San Diego State Aztecs
Mountain West
San Diego State has not lost a game since their September 29th shootout loss at Fresno State. And that string of victories includes a nice win at Boise State and another tough win at Nevada. The Aztecs will stay home and play in the Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Neither Coach Rocky Long nor SDSU have had much bowl success over the years, but the Aztecs did beat Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl in 2010 and they can certainly do the same against BYU this time around.
2012 Record: 9-3, 7-1
Coach: Rocky Long
Coach Bowl Record: 1-5
Big Wins: 10/20 at Nevada (39-38), 11/3 at Boise State (21-19)
Bad Losses: 9/22 San Jose State (34-38), 9/29 at Fresno State (40-52)
Strengths:
For the most part, the San Diego State defense has been very effective during the 2012 campaign. The unit allowed just 19 points against Boise State, which was enough for the offense to squeeze out a victory, and nine points against the Air Force option attack. However, the Aztecs also allowed 52 points to Fresno State and 41 to North Dakota. Linebackers Nat Berhe and Jake Fely are the defensive leaders. Berhe does a great job of dropping into coverage, while Fely is the pass rushing outside linebacker who led the Aztecs with 7.0 sacks. In the secondary, cornerback Leon McFadden is one of the best in the Mountain West. The opposition will always find it difficult to throw to McFadden’s side of the field.
Weaknesses:
The offense has been very efficient on the ground. Adam Muema finished off the regular season by rushing for 255 yards and four touchdowns against Wyoming. That bumped up his totals on the season to 1,355 yards and 16 scores. Walter Kazee is a superb change of pace back. He netted 822 yards on the ground and added eight touchdowns. The problem on offense is in the passing game. The team averaged less than 180 passing yards per game. Changing quarterbacks does not help the numbers, but neither Ryan Katz nor Adam Dingwell has been particularly effective throughout the season. Katz is unlikely to return by the bowl game after breaking his ankle in October. Dingwell has done a decent job in relief, but this is not a team that can throw the ball around with much consistency.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Adam Muema, RB, 1,355 yards
Passing: Ryan Katz, QB, 1,348 yards
Receiving: Gavin Escobar, TE, 519 yards
Tackles: Nat Berhe, LB, 87
Sacks: Jake Fely, LB, 7.0
Interceptions: Leon McFadden, CB, 3
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 229.17 (16th in nation, 4th in conference)
Passing Offense: 178.58 (102, 8)
Total Offense: 407.75 (58, 4)
Scoring Offense: 35.08 (32, 3)
Rushing Defense: 140.25 (37, 2)
Pass Defense: 234.83 (57, 7)
Total Defense: 375.08 (43, 3)
Scoring Defense: 24.50 (45, 3)
Turnover Margin: 0.25 (47, 5)
Sacks: 2.50 (26, 3)
Sacks Allowed: 2.67 (99, 9)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2011 New Orleans Bowl Louisiana (30-32)
2010 Poinsettia Bowl Navy (35-14)
1998 Las Vegas Bowl North Carolina (13-20)
1991 Freedom Bowl Tulsa (17-28)
1986 Holiday Bowl Iowa (38-39)
*all team stats through 11/24
