***** NCAA Football Preview - San Diego State Aztecs *****
 
 By Gregg Xenakes, Associate College Football Editor
 
 Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
 2011 SEASON IN REVIEW: Stepping into a perfect situation, Rocky Long assumed
 the head coaching position with San Diego State in 2011 and rode the Aztecs to
 their second straight postseason bid, the first time in the school's Division
 I era that it had ever gone to bowl games in consecutive years.
 
 A defensive specialist who arrived in San Diego as the team's defensive
 coordinator before taking over the head job following the departure of Brady
 Hoke to Michigan, Long certainly got the Aztecs off on the right foot as the
 team dispensed with Cal Poly, Army and Washington State immediately out of the
 gate. Rather surprisingly, the 3-0 start for SDSU was the team's first in 30
 years and the 42-24 triumph over WSU halted a 19-game losing streak for the
 team against members of the Pac-10/12 Conference, not to mention a 23-game
 slide versus programs that hailed from automatic BCS qualifying conferences.
 
 However, the road to success for the Aztecs was not paved with consistent
 winning efforts, in fact the team dropped back-to-back decisions against
 Michigan (28-7) in Ann Arbor and at home versus TCU (27-14), although the fight
 against the Horned Frogs was quite encouraging.
 
 The squad rattled off three wins in the next four games against Air Force, New
 Mexico and Colorado State, all of which should have been handled rather easily.
 The loss to Wyoming at home (30-27) was an example of how the Aztecs weren't
 yet prepared to vie for the conference crown, unable to take care of second-
 tier programs in the MWC. A 52-35 defeat at the hands of Boise State, the
 newest addition to the MWC, was not surprising, but defeating UNLV and Fresno
 State in the final two games of the regular season by only a combined 66-42
 score was somewhat under whelming.
 
 With the 8-4 finish overall and a 4-3 mark in conference, the Aztecs were left
 to contend with Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl, a meeting which should have
 served as a wake-up call as SDSU dropped a 32-30 final to the local favorites.
 
 Carrying the San Diego State offense were quarterback Ryan Lindley and running
 back Ronnie Hillman, the former finishing his career as the MWC's all-time
 leading passer with 12,690 yards. With 12,415 yards of total offense, Lindley
 also set the new standard in the MWC in that department as well, while Hillman
 established a new single-season rushing record with 1,711 yards and became just
 the sixth player in league history to run for at least 1,000 yards in back-to-
 back campaigns. Unfortunately, Long and the rest of the Aztecs now have to
 prepare for life without both Lindley and Hillman as the latter left school
 early to enter the NFL.
 
 OFFENSE: "We are going to let Adam Dingwell and Ryan Katz compete for the first
 week of camp and we'll make a decision early on," coach Long said of picking a
 starting quarterback. "I mean, they competed all spring, too. We have seen the
 good and bad of both of them. They have had good days and bad days, so we'll
 have a starter to he can get most of the reps the last couple of weeks of camp
 before we can play our first game."
 
 Losing such an accomplished signal-caller like Lindley is sure to set an
 offense back a few steps, but with Katz and Dingwell pushing each other perhaps
 the heated competition will bring out the best in both players.
 
 Not only does the offense have to find a new leader who will call the shots in
 the huddle, the guy lining up behind that player will also be new after the
 early departure of Hillman. The depth chart early on indicates Adam Muema as
 the top man, but senior Walter Kazee will certainly see his share of carries as
 well. Both players missed some action in 2011, so hopefully they are now ready
 for a full slate of games.
 
 According to Long, the deepest position on the team is at receiver. Colin
 Lockett caught a team-best 58 balls for 970 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Dylan
 Denso tallied 49 receptions for another 634 yards and 3 scores and both are
 back to compete once more for the Aztecs. Tight end Gavin Escobar is also a key
 figure in the passing game after posting 51 catches for 780 yards and 8 TDs.
 
 DEFENSE: Running in plenty of substitutes on defense worked rather well for San
 Diego State last year. Not only did it help keep the unit fresh and energized,
 it also gave the players the sense that they were more than just backups who
 stepped in from time to time.
 
 "On defense, we play a lot of guys," notes coach Long. "Last year, we averaged
 24 guys in a game on defense and that's the same way we'll do it this year."
 
 Hopefully, the fact that the Aztecs put a lot of guys in action will be one way
 to offset the loss of three of their top four tacklers. Perhaps more critical
 than Miles Burris and Jerome Long having led the squad in total stops with 78
 and 73, respectively, is their combined 27.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks,
 numbers that dwarf the rest of the roster.
 
 Linebacker Jake Fely, responsible for 58 tackles and tying for the team lead
 with 3 forced fumbles, will again be a major contributor for SDSU, as will Nat
 Berhe who is the top returning tackler after putting up 67 stops a year ago.
 
 The squad has a host of returning starters in the secondary, but it is Leon
 McFadden who stands out above the rest after being named the preseason MWC
 Defensive Player of the Year. McFadden recorded just 2 interceptions last
 season, but his 15 pass breakups demonstrate that he is someone who refuses to
 play soft and is constantly around the ball.
 
 SPECIAL TEAMS: In 2011, the placekicking game for the Aztecs was not healthy at
 all. Abelardo Perez was able to knock through all but two of his 49 PATs, but
 he connected on a miserable 6-of-15 field goal tries.
 
 Averaging close to 44 yards per kick, Brian Stahovich more than held his own as
 the punter a year ago, but both he and Perez are now gone which means the
 Aztecs have to regroup and find replacements. However, coach Long doesn't seem
 too concerned about putting those pieces together immediately.
 
 "That decision of who the punter is, who the kicker is and who the deep snapper
 is won't be made until the first game because you have to put them into
 situations where it's kind of live, where it's kind of a scrimmage situation
 and the best guy gets to do it."
 
 OUTLOOK: From a historical standpoint, the Aztecs have had quite a bit of
 success against the opponents on the first half of this year's schedule. Except
 for Washington and North Dakota, the latter being a first-time foe, San Diego
 State owns a winning record against every opponent right up until the middle of
 October. Obviously, previous records hold little weight in the here-and-now and
 that's something the Aztecs have to hope holds true for the second half of the
 campaign because the team has a winning record against just one of its final
 five teams on that list.
 
 Unlike last season, the Aztecs have to be careful not to get into offensive
 shootouts because this time around they don't have Lindley and Hillman as their
 safety nets.
 
 
 
 08/24 14:00:16 ET

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