and Tandberg to replace
Prefontaine and Holt
All-American punter Noel Prefontaine and place kicker Peter Holt combined last season to form perhaps the best kicking game ever at San Diego State.
They truly personified the word “special” in special teams.
“Last year was a pretty special feeling about the kicking game,” Aztec special teams/running back coach Kennedy Pola said. “We had good chemistry, but you can’t live on last year.”
Now the Aztecs will live and die with red-shirt freshman Nate Tandberg at place-kicker, and a myriad of players vying for the No. 1 punting position, with red-shirt junior Donald Copeland in the lead.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Copeland has risen to the forefront after his impressive performance last Saturday in the team’s first scrimmage where he averaged a robust 50.3 yards a punt on five kicks.
“I think I did well on Saturday, but I haven’t proved anything to anyone yet,” Copeland said. “(SDSU head coach Ted Tollner) definitely knows I have the potential. Now it’s just up to me to show him I can be consistent.”
That consistency is being helped this spring by the above mentioned Prefontaine. Having an All-American tutor help you along can only be a plus, especially when he’s left footed like Copeland.
“Having Noel Prefontaine out here is definitely a plus,” Copeland said. “We can relate to each other, knowing how left footers kick. Having him out there definitely helps me.”
While Copeland has the added motivation of competition to spur him on this spring, Tandberg on the other hand, has been handed over the job as the No. 1 kicker.
A job many thought he would challenge for last season against Holt.
“I didn’t really expect to start last season, I just went out and tried to improve,” Tandberg said. “Last season, I watched Peter a lot and I think he helped me quite a bit with a lot of the little things.”
One might think that with the job being Tandberg’s to lose, complacency might set in.
“I don’t think it will be hard at all to keep Nate motivated,” Pola said. “All you have to do is give him the history of SDSU kicking. That should be more than enough for him to not lose focus.”
Tandberg is being helped in the kicking department by Pola, who’s entering his second year as the Aztecs special teams coach.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be able to get the feeling we had last year in the kicking game,” Pola said. “But I think right now we know what we want and where we want to get.”
Injury report
Converted linebacker Julius McChristian pulled his hamstring in last Saturday’s scrimmage and will be held out of practice this week. But he will participate in this Saturday’s scrimmage.
Linebacker Scott Johnson suffered a mild concussion but will be ready to go as well.
Running back Jonas Lewis missed Tuesday’s practice as well with an ankle sprain that’s not serious.
Academic report
Running back Justin Watson, wide receiver Az Hakim, free safety Jason Moore, guard Robert Whitman and center Dan Nilsen missed practice because of class.
On the agenda
The Aztecs return to practice today at 3:30p.m., but it will be non-contact. They’ll return to hitting on Thursday.
