

For a team known all season for its putrid starts, this one (21-0 Fresno midway through the second quarter) trailed only the Boise game in its awfulness. It was absolutely disgusting, and I honestly believe the Aztecs came within a taint hair of completely losing the San Diego community in this game. This team would have been completely disowned if it had rolled over against one of the worst Fresno State teams in years.

Instead, the kids roared back, God love em.

Say what you will about the slow starts (and there’s plenty to say), but the way this team keeps getting up off the mat is incredible. They’re like a horde of zombies that can only be killed when Kellen Moore or Denard Robinson blasts them in the head with a shotgun. Tonight, Derek Carr’s gun jammed when it mattered most and Miles Burris is munching on his delicious, supple brain as we speak.

Now 8-4, the Aztecs have got to be considered a bowl lock. And with Houston tripping over its dick today, either TCU or Boise State should make a BCS game barring some epic Craig Jamesian douchery. That would free up a slot in a Mountain West-affiliated game: Probably New Mexico, but maybe the Independence or even the Poinsettia if the organizers decide filling seats is more important than filling hotel rooms.

Wherever, man. After watching that game, I’m excited about it — no matter where it is.

I sure can’t say I was feeling that way in the first half. But Colin Lockett and friends managed to change my mind.

Aztecs quarterback Ryan Lindley shields his eyes from his 51.5 completion percentage.

Before breaking down the performance of San Diego State’s struggling quarterback, I feel the need to brandish my credentials as a football analyst:

In middle school, I used to play two-hand touch at lunch. Like, almost every day. And often, I was entrusted with the position of “permanent quarterback.” So I’ve been there, OK? I know what it’s like to thread the needle with a multicolor Nerf ball while staring down the barrel of a pass rusher counting his 10th alligator.

Don’t act like you’re not impressed.

So what does my wealth of experience tell me about Ryan Lindley’s recent attempt to become the football version of Rick Ankiel? First, here’s a few things it hasn’t told me:

• I don’t think the senior has regressed.
• I don’t think the extra muscle he added has screwed up his mechanics.
• I don’t think he’s resting on his laurels or looking ahead to the NFL draft.
• I don’t think the moment was too big for him at Michigan.

What I do see is a guy who’s rattled. Not by the pressure or fear of being hit, but by a total lack of confidence in his wide receivers. He’s not sure they’re going to be in the right place and he’s not sure they’re going to catch the damn ball if they are.

Last year, Lindley knew that if he put the ball in the right zip code, DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown would go get it. Now it looks like he’s trying to be too fine; putting pressure on himself to make every throw perfect. Dude seems kind of mindfucked.

I really, really like Colin Lockett (rip alert!); he’s the most talented receiver on the roster and he’s going to develop into a great player. But the converted cornerback has shown about as much consistency as my dog’s dumps after he’s broken into a bag of flaming hot Cheetos.

Sometimes Lockett looks like the next Darnay Scott, other times the next Winfield Scott. Occasionally on consecutive plays. He’s still so green that it makes me wonder what he must’ve been like during spring ball:

Lindley: The hell man—did that pass hit you in the nuts?
Lockett (bent over and wheezing): Sorry, Ryan. It’s these damn pants. I got the biggest pair they had, but I can’t pull the waistband out far enough to trap the ball in there.
Lindley: Your pants?? You know you’re allowed to catch the ball with your hands, right?
Lockett: …
Lindley: OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE!

This isn’t to throw everything at feet of Lockett (even though a lot of thrown objects seem to end up there AMIRITE??). Gavin Escobar and others have been playing their share of dropsie at times, but Lockett’s flubs have been the most flagrant.

His key fourth-down drop at Michigan came on a perfectly-thrown lob. The long touchdown pass he dropped at Army (a play I’m starting to suspect sent Lindley into his current suck spiral) had a freaking bow tied around it.

But there are signs of hope.

Even with Lindley’s subpar accuracy—and he was truly wretched for most of the Michigan game—his decision-making has been pretty damn solid. Senior-like, even. After being intercepted 30 times in the previous two years, he’s thrown exactly one pick in 130 attempts this season. That, amid all the other troubling signs, is clear progress.

UNLV’s quarterback just threw three pick-sixes in the same game. Now that is a slump.

Call me crazy, but I think (wish?) Lockett and the gang will eventually settle in and figure out their shit. And once that happens, Lindley will suddenly become reacquainted with the broadside of a barn.

Take it from a guy whose laced ‘em up: the adjustment takes a while. I totally went through the same thing when my top target, Mike Aruda, decided he was going to start playing teatherball at lunch instead.

Get at me, Ryan. I can talk you through this.

– Not many teams beat Vista High 42-7 like Helix did Friday night. Gives further credence to Eastlake being No. 1 after the Titans downed the Highlanders the week before. That Eastlake wasn’t top-ranked coming into the season made no sense at all, considering they haven’t lost a regular season game in some time.

– Now that Poway High has shed itself of volunteer coach Chuck Long and had a year to wipe away the residue, the North County’s Titans appear to be back among the list of better teams following wins over Scripps Ranch and La Costa Canyon to open the season. Former North County power San Pasqual also appears to be back.

– While San Diego State’s 23-20 victory at Army was uncomfortably narrow, they were only a couple of unmade plays from scoring two more touchdowns. One would have been Colin Lockett’s second long scoring reception of the game, but the pass was just off his fingertips.

Giant American flag at halftime of the SDSU-Army Game

– The 9/11 ceremonies or aura that SDSU fans feared had very little impact on the contest. Army might have been a little more juiced than normal, but they would have been anyway since they were playing their home opener against a major opponent. Also, their fans were not terribly inspired until it was clear the Black Knights had a chance to win.

– Bet that coach Rocky Long has the Aztecs diving after fumbles in practice this week after they recovered just three of Army’s eight drops. Demetrious Barksdale had what would have been the game-clincher late in the fourth quarter, but he failed to secure the ball.

– Credit the defense with making big plays late while being gassed by Army’s 42 minutes of possession, but getting off the field after third down in becoming a problem. The Black Knights converted eight of 15 third down plays and made it worse by making three of their five fourth down opportunities.

– Being in New York for the SDSU game and 9/11 anniversary ceremonies, I did not see the Chargers game, but from recaps I like how they came back from being down. It’s something they’ve done plenty of times before, but so many times in early season games of recent years, it seems like the opponent has something left after the Bolts’ rally. This time, the Vikings didn’t and, as much as it was the Chargers fault, I’d say it bodes well.

– Having watched a lot of Tom Brady and New England torching Miami on the flight home, I’d say we’ll know well by this time next week if the Chargers really are a Super Bowl contender.

– As unfortunate as is the injury to Luis Castillo, it will be interesting to see how Vaughn Martin performs in the spotlight. He has a chance to shine. By the same token, guys who can’t stand Nate Kaeding because of his playoff failures will finally get a chance to appreciate him.