Bryant Thursby
Contributing Writer
This Saturday at 12:30 PM PT, San Diego State will face off against the Chippewas of Central Michigan in the Aztecs second road contest of the season. The game is set for CBS Sports Network for televsion and AM 760 on the local radio dial.
All-time the Aztecs are 1-0 against Central Michigan with their first and only matchup came in the 2019 New Mexico Bowl. The Aztecs handled coach Jim McEwain’s team 48-11. Overall San Diego State is 16-1-1 against teams that were members of the MAC at the time of the game. Only eight times since 1976 have the Aztecs encountered a school from the MAC. This Saturday will be the 9th.
The travel to Mount Pleasant, Michigan will be the furthest distance all season the football team will have to travel. For SDSU Coach Sean Lewis, it will be his first time facing a Mid American Conference opponent since his days as head coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes in Ohio.
Perhaps the MAC version of the Sean Lewis ‘Fast’ offense to make the trip.
The Chippewas are coming off of a thrilling win against Ball State which saw them score the go ahead touchdown with 16 seconds to go in the game.
Sean Lewis is hoping to have his offense firing early and back on the right track after a much needed bye week . “There was great energy in the building all during the bye week.” he stated in this week’s SDSU press conference.
As an Aztec fan that is great news to hear after witnessing back to back losses in which the team’s most lasting impression has been playing undisciplined football.
The Chippewas feature a very balanced offense where they can be effective in both the air and on the ground. In their 37-34 victory over MAC rival Ball State, it was the rushing attack that deemed to be superior over the passing attack.
Central Michigan rushed for 335 yards with a dominant performance by running back B.J. Harris leading the team with 151 yards of that total. The Chippewas feature four running backs that get a similar amount of opportunities, all of which are very talented runners and can beat you at any moment.
Central Michigan’s defense on the flip-side are the opposite—especially when compared to the last two opponents the Aztecs have faced. The Chippewas give up a staggering 31.5 PPG, with just over 350 yards per game of total offense.
The Chippewas also rival the Aztecs in illegal infractions—averaging 71.25 penalty yards per game.
And did I mention they do not force opposing offenses into turning the ball over? These are all very good signs for a struggling offense looking to find it’s way. The Aztecs could surely use this to their benefit in building momentum heading into conference play.
A large part of the Aztecs’ offensive struggles is forcing quarterbacks Danny O’Neil and Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson to start their drives in very long field positions. Along with what seems like hundreds of penalties, those drives then continue in many downs with long distances.
If the Aztecs have begun to develop discipline these past two weeks, they cannot be behind the chains all night. Here we will take a look at three keys to the game where this AztecFast offense should be able to score effectively against the Chippewas struggling defense—and where the defense can also help in that effort.
Key #1: Establishing the rushing attack.
In order to be able to do what Sean Lewis and Co want to do—which is make explosive plays in the passing game—they MUST get the run game going. With the defense the Chippewas present, the RPO game should absolutely feast on them.
The offensive line must be nasty and open up running lanes for Marquez Cooper, or The Human Joystick as I like to call him. In order for this all to happen—the obvious penalties aside—the offensive line must limit their mental and schematic mistakes.
At times against both Oregon State and California some of the most effective plays the offense were able to perform were long gains by Cooper and the running game. They were nice glimpses into the potential of this offense—only to have them called back due to penalty.
Plain & simple, limit the penalties by the O-line and this offense should be able to establish the run.
Key #2: Hold the Chippewas under 300 yards of total offense.
Defensive Coach Eric Schmidt has had an extra week to prepare for the very balanced offensive attack the Chippewas bring to the table. They will bring in two different players, Bert Emanuel Jr. #3, and Tyler Jefferson #5, to run wildcat and even run RPOs as well.
Led by QB Joe Labas who threw the go ahead TD vs Ball State to win, it’s going to take a lot to get the Chippewas signal caller off their rhythm offensively. Expect to see five different defensive variations coming from Coach Schmidt with that just that goal in mind.
Expect to see a lot of blitzes and stunts to try and falter the run game. The Chippewas run must be stifled and held under 150 rushing yards to win a tough road matchup up at Mount Pleasant in Michigan.
Key #3: Win the turnover battle.
As I mentioned earlier, the Chippewas do NOT force turnovers. The only turnover they forced was in their first game against Central Connecticut, which happened to be a 46 yard pick six. This game will be won by the team who forces the most turnovers and gives their offenses the best field position for success.
Teams that win the turnover battle have almost a 70 percent chance of winning the football game. Joe Labas can be very prone to turning the football over, considering he threw five interceptions in the Chippewas 52-16 lost to Florida International earlier in the month.
The Aztecs goal should be to force three turnovers against the Chippewas to take a tough road game and get this team too .500 and be 2-2 going into it’s first Mountain West league matchup against Hawai’I next Saturday.
Score Prediction
San Diego State 27
Central Michigan 20
I believe Sean Lewis and co. will not falter on the road against a tough Central Michigan squad and bring the Aztecs back to .500 and back on the right track.
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3 Responses
Lewis, ‘Walk the Walk’ for a change!
#1 should have been “Don’t commit penalties”