Seeing the San Diego State preview on Collegefootballnews.com has me thinking about the possibilities of the upcoming fall season. The CFN analysis is fair and has only a couple minor details wrong that a national media organization would be unlikely to be aware of, anyway.
Their view of SDSU is pretty much in line with my own thinking. Once coach Chuck Long gets his recruits some experience, they have a chance to be pretty good. The only question is how long it will take for them to jell. Most of the predictions put the Aztecs at last, or close to last, in the Mountain West Conference, mainly because the writers know that most of a porous defense returns and they have no idea who the new players on offense are. That's okay. If the defensive line progresses as expected, the stoppers might end up being pretty decent this year. The offense, with new starters across the line, at quarterback and at two receiving spots, is a project. Hopefully, the preview writers will know the names of the offensive players by this time next year.
What worries a lot of fans of the Aztecs is that the offense showed next to nothing this spring. The defense dominated, no question. Me, I'm not so concerned about spring performance. For the offense, anyway, it was all about learning. For the players to discover what it was like to actually participate in a meaningful way. For the coaches to determine which guys were on track for a productive 2008 season.
My worry is about the usual Aztec issue: the hole. Football teams on Montezuma Mesa are usually filled with talent, but there's always an empty space somewhere to let them down. This year, there are two holes likely to slow whatever progress Long and Company have made.
-- Kicker. Steady Garrett Palmer is gone, to be replaced by sophomore transfer Bryan Shields, a hometown boy from Bonita. CFN describes him as having a big leg. What worries me is that a young offensive line is likely to struggle most in the red zone, which will leave Shields a lot of opportunities. Fans could trust Palmer inside the 40. Shields? Don't know. I need accuracy, not a boomer.
-- Cornerback. I have yet to be impressed by Aaron Moore and, while Vonnie Holmes seems to have a nose for the football, it's only on an occasional basis. No question they were hampered by a lack of a pass rush last year, but even if there's no pressure on the opposing QB this year, I'm not so sure those two can hold up their end of the bargain. Behind them are former Oceanside HS standout Jose Perez, who was a tremendous prep athlete only a half-notch below the Reggie Bush-Patrick Gates level, but is completely untested at the college level. Sophomores Romeo Horn and DeyJuan Hemmings are also in the mix, but I've never heard of either being more than warm bodies unless they suddenly develop.
Interestingly, the defense is also where you'll find the strength of the team. The safety combination of senior Corey Boudreaux and sophomore Martrell Fantroy -- who could be an All-MWC player this season -- is as good as there is in the conference. There's very good depth behind them.
You also have quality linebacker Russell Allen and some guys who looked like they had some potential in their first seasons: Luke Laologi, Andrew Preston and Jerry Milling. Passing them all up could be redshirt freshman Miles Burris, who appeared lost at times this spring, but when he was on, he was a beast. Burris is likely getting significant snaps by October, if not sooner.
The one other worry I have is at running back, where there is no star nor anyone who looks to have star potential. I never quite got the hoopla over Brandon Sullivan, who seems to me to make nice depth and is decent at catching the ball out of the backfield. There's too small Atiyyah Henderson again and the back who had a good spring, Devon Brown, who is also small.
Long really has to make a recruiting push at the position and bring in Cathedral Catholic's Tyler Gaffney or, since he's one of only a few top prep senior ball-carriers out west, find a JC nugget. I hope Sullivan or Brown (or both) prove me wrong.
The schedule is favorable in some respects. The non-conference games in September go Cal Poly, at Notre Dame, at San Jose State and Idaho. No one really expects to beat the Fighting Irish in South Bend, but catching them in their opener might give the Aztecs a chance to be competitive. Figuring the other two are all but sure victories, the San Jose State game could be the key to reaching six wins this year. The Spartans aren't very good, but they've been tough at home in recent years and beat the Aztecs up there two years ago. It's a sad state of affairs when you can look at a schedule and not list SJSU as a sure win, but nowadays it's a hump SDSU has to climb over.
If things are going well heading into MWC play, then home games vs Air Force, Colorado State and UNLV should be winnable. Any stumbles, or if there are hopes of reaching seven wins, they'll have to snag wins either at New Mexico, at Wyoming, or at home vs a very good Utah team.
I think 7 wins are possible, 6 wins are realistic, and 5 wins are likely. A five-win season would continue a win-total improvement of a game each season under Long. Six wins would probably not have been enough for a bowl last year but could be in 2008 because there are a couple more post-season games. A lot of things will have to go right, including health and the development of the offensive line, for the Aztecs to finish 7-5.
That said, no matter what you read, Long is not on the hot seat this season. Unless this fall brings a complete disaster, including another loss to Cal Poly, then Long will stick around to see what 2009 brings. This upcoming season is the year his recruits get their feet wet. The next season will be the one in which Long and his staff are judged.
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