After winning their first conference matchup against Hawaii last week, San Diego State (2-3, 1-0 Mountain West) travels to Wyoming (1-4, 1-0 Mountain West) looking to extend their winning streak and climb back to .500.
Last week, the Aztecs snapped their three-game losing streak and looked their best as a unit all year, taking advantage of good field position and capitalizing in the red zone. Limited mistakes were made and SDSU won in all three phases of the game.
The offense was clicking right off the bat and did not take their foot off the gas. Running back Marquez Cooper was a workhorse, carrying the ball 30 times for 109 yards rushing. Establishing the run game early brought the Hawaii defense down and opened up the playbook for the Aztecs.
Quarterback Danny O’Neil looked the most comfortable he’s looked all year against the Rainbow Warriors. O’Neil was efficient in the pocket, completing 24 of 33 passes and connecting no matter the concept. O’Neil was hitting on the deep ball, executing wide receiver screens and completing coverage beaters.
The Aztec offensive front was doing the dirty work in the trenches to make the offense move. The SDSU offensive success will continue to rely on them and allow O’Neil and Cooper to make plays with the ball in their hands.
Head Coach Sean Lewis spread the ball well last week and will look to do the same against Wyoming. Having multiple weapons makes it difficult for a defense to focus on or eliminate one specific target. The Cowboy defense will need to account for everyone.
Wyoming has struggled to tackle in space which could provide difficulty Saturday against the AztecFAST offense. Their second and third levels tend to overpursue and have trouble with their angles on ball carriers. Getting to that second level and getting the ball in their playmaker’s hands as soon as possible will be key for the SDSU offense
The Cowboys provide some one-high safety looks and rely on both man and zone concepts. Expect O’Neil to try to take advantage of one-on-matchups and for the SDSU receivers to win on the outside. The Wyoming secondary leaves a lot of holes in their zones and often get confused with crossing and rub routes.
The Cowboys offense revolves around quarterback Evan Svoboda. Svoboda is a unit. Standing at 6 feet 5 inches tall, 245 pounds and he isn’t afraid of contact. Wyoming wants to pound the rock, whether it’s with Svoboda or any of the three backs they rotate.
The Cowboys often have a tight end on the field, running 11, 12 and 22 personnel. The running backs are taught to get upfield and hardly run off tackle. The Aztec defense will see trap, lead and inside zone all night. Linebackers and edges might have to spill or wrong arm to bounce runners to the sideline.
The passing game has been inconsistent for Wyoming however, Svoboda is a good decision-maker when he has a clean pocket. Edge Trey White continues to be a force for the Aztec defense and will help in closing that pocket as quickly as possible on Svoboda.
White currently leads the Mountain West with nine sacks in five games. Wyoming knows this and will attempt to slow him down. Slants, chips and double teams will be thrown his way. The rest of the defensive line must take advantage of the lack of attention on them and win their reps.
Football games are a lot easier to win when all phases of a team are dominating. The formula against Hawaii must be replicated against Wyoming. Kickoff against the Cowboys is Saturday, Oct. 12 at 12:30 p.m.
