ByKourosh SafaviAssistant Sports Editor
While it stayed alive for bowl game contention with its huge winagainst UNLV Saturday, the San Diego State football team is batteredand bruised on the offensive side.
Freshman running back Lynell Hamilton will miss the Aztecs’remaining two games while senior quarterback Adam Hall is probablefor Saturday’s game against Colorado State with a re-aggravated ankleinjury.
But perhaps the most key injury (besides Hamilton) is that ofsophomore wide receiver Jeff Webb, who will miss at least one gamebecause of a right shoulder sprain. Webb’s absence will especially bea big factor for Hall, who will have to have a big game with theuncertain status of the running game. But all issues aside, the restof SDSU’s receiving corps is up for the challenge.
“Just knowing that Webb is down, we have more than enough guysthat can step it up,” junior receiver Devin Pitts said. “We are goingto miss Jeff, but he will be there to coach us on the sidelines.”
Webb is by far the team’s most productive receiver, hauling in 55receptions for 706 yards and four touchdowns thus far in 2003. Butwith the recent productivity of sophomore Robert Ortiz, and juniorKyle Conerly’s beautiful 34-yard reception against the Rebels, theAztecs remain in a positive mindset.
“They’re just going to have to step up,” Hall said of thereceivers. “Two of those guys are going to have to do it and theydefinitely have the ability to.”
Time to play football
With Hamilton suffering a season-ending injury, freshman runningback Michael Franklin will be forced to step into the driver’s seatof the Aztec backfield. Franklin, who has 152 yards on 39 carriesthis season, will likely share playing time with DeAngelo Nedd, whohas been used sparingly thus far.
“I just gotta’ do what I’ve been doing – play football,” Franklinsaid. “I don’t feel any pressure or anything and its just time for meto play football.”
Hamilton, who has arguably been SDSU’s best offensive player thisyear, bolstered a ground game that had been on life support in thepast and has complemented Hall’s passing ability nicely. With theirbacks against the wall for the second week in a row, the differencein Saturday’s game could depend on how well the Aztecs run the ball.
“Lynell is a great running back, he’s been doing his thing, he’saccomplished a lot,” Franklin said. “A freshman hasn’t done what he’sdone since Marshall (Faulk), but now I just have to go out and playfootball.”
Hamilton injury update
Yesterday at approximately 3:15 p.m., Hamilton underwent surgeryon his broken fibula that will force him not to put any weight on hisright leg for a 10-week period.
“He had such a traumatic high ankle sprain that it snapped hislower leg in two places: complete in one area and partially fracturedin the other,” head coach Tom Craft said in his weekly pressconference.
Hamilton will also have a plate on several screws to hold thebones together until the healing process concludes. Hamilton will beunable to compete in spring training and the plate and screws areexpected to be taken out at the end of the year in May. It is thenthat the rehab process is expected to begin.
“I expect Lynell, because of the type of person he is and his workethic, he’ll come back even stronger off of this,” Craft said.
O-line update
Junior offensive tackle Mike Kracalik will have a MRI to check theseverity of his torn labrum suffered against UNLV. Craft expectsKracalik to play though the injury, as he will be greatly needed toopen up holes for a running game.
