| | By Ed Graney
Special to ESPN.com
San Diego State Aztecs
1999 record: 5-6, 3-4.
Coach: Ted Tollner, seventh season, 37-32.
Starters returning: 6 (5 offense, 1 defense)
Outlook:
It could be a season of flashbacks, of returning to a time when 45-41 scores are more routine than rare. SDSU couldn't score enough last season to support arguably the best defense in school history, so it will try to reverse its fortunes behind a returning quarterback (Jack Hawley) and one of the nation's most underrated running backs (Larry Ned).
There are countless holes to be filled, but none matter if SDSU again treats the ball as its enemy. In six losses last season, the Aztecs had 22 turnovers. Hawley made
his share (10 interceptions), but a strong spring (no picks in three scrimmages) suggests the former junior-college star is better for his rocky beginnings.
Sophomore J.R. Tolver is a 6-foot-1 wide receiver who has the potential to follow the likes of Darnay Scott, Az-Zahir Hakim and Will Blackwell into the pro ranks.
Seventh-year assistant Ken Delgado assumes the defensive coordinator duties and will trust in players like two-time all-conference tackle Jerome Haywood and quarterback-turned-safety Brian Russell to anchor the team's zone-blitz scheme. Cornerback is a potential disaster if a few unprovens don't step up, while the offensive line returns just one starter in junior tackle Mike Houghton (6-5, 310).
Keep an eye on:
Senior defensive tackle George Heather. The former JUCO transfer spent his first season battling injury and the pace of Division I ball. Heather (6-5, 300) was hurt again in the spring, but he's healthy now and must play a major role alongside Haywood if the defense has any chance to succeed.
It's a good season if:
The season's first month passes, and SDSU is still standing. A non-conference slate of Arizona State, Illinois, at Oregon State and at Arizona could deflate any momentum that this young defense carries out of two-a-days. Still, the Aztecs are this league's biggest mystery. There is the potential for 6-5 and a very real chance of 4-7 ... or worse.
Ed Graney covers college football for the San Diego Union Tribune | |
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