Aztecs to defend Qualcomm against the Wolf Pack

by Ethan Bailey • October 4, 2013

Monica Linzmeier, Photo Editor

The San Diego State Aztecs football team plays at home tonight to take on the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack.

Coming off their first win of the season against the New Mexico State University Aggies, the Aztecs are likely confident heading into their first game versus a Mountain West Conference team. Although the Aztecs are 1-3 for the season, there is still plenty to be positive about.

After an ugly first half against the Aggies, SDSU came back to score 21 unanswered points against NMSU to cement a victory on the road. This shows that the Aztecs have the ability to adapt accordingly to opposing teams’ game plans.

Junior quarterback Quinn Kaehler has looked poised in the pocket since winning the starting job and played his most efficient game of the season last week against the Aggies, completing 22 of 34 pass attempts for 229 yards. While Kaehler didn’t throw any touchdowns in the contest, he didn’t turn the ball over in critical situations, either.

In addition, the Aztecs’ running game finally made a strong showing against NMSU when SDSU rushed for 212 total yards. Led by the phenomenal performance of freshman running back Donnel Pumphrey who had 167 yards on 19 carries, the Aztecs will look to establish ground-game dominance early and often against the Wolf Pack.

Offense:

While SDSU’s offense looked great in the second half against the Aggies, there’s no guarantee it will have that kind of success on a weekly basis.

Kaehler has to continue improving as a pocket passer and more importantly as a smart decision maker if the Aztecs are to continue winning. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Pumphrey get more work than junior running back Adam Muema because of his breakout game versus NMSU.

The Wolf Pack are coming off a big win against Air Force in which Nevada scored 45 points led by the 389 yard, 3 touchdown performance of junior quarterback Cody Fajardo. He has 792 yards and 5 touchdown passes on the season, as well as 223 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.

Edge: Nevada

Defense:

Against the Aggies, SDSU’s inexperienced cornerbacks stepped up and made plays in critical situations. The defense is the strong point of the Aztecs football team and it will need to play impressively to keep Nevada’s passing attack in check. Defensive backs Damontae Kazee and Nat Berhe will look to continue forcing turnovers in the secondary. Excellent second half defensive performances against the Aggies and Ohio State University should give fans hope that the Aztecs can match up with Nevada’s potent offense.

Edge: SDSU

Intangibles:

One advantage the Aztecs enter the game with is coaching. While SDSU head coach Rocky Long is in his third year with the Aztecs, Brian Polian is in his first year with the Wolf Pack. Nevada has also allowed 178 points on the season compared to 132 by the Aztecs.