The Aztecs are set to hit the road and take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson this Saturday Night televised live at 7:00pm PST on the Pac12 Network. This anticipated matchup between the Aztecs and the Wildcats is sure to be a much anticipated and well attended event in the desert. For starters, because the two competing schools haven’t faced each other on the gridiron since 2001.
The 20 year marker takes a back seat however to the shared anniversary of the tragic events that took place in our country on September 11, 2001. The game is sure to be a patriotic, but heated and emotional affair as UofA has been promoting this home opener with various prominent alumni, renowned musicians and its a home football game after a global pandemic with their new first year head coach. What else do you need to get the Wildcat faithful to show up?
But the Aztecs have different motivations on their mind for Saturday. Recent news from the Pac12 leadership declaring that they will not make any additions to their Conference has no doubt left yet again a bitter taste in much of the SDSU fanbase’s mouth towards their conference neighbors. Coupled with the news that the Big12 is set to expand with 4 other non autonomous schools not named SDSU, and you have a fan base that is just flat pissed off.
A dominant string of victories against the Pac12 in both football and basketball have made the SDSU brand elevated to one of the top G5 teams in the nation. Tough opportunistic defense, a physical ground game and sound quarterback play have allowed SDSU to consistently come out on top against their Pac12 opponents and show they are a force on the West Coast football scene. ASU found out about this the hard way back in 2017 at Tempe and again the following year in San Diego. So can the Aztecs strike one more time in the desert?
First year Arizona head coach, and serial nomad, Jedd Fisch has finally found a home and opportunity to be the main man in charge. After a tough loss to BYU last week in Las Vegas, much is yet to be discovered about this Wildcat team. Sure they have connections to running an LA Rams style of offense. But let’s be real, Matthew Stafford ain’t coming out that tunnel and Aaron Donald isn’t yelling for the home crowd to “Bear Down”.
While we have to give UofA their due respect being a Pac12 caliber recruiting and coaching staff, there isn’t a reason why San Diego State shouldn’t or couldn’t come out of this game with the W. Vegas odds makers have teetered back and forth between a pick ’em and UofA being a one point favorite. Pretty fair take right?
The Aztecs didnt exactly light the world on fire last weekend either and against much lesser competition than that of what BYU brought to the field. But SDSU did turn the NMST Aggies water off in the second half showing that this SDSU team is capable of putting together a dominating performance. Whether that same second half team will travel to Arizona is the big question.
We got former Aztecs Graduate Assistant (2003) and Aztec4Life Coach Jody Carrasco to step inside the Sons of Montezuma Film Room and take a closer look at some of the elements that SDSU did and will have to do in order to come out of the Arizona game with another victory over the Pac12 bottom dwellers.
We look forward to creating much more video content like this for future games, so feel free to leave us a comment, like or even subscribe to our Sons of Montezuma YouTube Page.
Go Aztecs!
And just for your masochistic nostalgia…we give you 2001 UofA vs SDSU.
