Glenn Connelly / Photo Editor

The 2009 San Diego State football season is about to get underway today, with this afternoon’s practice marking the official start of training camp. There are some new faces, new positions, new acquisitions and of course, plenty of headlines.

Take a look at some of the biggest question marks and headlines heading into another season of SDSU football.

The running back situation
Both senior running back Atiyyah Henderson and junior running back Brandon Sullivan have talent, but their ability to carry the load 20-25 times per game for 12 games a season is questionable. New head coach Brady Hoke has stated he would love to be able to pound the rock, but isn’t quite sure yet if Henderson or Sullivan can be the back he’s looking for.

The Aztecs will get an infusion of talent today, however, as three-star recruits Ronnie Hillman (La Habra) and Anthony Miller (Dallas) are expected to make their SDSU practice debuts. Both incoming freshmen had 40 times of less than 4.5 seconds and both ran for more than 1,000 yards as seniors in high school.

“We have no seniority system here or sense of entitlement,” new offensive coordinator Al Borges said. “When push comes to shove, we’re going to find a way to play the best 11 guys, and if that means one of those guys is a freshman, then so be it.”

The district attorney investigation
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported this past week that an altercation between former Aztec offensive lineman Lance Louis and senior safety Nick Sandford has resulted in an investigation from the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. According to the report, Louis, now a member of the Chicago Bears, fractured Sandford’s cheekbone, broke his eardrum and gave the safety a concussion in a meeting room fight, which all could result in a felony charge.

This is relevant to this year’s squad because Sandford is one of the top candidates for new defensive coordinator Rocky Long’s “Aztec” position 8212; the same hybrid position played by Brian Urlacher when Long coached at New Mexico.

When asked by a reporter about how his team will “cope” with this investigation “looming over” the team’s head, Hoke responded, “We (this new staff) weren’t here. Obviously, it’s not something we’re going to talk about … There are more important issues right now for us as a team. So for me to make a comment about an ongoing investigation, we’re not going to talk about it. We’re here to talk about this football team.”

Curing the offensive line woes
At almost every press conference, Hoke is asked the same question: What is the biggest weakness of this squad? And at almost every press conference, Hoke gives the same answer: the offensive line.

It’s kind of perplexing because SDSU returns three starters along the offensive line. For most teams, that’s a good thing. But apparently, the Aztecs aren’t satisfied with what they have up front. New offensive line coach Darrell Funk has been working to improve the unit, and senior offensive lineman Peter Nelson has liked what he’s seen so far.

“From an offensive lineman standpoint, (this offense) is a lot different in many ways, especially because we get a hand on the ground and (will) be able to get in a three-point stance,” Nelson said. “(It will enable us to) really get some good leverage on these run plays. It’s going to give us a chance to really knock some guys around and play some hard-nose football.”

Finding a new attitude
It’s been 11 years since SDSU last had a winning season. In the past three years alone, the Aztecs have a combined record of 9-27. So it seems SDSU has developed a case of “hoping to win,” which according to Borges, can only be cured by actually winning.

“When you start winning and people think you’re going to win, you stop hoping to win and start expecting to win,” Borges said. “But you got to do it the right way, and I think (Hoke) is doing it the right way.”

Hoke has instilled toughness into this team from day one, and when this training camp is over, we will see if the attitude has indeed shifted. Nelson, however, can already feel it shifting.

“Attitude and accountability have been the biggest things that have changed (from last year),” Nelson said. “There is an overall excitement and enthusiasm for the game. Our teammates are more dedicated to what is going on around them and what we need to do to win.”