San Diego State is located in a city with beautiful beaches, perpetually warm weather and a population of more than a million people.
The University of Wyoming, on the other hand, is located in the city of Laramie, at 7,165 feet above sea level, where snow is a regular part of life for the 30,816 residents.
Although it seems like the two schools couldn’t be any more different, the similarities can be see when you looking at the tale of the tape from the SDSU football team’s matchup w ith Wyoming this Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium.
Both teams enter the game sporting 4-2 records. The Aztecs are 1-1 in conference play, the Cowboys 1-0. SDSU is fifth in the Mountain West in scoring offense and third in scoring defense – “the two most important stats,” according to head coach Rocky Long – and the Cowboys are fourth and fourth, respectively.
“When you look at the two teams, it’s probably the most important game of the season for both teams,” Long said at Tuesday’s press conference. “We can’t afford to lose another one. I’m sure they’d like to keep their streak going so they have a chance to win the conference championship. So you start to look for where you might have advantages or disadvantages … To me, the two teams are as evenly matched as they can be. The game is that important to both teams because it sets us on the road in the second half of the season to do good things.”
With a 16-day layoff between the Aztecs’ last game – a 41-27 win against Air Force on Oct. 13 – and the matchup with the Cowboys, SDSU’s head coach is also worried about what kind of game shape his team will be in.
“It seems like it’s been a long time since we were getting ready to play a game,” Long said. “I’m a little concerned with the rust. No matter what you do when you have two weekends off in the middle of the season, there’s liable to be some sharpness that is lost. You’d much rather be playing game after game, especially after you win, because then you get a positive attitude, confidence and momentum. I’m nervous about the game a little bit.”
But some players believe that the rest and relaxation of the extended bye was helpful, and after a complete team effort against the Falcons in Colorado Springs the last time out, the Aztecs will be ready to roll come game time.
“Looking back and comparing how we practiced from this week to the last bye week, we went a little harder,” senior quarterback Ryan Lindley said. “Coach (Long) kind of let us rest up a little bit that first bye (week). There was a longer break (this time), so we went a little harder and a little longer. We stayed active and I don’t think there will be any rust on our part.”
“We’ve still been practicing and staying sharp,” senior linebacker Miles Burris added. “And when you keep playing football, you stay good at what you’ve been trained to do.”
