Aztecs surprise of the WAC

Biggest surprise in the WAC this year?

That would have to be Ted Tollner's San Diego State Aztecs (4-3, 4-0), who travel to BYU (5-3, 3-1) Thursday night for a key Pacific Division showdown that will be televised by ESPN.

If the Aztecs, who have bounced back from a rugged preseason schedule that included tough losses against Wisconsin, USC and Arizona to win four straight WAC games (including the last two in overtime), can defeat the Cougars, Ted Tollner's squad can begin making reservations for the Dec. 5 WAC Championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

A victory would give San Diego State a two-game advantage over Utah and BYU as well as two other teams tied for second place in the Pacific Division, San Jose State and UTEP, with just three games to go.

After Thursday night's contest in Provo, the Aztecs plays three teams -- Fresno State, San Jose State and UTEP -- with a combined 7-15 record. Two of those games -- Fresno State and UTEP -- are at Qualcomm Stadium.

"Yeah, we'd be in good shape if we were up by two games on everybody," Tollner acknowledged Monday during the WAC's weekly conference call of head coaches. "But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves.

"All of our wins have been hard fought. But there's no question that if you're up by two games with just three to play, you're in pretty good shape."

San Diego State, which beat Utah 21-20 in overtime last Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium when normally reliable Utes placekicker Ryan Kaneshiro missed a PAT in overtime, has not fared well in Provo over the years.

The Aztecs own a 1-10 mark at Cougar Stadium with the only victory coming in 1992 when Marshall Faulk ran for 299 yards in a 45-38 final.

"BYU is always tough for us, especially up there," Tollner said. "People say their crowds aren't loud, but they're still intimidating. This one will be big. It's for first place. It'll be another all-out battle."

But Tollner says his squad has what it takes to handle the pressure.

"I feel we'll be able to stay composed," he said. "That's what you want more than anything, is poise and composure under pressure. We don't get rattled. We keep playing. We believe we can find a way to win, no matter what's going on."

BYU coach LaVell Edwards didn't try to hide the fact that this is a must-win game for his squad.

"No question about it," Edwards said. "Every conference game is a big one for us now. We're in a situation where we can't afford to lose another game."

The Cougars almost did just that last Saturday in Provo. BYU, aided in part by a couple of timely San Jose State holding penalties, barely came out with a surprisingly high-scoring 46-43 win over the Spartans (3-5, 2-2).

"We were just hanging on," Edwards admitted. "But we made the plays when we had to."

Notes

Another key conference game Saturday finds Mountain Division leader Wyoming (6-1, 4-0) traveling to TCU (4-3, 2-2). The contest will start at 6 p.m. (PST) on Halloween night so that it can be shown on ESPN2. Cowboys coach Dana Dimel said he would prefer the game be played in the afternoon. "As a head coach, I'd much rather go down and play a normal day game," he said. "I'd rather not have the extended travel and have my team sitting around all day waiting to play." ...

Tulsa (2-5, 0-4), which brings a five-game losing streak to UNLV on Saturday, could be without three key offensive starters: quarterback John Fitzgerald (broken wrist) and wide receivers Wes Caswell (ankle) and Damon Savage (dislocated toe). In addition, backup quarterback Michael Wall also is out with a knee injury, meaning redshirt freshman Robert Stevenson will make his first college start. ...

Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick said running back Kevin McDougal, who has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, could see action Saturday at Rice. "The trainer said if he had his way he'd hold him out one more week," Lubick said. "But Kevin wants to get back out there. He'll probably practice a little bit this week." ...

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said that ESPN has decided to televise the Nov. 7 Mountain Division showdown between Wyoming and Colorado State at Fort Collins.

archive