The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by a crotchety old man who painted over long years in poor lighting while working on precariously dangerous scaffolding. And after San Diego State quarterback Billy Blanton was left off the Western Athletic Conference All-Conference team, he must have felt like that old man. Underappreciated for his talents.
At last Tuesday’s practice, Blanton was made aware of the news he wasn’t selected to the WAC Pacific Division first team. Wasn’t selected to the second team. And barely received enough votes to even qualify as an honorable mention.
Head coach Ted Tollner called the news “a rotten shame.”
Indeed, many at Montezuma Mesa do consider it a rotten shame considering the following …
With Blanton’s 395 yards passing against Fresno State Nov. 23, he became the second quarterback in SDSU history to throw for 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
He has started 28 consecutive games for the Aztecs and has thrown a touchdown pass in each.
He went into Thursday’s game against Air Force as SDSU’s all-time completion leader.
And this season he’s been a stat sheet stuffer.
Blanton ranks third in the nation behind only Florida’s Danny Wuerffel and BYU’s Steve Sarkisian with a passing efficiency rating of 171.0.
He’s logged six 300-yard passing games this season.
He’s thrown just three interceptions over his last 265 attempts.
And he has helped lead the Aztecs to back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since 1977.
Yet WAC coaches, who vote for all-conference selections, chose Wyoming’s Josh Wallwork and Air Forces’ Beau Morgan as first team selections. UNLV freshman quarterback Jon Denton was selected to the second team, despite throwing 13 interceptions this season and winning one game. Even Colorado State quarterback Moses Moreno had more votes than Blanton.
That means the coaches saw Blanton as no better than fifth in his own conference.
A rotten shame.
So isn’t it ironic that despite being sacked six times against the Falcons on Thanksgiving Day, Blanton was able to complete 18-of-27 passes for 199 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Aztecs’ 28-23 victory over Air Force?
So while it wasn’t one of Blanton’s finer nights statistically, “we won the game and that’s all that matters,” Tollner said.
But Blanton said he didn’t come into the game with anything to prove. The All-WAC selections weren’t on his mind.
“I wasn’t trying to prove anything,” Blanton said after the game. “I can’t let stuff like that get to my head. I’ve just got to play my game and do what I’m supposed to do and try to get a win.”
It was enough to catch the eye of Air Force quarterback Beau Morgan.
“I think he at least deserved second team,” Morgan said. “All of those honors at some point are political, and I really don’t get caught up in them. I’m sure his teammates and his coaches, and I guarantee, all the players around the league realize he is a great player.”
Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, who said “that’s personal with me,” when asked if he voted for Blanton, had a different explanation for the snub.
“I think he’s a tremendous player,” DeBerry said. “I think he’s just like a lot of quarterbacks in this league he’s a victim of a lot of outstanding quarterbacks in our league.”
So it was Blanton who walked off the field Thursday with pride intact. He may not be able to paint the ceiling of that famous chapel, yet he was able to permanently paint his name into the Aztecs’ record books.
