2018 College Football Team Previews: San Diego State Aztecs

San Diego State Aztecs 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: This has been somewhat of a golden age for San Diego State football under Rocky Long. The Aztecs missed out on the Mountain West title last fall when their only two regular season losses came against Boise State and Fresno State. Strangely enough, both losses came in San Diego. The Aztecs have another shot at a strong start once again in 2018, but they play both Boise State and Fresno State on the road this time. The rest of the schedule is manageable, and even with the loss of star RB Rashaad Penny and others, there is still plenty of talent left in the cupboard for OC Jeff Horton, and the promoted DC Zach Arnett.

Breakdown Offense: Even with some serious talent returning in the RB group, QB Christian Chapman must still improve his overall game for the Aztecs to make another serious run at division favorite Fresno State. He passed for just 1873 yards last fall, with 13 TDs, but only 4 INTs. He completed 60.1% of his passes, but averaged just 144 yards passing per game. SDSU ranked 117th nationally in passing yards per game. Junior QB Ryan Agnew returns as the primary backup, but attempted just 7 passes last fall.

Juwan Washington is up to bat in the long line of talented Aztec RBs. He has rushed for 1200 yards in the last 2 seasons as a reserve, and he may be the fastest of the last 3 backs that the Aztecs have had, and gets the full blessings of his predecessor in Perry. He averaged 5.98 yards per carry last fall, and 8.02 yards per carry the year before. Chase Jasmin, who carried the ball 33 times last fall as the 3rd back, will be the primary backup, but unlike years past, the Aztecs lack real depth at the position. Isaac Lessard will be the starting FB, and will be paving the road.

The Aztecs must find 2 new starters at WR, and Fred Trevillion  and Tim Wilson are the projected starters. They caught a combined 18 passes last season. JR Justice, a freshman and son of former Atlanta Braves great David Justice, is another solid option right out of the gate, but depth is very thin overall.

Kahale Warring is the starter at TE this fall, and caught 18 passes. Parker Houston, a junior, could push him in fall camp.

The line returns both Tackles (Tyler Roemer, Ryan Pope), both guards (Deishawn Dixon, Keith Ismael), but will need a new starting Center this fall. That job likely falls to Dominic Gudino, a sophomore. Kyle Spalding backs up at the Tackle spots and Zachary Thomas backs up at Guard.

Breakdown Defense: Arnett will need to find 2 new starters on the line in the 3-3-5 defense, both at DE. Chibu Onyeukwu and Anthony Luke appear to have the edge on those jobs heading into camp. They combined for 6.5 TFLs last fall, with both playing in 13 games each. Noble Hall is the returning starter at NT. He led the team last fall with 8.5 TFLs, and added 3.5 sacks. Myles Cheatum, a junior, is the backup at the DE spots, but overall depth is not great here.

Ronley Lakalaka and Troy Cassidy both return at LB for the Aztecs. Lakalaka led the team in tackles last season with 82, while Cassidy added 30. They should be joined by junior Kyahva Tezino, who totaled 6 TFLs last fall, and he totaled 59 tackles in 11 games. Andrew Aleki, a sophomore, is a key backup, but again, depth may be thin moving forward.

Ron Smith (CB), Tariq Thompson (S), and Parker Baldwin (S) are the returning starters in the secondary. Smith is one of the best lock down corners in the nation, as he totaled 16 PBUs last fall. He picked off 2 passes, and totaled 62 tackles. Thompson totaled 63 tackles last season, and added 4 PBUs, and was the team leader with 5 INTs. Baldwin finished 2nd on the team with 76 tackles last season. Kyree Woods steps in at CB and played 12 games as a sophomore last fall, while Dwayne Johnson (not The Rock or any known family member), steps in at the open Safety spot. Darren Hall and Tayler Hawkins are depth off the bench for now, while Israel Cabrera adds more depth at Safety.

Breakdown Special Teams: John Barron II returns at PK after hitting 12/15 FG attempts last fall, and he hit all 52 of his PAT attempts as well.

Brandon Heicklen is the Punter once again, but struggled last season, as he averaged 38.27 yards per punt.

Washington should step right into Penny's spot on KR duty, and averaged 23.79 yards per return last fall, and took 2 back for scores. A new PR man must be found in fall camp.

Final Analysis: The Aztecs have been on quite a run, and I don't see them slowing down just yet. This is not as good an overall roster as it has been the last few years, but there is plenty of talent left, and the recruiting pool has gotten deeper under Long than it has likely ever been. This program is still strong, and wit the Chargers out of LA, SDSU has the ability to become the focus of one of the greatest cities in the nation. Things may only get better from here. Expect the Aztecs to be in a race with Fresno State for the Mountain West Mountain Division, but they have to win some critical road games to push the Bulldogs aside.