Whether it proves workable or culminates in complete collapse, it might be the only card San Diego State has left to play.
With its defense wracked by injury and redshirts being burned as though the only fuel left for the fire, coach Chuck Long said yesterday that the team's best bet might be switching to a 3-4 defense.
The Aztecs, who have lost seven players for the season, five of them defensive linemen, head into Saturday's game at New Mexico ranked last in rushing defense among the nation's 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams.
Having ceded more than 450 total yards in five of its six games, including 473 in last week's 35-10 loss to Air Force, SDSU (1-5, 0-2 Mountain West) is allowing an average of 29.7 points while scoring 18.7. It is giving up an average of 437.2 yards per game, a figure exceeded by only 10 FBS teams.
“It's not something you necessarily want to be doing at this point in the season, but it makes sense in terms of where we are with our defensive linemen,” said Long, who out of necessity has been forced to burn the redshirts of true freshmen Jerome Long, J.J. Autele and Henry Simon. “The trouble is, because we've also had injuries to some of our linebackers, you could have some linebacker positions where you're only one deep.
“So, you have to look at bringing safeties into the mix to back up some of those linebacker spots and, obviously, most (of our safeties) have never played that position. And when you only have two or three days to practice it (before Saturday's game), that's not an easy situation. It gets down to numbers. You're robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
The latest quandary facing the Aztecs is the status of starting defensive end B.J. Williams, who suffered a concussion against Air Force. If Williams is unable to play, and SDSU opts to employ a 3-4 against New Mexico, its defensive front likely would feature Autele and sophomore Eric Ikonne at the ends with senior Siaosi Fifita playing the tackle spot. Sophomore Miles Burris, typically the backup to Andrew Preston at weakside linebacker, would become the team's fourth linebacker.
New Mexico, which has beaten the Aztecs seven straight times, features the third-best rushing offense in the Mountain West. The Lobos have two running backs ranked among the top 10 in the league, including senior tailback Rodney Ferguson, the league's leading rusher at 101.5 yards per game.
“Regardless of what defense it is, we've just got to play better,” said senior linebacker Russell Allen. “That's the truth of it. Whether we're running a 3-4 or a 4-3, whatever it may be, we need to improve. That's the only way any of this is going to get better.”
Lindley update
Starting quarterback
Ryan Lindley, who missed the Air Force game after suffering an AC sprain and a slight separation of his throwing shoulder a week earlier, threw again during yesterday's workout.
As was the case last week, Long said a decision on whether Lindley will play against New Mexico could be a game-time decision. Long's biggest concern is whether the redshirt freshman has sufficient arm strength to throw deep.
“I feel good,” said Lindley, who resumed throwing Sunday. “It's a big turnaround from where I was a week ago. I feel fine as far as mobility goes. It's really more about being able to put zip on the ball and putting effort into it.
“After throwing on Sunday, I felt a ton better. If it comes down to it, I feel like I could go out there and make the throws if I had to.”
Motivational tool?
A year ago, New Mexico beat the Aztecs 20-17 when Ferguson scored on a 6-yard run with 15 seconds left. The touchdown came after cornerback
Aaron Moore was whistled for a highly controversial interference penalty.
“That was a game we definitely could have won,” Allen said. “When you play as hard as we did and you think you're in position to win the game and something like that happens, it's really tough. That game is still in our memory. I think we're going to use that to rally ourselves a little this week.”
No player on SDSU's roster has ever beaten the Lobos.
Scraping bottom
If the Aztecs have any intention of sneaking a peek at this week's NCAA statistics, they might want to do so with one eye closed.
In addition to ranking last in the country in rushing defense, the Aztecs also rank last in rushing offense (47.3 ypg) and time of possession (23:42).
Overall, SDSU ranks 100th or worse in 11 categories, including third-down conversion percentage (117th); first downs (tied 114th); opponents' first downs (113th); total offense (112th); and total defense (109th).
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
