San Diego State
2010 San Diego State Football Predictions
It wasn't a very successful season for new head coach Brady Hoke, as the San Diego State Aztecs finished up the 2010 season at 4-8 overall and were just 2-6 in the Mountain West Conference. This season the Aztecs should be more adjusted to the new schemes that were installed last year, and they have a ton of experience coming back with 16 starters back. To help you get an idea of what the Aztecs will look like this season, here is a quick breakdown of what the Aztecs will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my thoughts on where they will finish up the season in the MWC.
Offense:
Nine starters return to an offense that averaged just over 23 points a game last year in a a new scheme, so even more improvement will be expected out of this unit in 2010. A big reason that the Aztecs are high on the 2010 season, is the fact that that they return junior starting quarterback Ryan Lindley, who threw for 3,054 yards with 23 touchdowns. Lindley did have 16 interceptions last season, something he will have to improve on if the Aztecs are going to compete with the top teams in this division.
In 2009 the Aztecs struggled to get much of anything going on the ground, as they averaged just 78 yards a game rushing. This year they will look to improve those numbers by moving 2009 starting running back Brandon Sullivan to full back and adding in freshman Ronnie Hillman to take over the majority of the carries. I think this unit can only get better from the numbers from last year.
At wide receiver the Aztecs return a talented senior duo of DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown. Sampson was the go to guy catching 62 passes for 851 yards and eight touchdowns, while Brown was more of a deep threat averaging 17.3 yards per catch and added another six scores. The Aztecs also return senior starting tight end Alston Umuolo, who I think will be even more of a factor in the passing game this year, after catching 22 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns a season ago.
Look for a big improvement up front on the offensive line this season, as the Aztecs only have to replace their starting right tackle from a year ago. Heading into the fall it looks as though junior college transfer Juan Bolanos is going to get the job, and I think he will be a nice fit to a unit that should be one of the better the MWC has to offer.
Defense:
The Aztecs made big strides on defense last season, as they went from giving up just over 37 points a game to only allowing 30.5 points a game in 2009. This year they have seven starters back and will look for even more improvements on this side of the ball in the Aztecs 3-4 scheme.
Up front the Aztecs have all three starters back on the defensive line, which is a big plus for teams that run the 3-4 system. In the 3-4 you normally will have your outside linebackers put most of the pressure on the quarterback, but the starting trio of BJ Williams, Jerome Long, and Ernie Lawson combined for six sacks a year ago. If this group can continue to add pressure it is only going to make the defense better this season.
The only starter back at linebacker is junior outside linebacker Miles Burris, who finished second on the team with 58 tackles a year ago, inlcuding 4.5 that went for a loss. Junior Logan Ketchum and senior Marcus Yarbrough are expected to take over at the two inside spots, and both will be key players in the Aztecs improving on this side of the ball.
The Aztecs return starting free safety Brandon Davis and senior strong safety Dey Juan Hemmings, and also return senior starting corner Jose Perez, but these three combined for just one interception a year ago. That leaves one opening at the other starting corner spot, and it looks like sophomore Leon McFadden is the prime candidate to take over the job, after starting six games as a true freshman.
MWC Prediction - 5th: A lot of signs point to the Aztecs having a winning season this year, and I think you can pretty much count on them making a bowl game for the first time since 1998. I still think they a little bit to go before they start competing for the conference title, but Hoke looks like he has this team headed in the right direction.
For more on the MWC and how the conference will shape up this season, check out our 2010 MWC predictions.
If you are interested in winning some money this season betting the college football odds, be sure to stop back frequently for Jimmy Boyd's expert college football picks.
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