Who’s afraid of the Broncos? Not the Aztecs

By Ken Ables (@ka619sd)

Boise State fans are a curious group. I’m convinced they think college football started in 2006, and that it’s still 2014. College football fans remember the day Boise State came into the national spotlight: their overtime victory over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

The Mountain West Wire is a blog that covers all MW teams. They claim to cover them equally, but, as in Animal Farm, some are more equal than others. One particularly Orwellian post is one that has appeared at the start of several seasons and asks if any MW team is deserving of Boise State’s respect. 

A better question: does Boise State deserve all the respect they get? Every year the Broncos are picked to win the MW in pre-season polls, yet they have failed to win the MW championship game 67% of those times. Sure, they usually run roughshod over their Mountain Division mates, but often struggle against those in the West. Especially San Diego State. The Aztec-Bronco series is even at 3-3. 

Make no mistake, the Broncos have had great success and have built a powerful program in a relatively short time frame. They were the Group of 5 representative in the first New Year’s 6 game in 2014 (with 2 losses and no Aztecs on the schedule). But they haven’t been back since. 

It’s a program built on gimmicks – many of them successful – including their Statue of Liberty play that beat Oklahoma, a “turnover throne” and their cheesiest gimmick of all: the tacky, wrong-color field of which they are all so proud. I was on the sidelines for the Aztecs’ win in the 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. On the field, you don’t really notice the color; you’re looking forward, not down. The only people it really affects are those watching on TV. It hasn’t affected the Aztecs. San Diego State is 3-1 in Boise’s stadium.

As someone who has worked in marketing and publicity for years, I can appreciate the effectiveness of those gimmicks, and how the national sports media eat them up. They have helped keep the Broncos nationally relevant even though their performance on the field has not. As a 60-year football fan, I roll my eyes at them.

The two teams had not met prior to the Broncos joining the MW in 2011. The Broncos won the first game 52-35 at the Q. The Aztecs headed to Boise the next year for the return game. It would not be more of the same.

Aztecs Locked In

The Aztecs made their first trip to Boise in 2012. Colin Lockett took the opening kickoff 100 yards to score and to send a message to the #19 Broncos that the Aztecs were not impressed with their reputation or their ugly field. Special Teams were the deciding factor in this game. I

n addition to Colin’s opening TD, Dwayne Garrett blocked a punt and returned it to the Bronco 8. Two plays later Adam Muema scored on a 3-yard run to give the Aztecs a 14-13 lead. Walter Kazee added another TD early in the fourth to extend the lead to 21-13.

After Boise scored a TD with 5:35 left in the game, the Broncos went for 2 in an attempt to tie. Rene Siluano intercepted the conversion pass. The Aztecs took over and ran out the remaining 5:35 for a 21-19 victory.

Different year, same results

Both teams met back in San Diego in 2013. It was another hard-fought game that ended regulation 28-28. Boise got the ball first in OT and could not get into the end zone. A field goal gave the Broncos a 31-28 lead. Four plays moved the Aztecs to the Bronco 10. Quinn Kaehler hit Colin Lockett in the front corner of the end zone. It was close, so the play was reviewed in the booth. Before the referee announced the replay results, the Aztec bench erupted into cheers. Call confirmed; Aztec win34-31. The two-game series ended the way it started: with a Colin Lockett touchdown.

Broncos get Byrd’s eye view of #15’s speed

The Aztecs opened 2018 conference play in a day game in Boise broadcast on ESPNU. Boise State entered the game without having thrown an interception all season. That didn’t last long. Darren Hall intercepted a pass in the first quarter. Tariq Thompson and Ronley Lakalaka also picked off first half Bronco passes.

With the Aztecs leading 13-7 in the fourth quarter, and the ball on their own 28, freshman Jordan Byrd received a pitch from Ryan Agnew and took off down the right sideline. Aztecs fans – as well as the Broncos – got their first look at Jordan’s speed. The result: a 72-yard TD run and a 19-7 lead.

The Broncos added a late TD, but it wasn’t enough. Final: Aztecs 19, Broncos 13. Twelve members of the 2021 Aztecs played in that game; two (Tayler Hawkins and Ethan Dedeaux) started.

Key game to #Win22

A lot is riding on Friday’s game. Win and the Aztecs will host the Mountain West championship game next Saturday. If San Jose State beats Fresno State on Thursday, the Aztecs will be in, regardless of what happens Friday, but are not guaranteed to host the championship game with a loss.  

Kickoff is at 9:00 AM Friday at Dignity Health Sports Park. Forget Black Friday – it’s Red and Black Friday. Do your shopping early and get up to Carson. If you can’t make it, watch it on CBS (real CBS, not CBS Sports) or listen to Ted Leitner and Rich Ohrnberger on 1360.

The Ups & Downs with Lady Luck and the Aztecs in Las Vegas

By Ken Ables (@ka619sd via Twitter)

Your friends are always quick to tell you how they won big in their latest trip to Las Vegas, but they don’t seem to be as forthcoming with recaps of their less-than-successful trips. With football fans, specifically Aztecs football fans, they are no different.

The Aztecs head to Vegas for a late Friday game vs. UNLV in the Raiders’ new palace by the Strip. SDSU has played 16 games in Vegas and have 9-7 record in games played in Sam Boyd Stadium: 8-6 vs. UNLV and 1-1 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Will they leave Las Vegas with a 1-0 record in Allegiant Stadium?

Since I just took bettors to task for underreporting losing trips to Vegas, let’s put all the cards on the table and take a look at some big wins, and a very costly bust in Sin City.

But we had a sure winner…

Everyone heads to Vegas knowing they have a foolproof system to win big. In 1996 the Aztecs headed to Vegas with a 6-2 record, including a 51-31 win over Oklahoma. At 4-1 in conference, the Aztecs would be WAC champs and get a Holiday Bowl berth by winning out. UNLV (coached by Jeff Horton) entered the game 0-10 and going nowhere. Those were the days of high-powered Aztec offense and spotty defense. Still, the Aztecs should have no problem, right? George Jones (275 rushing yards) and Billy Blanton (395 passing yards) led the Aztecs to 42 points. The problem: UNLV scored 44.

Aztecs roll a 7

The early ‘00s brought us the Dark Side Defense led by All-American Kirk Morrison and five other future NFL players. In the 2003 game at UNLV, Aztec QB Adam Hall hit Robert Ortiz in the left corner of the end zone for an early 7-0 lead. That was followed by … no more scoring. The Dark Side shut down the Rebels to record their second shutout of the year. 

Championship Run

By 2015 the Aztecs were known as a ground-and-pound running program that regularly produced 1,000 yard rushers. After starting with a 1-3 non-conference result, the Aztecs went on a roll in MW play, and arrived in Las Vegas with a 6-0 conference record. Led by DJ Pumphrey’s 139 rushing yards, the Aztecs built a 31-0 lead in the first half. DJ scored two TDs and Rashaad Penny, Dakota Gordon and QB Maxwell Smith each ran for a TD as well. Chase Price caught a TD pass and Damontae Kazee took a punt to the house. Donny Hageman added a field goal. Final Aztecs 52, Rebels 14. The Aztecs beat Nevada the next week to finish MW play a perfect 8-0. They beat Air Force to capture their 20^th conference championship, and beat Cincinnati 42-7 in the Hawaii Bowl to finish 11-3.

A record-setting performance for the ages

One of the all-time great Aztec games was played in Las Vegas, but the opponent was the University of Houston, not UNLV. DJ Pumphrey came into the game with 6,290 career rushing yards, 107 short of Ron Dayne’s NCAA record 6,347. Early in the fourth quarter he gained 15 yards to break Dayne’s record. He finished the game with 115 yards, 2,133 for the year and 6,405 for his career. Rashaad Penny finished with 1,018 yards making the 2016 Aztecs the only team in NCAA history with a 2,000 and 1,000 yard rusher. After spotting the Cougars a 10-0 first quarter lead, the Aztecs scored 34-unanswered points for a bowl win over an AAC team for the second consecutive year. DJ and Juwan Washington each scored rushing TDs. Ron Smith’s perfectly timed interception turned into a 54-yard pick six, and Senior Curtis Anderson scored his first career touchdown in the fourth quarter of his final Aztec game. 

The Aztecs find themselves in a situation similar to 1996: control their own destiny. This Aztec team is battle-tested, having won 5 games decided by a TD or less, including two multiple overtime games and two wins over PAC-12 teams. Just like 1996, look for the team with Jeff Horton on the sidelines to win.

Kickoff is at 8:30 Friday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. If you can’t make it to Vegas, watch it on CBS Sports or listen to Ted Leitner and Rich Ohrnberger on 1360.

FLASHBACK: All-Purpose Penny Pounded The ‘Pack

By Ken Ables (@ka619sd via twitter)

Rashaad Penny had a record-setting career as a running back and kick returner, setting or tying 5 NCAA and 23 Aztec records. He had great games against many teams, but none more than those against the University of Nevada.

In his final game vs. the Wolf Pack in 2017, Rashaad set two Aztec single-game records: 429 all-purpose yards and an incredible 20.8 average yards per carry.

Going into the season, Rashaad already held the Aztec record for kick returns for a touchdown with five and added a sixth with a 99-yarder vs. Arizona State earlier in the season. But he had never returned a punt.

When a first quarter Nevada drive stalled, Rashaad took the field for his first career punt return. The result? A 70-yard touchdown – not a bad per-punt-return average!

And, for good measure, he returned a fourth quarter Wolf Pack kickoff 100 yards for his seventh kickoff return touchdown of his career. That touchdown tied the NCAA records for touchdowns by kickoff return (7) and kicks (8, including his punt return).

A year earlier, on a chilly night in Reno, the Aztecs gained 474 yards on the ground led by Rashaad’s 208, plus 198 from DJ Pumphrey and 70 from Juwan Washington. He scored two rushing touchdowns and caught two passes for 20 yards.

The Wolf Pack were smart enough to aim their kickoffs to Juwan, who returned two for 29 yards. For the season, DJ rushed for 2,133 yards on his way to setting the NCAA career rushing record, and Rashaad gained 1,018. The 2016 Aztecs remain the only team in NCAA history with a 2,000 and 1,000 yard rusher.

Rashaad’s four-game total vs. Nevada:

• 472 rushing yards
• 259 kickoff return yards
• 70 punt return yards
• 54 receiving yards
• 855 all-purpose yards
• 7 touchdowns

Rashaad Penny set the bar high for special teams excellence, earning Special Teams Player of the Year three times (and Offensive POY in his senior season). The 2021 Aztecs have continued that tradition, scoring four touchdowns so far this year. And, of course, the best punter in America – at any level – is an Aztec.

Kickoff is at 7:30 Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. If you only go to one game this year, this is the one you need to attend. If you can’t make it to Carson, watch it on CBS Sports or listen to Ted Leitner and Rich Ohrnberger on 1360.

FLASHBACK: Hawaii Seems to Bring Out the Best In the Aztecs

By Ken Ables (@ka619sd)

San Diego State and Hawaii meet for the 36^th time tonight in Honolulu. SDSU leads the series 22-11-2, and has won 16 of 20 games played since 1990. Some great moments in Aztec football have come in games versus the Rainbow Warriors. Here are four…

Marshall’s other 300-yard game

Every Aztec fan knows Marshall Faulk gained 386 yards vs. UOP as a Freshman in 1991. But did you know about his other 300-yard game? Hawaii was ranked #23 when they visited The Murph in November 1992. Marshall scored 4 TDs on runs of 68 yards, 17 yards and two for 2 yards and gained exactly 300 yards rushing. David Lowery threw three TD passes: 36 and 47 yards to DeAndre Maxwell and 42 yards to Darnay Scott. Lowery completed 21 of 31 for 345 yards in the Aztecs 52-28 victory. One side note: the Referee in that game was Mike Pereira, now famous as the rules analyst on Fox NFL broadcasts.

New Year’s Bowl win

Aztec fans want the team to win the MW and get a berth in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games. And when they do, it will be awesome. But it won’t be the first time the Aztecs will have played on New Year’s Day. In 1951 the Aztecs finished the regular season 9-0-1 and won their seventh conference championship. Their reward? A trip to Honolulu to play the University of Hawaii in the Pineapple Bowl on January 1, 1952. Looking for the first bowl win in program history, the Aztecs built a 14-6 lead at the half. Second half TDs by Preston Robinson, Don Jurk and Aztec Hall of Famer Art Preston led to a 34-13 Aztec victory. Coach Bill Schutte’s Aztecs finished the season 10-0-1 and completed the first undefeated season in Aztec history.

What a drag

Rashaad Penny had several amazing games as an Aztec running back and kick returner. In the Aztecs 28-7 win at Hawaii in 2017, Rashaad carried 30 times for a career-high 253 yards. But one carry stands out. On 2^nd and 6, he took a handoff from Christian Chapman and ran to an opening on the left side of the line. A Hawaii defender reached out and grabbed his shirt at the Rainbow 40, but Rashaad didn’t go down, dragging the defender to 29 yard line.

‘Bows shut down and shut out

The Aztec Defense held Hawaii to 215 total yards in a 55-0 shutout at the Q in 2017. DJ Pumphrey carried 21 times for 112 yards, Rashaad Penny added 108 yards and 1 TD, and Juwan Washington rushed for 48 and a TD. David Wells and Quest Truxton caught TD passes from Christian Chapman, and Ron Smith and Damontae Kazee scored on pick-six interceptions. John Baron added two field goals. In the Aztecs D1 era, 55 points is the most scored in a shutout, and the 2^nd largest margin of victory.

Kickoff tonight is at 8:00 Pacific Time. Watch it on FS1 or listen to Ted Leitner and Rich Ohrnberger on XTRA Sports 1360.

FLASHBACK: Fresno State–the Aztecs Oldest Rivalry Game

By Ken Ables (@ka619sd)

San Diego State and Fresno State will play for the 60^th time Saturday night, the most games versus any Aztec opponent. San Jose State is a distant second with 45 games played. The series dates back to 1923 – the third season of Aztec football – a 12-2 Aztec win in Balboa Stadium. The Aztecs lead the series 30-25-4. 

It’s a rivalry that should have been played every year, and over a period that spanned 1945-1979, they did, playing 35 years in a row (and my Dad, Tom Ables, was at every one of those!), with most of those games as conference mates in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. (CCAA) and Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. (PCAA). When the Aztecs left the PCAA for the WAC, the teams did not meet again until the Bulldogs joined the WAC in 1992. When the Aztecs left for the MW, the two teams only played two non-conference games, in 2002 and 2011.

And that 2011 game rekindled the rivalry with the introduction of a new annual trophy: The Old Oil Can.

In the fine tradition of Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech and Clemson-South Carolina, the 2011 game was played at the end of the season after all of the conference games had been played. There was no conference championship game, so it was the last game before the bowl.

The Bulldogs, led by current Raider QB Derek Carr, started fast and built a 21-0 lead with 9:14 left in the second quarter. After that it was all Aztecs.

Touchdowns by Ronnie Hillman (20 yards) and Chad Young (1 yard with :11 left) closed the gap to 21-14 at the half. Ronnie added two more TD runs in the third quarter to give the Aztecs a 28-21 lead going into the fourth.

Fresno scored early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28, where it stayed until Ronnie Hillman scored his fourth rushing touchdown with 1:09 left in the game to lead the Aztecs to a 35-28 victory and possession of The Old Oil Can.

Fresno joined the MW in 2012, and with that the teams lost control of their schedules. The MW – always one to let a great opportunity pass by – has never scheduled the Aztec-Bulldog game on the final weekend of the season, and that’s a real shame.

San Diego State and Fresno State have met every year since, except last year when the Bulldogs could not field a healthy team. 

The Old Oil Can has resided in San Diego since 2019 when the Aztecs held the Bulldogs to a single touchdown in a 17-7 win. Chase Jasmin scored two touchdowns and Matt Araiza added a Field Goal. 

Kickoff is at 7:30 in Dignity Health Sports Park. If you only go to one game this year, this is the one you need to attend. If you can’t make it up to Carson, watch it on CBS Sports Network or listen to Ted Leitner and Rich Ohrnberger on XTRA Sports AM 1360.

Monty’s Den: Sons of Montezuma At ESPN’s College Game Day

Every week in the college football season ESPN College Gameday, the biggest most watched pre game show chooses a destination campus to host their ultra pep rally show at. With no game featuring two ranked opponents this past week, some SDSU fans lobbied that the ESPN show set up in Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy. The game would feature the 6-1 Falcons who were hosting the 6-0 Aztecs football team, who were the only undefeated West coast team and ranked #21 in the nation. The game featured the #1 rushing attack vs the #1 defense against the run. It was set to meet for a huge conference tilt and could’ve been a patriotic thing to do for all of the cadets and the surrounding areas.

But in typical ESPN fashion, they decided to go with the big name brand team. The unranked UCLA team—that previously lost to Mountain West’s Fresno State—were hosting Oregon—brought to you by Nike—at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Immediately SDSU marketing department pulled themselves together and promoted that SDSU fans should make their voices heard and wave their banners high for the Best in the West team, your San Diego State Aztecs. So without a hesitation, Sons of Montezuma was there to answer the call. Creating signs, gathering our Aztecs flags and tying up our own Custom SOM flag to our poles, we packed up the ride and headed north to the campus of Westwood to represent our Aztecs.

Aztec fans, @CollegeGameDay is coming to Southern CA this Saturday, let's show the Nation who's got the best football team in CA! Bring your @SDSU signs to the 6 am show b4 the Oregon-UCLA game. If you plan to attend & would like a pre-made sign, email GoAztecsMarketing@sdsu.edu. pic.twitter.com/D6t6yyhWzO

— San Diego State Aztecs (@GoAztecs) October 18, 2021

So is really just us Sons of Monty crashing the Pac-12’s party tomorrow guys? 😒⚫️🔴🏈 pic.twitter.com/SpcrukQ1Yi

— SONS OF MONTEZUMA™ (@sonsofmonty) October 23, 2021

By the time the show started early Saturday morning, we arrived at the UCLA campus before the sunrise could. It was a drizzly damp morning but that didn’t stop passionate college football fans from all over from making their appearance. Our small group of Aztecs connected and saw fans from all over like: Clemson, Duke, SMU, Fresno State, Illinois, Washington State, Oregon, and more. It was a good energy there on the campus plaza and everyone was friendly.

Once the sun started to peek through a little bit through the overcast skies, the flood of social media came in. Sons of Monty and others made the Aztecs logo visible on TV and the signs accomplished their goal.

#MAP ⚫️🔴🏈 @CollegeGameDay #goaztecs @AztecFB #win22 pic.twitter.com/Kpo39oiJIY

— SONS OF MONTEZUMA™ (@sonsofmonty) October 23, 2021

Got a close up of the @sonsofmonty flag when college game day previewed SDSU-AF. It’s great so see all the SDSU flags in the background.

— Aztec Breakdown (@aztecbreakdown) October 23, 2021

Waking up and seeing @sonsofmonty waving Tecs flags on the College GameDay telecast makes my day 🔴⚫️

— Adam (@SD_Sports19) October 23, 2021

.@sonsofmonty I see you! 👀👏🏼 #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/A6ALVfU4NP

— Lisa Pearson (@LisaM_Pearson) October 23, 2021

One of the coolest TV visuals was right after the special Brady Hoke mic’d up segment where ESPN displayed how SDSU has been THE California football team of the past 6 seasons, with a better winning percentage and total higher than Stanford, USC, UCLA and Cal Berkeley. These talking points and visuals cannot be highlighted enough. SDSU truly is no longer a sleeping giant.

These kind of facts have long been the ammunition the Sons of Montezuma have used to fire back at PAC-12 elitist and SDSU non-believers, but to see ESPN the powerful College football engine have to report the actual facts of the San Diego State programs success in the Western region, felt like a battle won.

😤 pic.twitter.com/UCwMSLH7d5

— Aztecs Recruiting (@AztecRecruits) October 23, 2021

But it didnt stop there. The great aspect of ESPN’s College gameday was yet to come. The pick’em section where a regional celebrity or school legion of the host is chosen to help add some authenticity to the show and give their best educated guesses on who will win for some of the top games of the day. Well to SDSU’s benefit, the legendary UCLA basketball great, San Diego native and Aztecs graduate parent, the incomparable Bill Walton was the man of the hour.

Once we found out Bill was the chosen celebrity picker, we knew SDSU would get some major love if our game vs the Air Force was to be in the lineup. And sure enough, when it came time for Bill to pick between the Monsters on the Mesa or the Academy, it was a no doubter. We were able to say our thanks to Bill after the show had ended and he was appreciative of us SDSU fans making the trip.

Aztecs Nation represented well and got lots of love for the @sonsofmonty flags…even from Bruins like this guy ✌️⚫️🔴#SanDiego pic.twitter.com/ewYMPDxvGY

— SONS OF MONTEZUMA™ (@sonsofmonty) October 23, 2021

You can view all the College Gameday festivities from the Sons of Montezuma perspective and even our combined SDSU victory highlights over Air Force below on our special highlights video.

After the mornings eventful day, it was time to head back down to San Diego and prepare to watch our Aztecs play Air Force at the usual McGregors Ale House near the Stadium in Mission Valley. There we met other long time Aztecs fans, cheered, stressed out in the 2nd half together and then exchanged stories of Aztecs years past together.

Not an official watch party, but time to take over the bar! Go Aztecs! ⚫️🔴🏈 pic.twitter.com/zEO7G6XVMm

— SONS OF MONTEZUMA™ (@sonsofmonty) October 23, 2021

While some may have doubted whether a trip to LA for the event was a good idea or worth their time, we can proudly notch this day as a W for the home team. And of course it never hurts to have our team actually keep winning to add an emphatic punctuation to the days journey up and down the Southern California coast. Now if only our fanbase will actually show up for the biggest game of the season, a home contest vs rival Fresno State. You know we will! Go Aztecs!

FLASHBACK: 2015 Conference Championship Game—Aztecs and Air Force Set to Rematch in 2021?

By Ken Ables (Twitter: @ka619sd)

Every social media post from Aztec Football includes the hashtag #Win22 – their goal of winning the program’s 22^nd conference championship. Six years ago, the Aztecs won their 20^th conference championship – and first of the conference championship game era – a 27-24 victory over the Air Force Falcons at Qualcomm Stadium.

The non-conference portion of the 2015 schedule was less than spectacular. After an opening win over an overmatched USD, the Aztecs lost their next three games and entered conference play 1-3.

Led by graduate transfer QB Maxwell Smith, the Aztecs opened MW play with a 21-7 win over Fresno State. Followed by a win at Hawai’I, a win at San Jose State, beating Utah State at home, a win at Colorado State, a home win over Wyoming, a win at UNLV. The regular season finale was a 17-10 home win over Nevada for a perfect 8-0 conference record.

The Falcons finished conference play 6-2, good enough to win the Mountain Division. The Aztecs and Falcons had not played during the regular season.

Maxwell Smith had been injured early in the Nevada game the week before and was replaced by Freshman QB Christian Chapman. Smith’s injury turned out to be season-ending, so Chapman made his first collegiate start in the championship game.

The Falcons scored first in the opening quarter; DJ Pumphrey tied it up with a 24-yard pass reception from Chapman 4 seconds into the second. After an Air Force field goal, the Aztecs tied the score on a 22-yarder from Donny Hageman 1:44 left.

Air Force scored first in the third quarter; the Aztecs answered with a 1-yard Dakota Gordon run. The third quarter ended 17-17.

Rashaad Penny capped off a 74-yard scoring drive with a 28-yard run on his only carry of the night. Hageman’s XP made it 24-17 Aztecs. Air Force answered, however, and the game was tied for the fourth time in the game with 11:49 to play. After punts by both teams, the Aztecs took over on their own 25 with 7:50 left in the game.

Runs by Chase Price and passes from Chapman to Mikah Holder (48 yards) and Eric Judge (13 yards) positioned the Aztecs on the Falcon 29. Donny Hageman kicked a 46-yard field goal with 5:10 left in the game to give the Aztecs a 27-24 lead.

The Aztec D held to Falcons to a three-and-out and got the gall back with 3:16 left. Air Force had all their timeouts and used them to keep the Aztecs from running out the clock. Tanner Blain punted to the Air Force 22 with :36 left in the game.

With only 36 seconds and no timeouts, the Falcons had to abandon their ground game and pass the ball. They didn’t do too badly, completing three of four passes to get to the Aztec 49. But they never got closer. An Air Force Hail Mary fell short as time expired. Final score: Aztecs 27, Air Force 24. Christian Chapman was named Offensive MVP. Defensive MVP went to Safety Na’im McGee.

Check out the highlights and post game celebration of the 2015 SDSU Aztecs football Mountain West Champions

FLASHBACK: On an October Night in 1966, the Nation Learned About San Diego State and Don Coryell

San Diego State and San Jose State meet tonight for the 45^th time. The Aztecs lead the series 22-20-2, and have won seven of the past eight games. The one loss? Last year: a 28-17 Spartan win in their Mountain West championship year. It is still the only Aztec loss at Dignity Health Sports Park. 

The Aztecs head into 88-year-old Spartan Stadium tonight looking to avenge last year’s game. The Spartans won 14 of the first 17 games played in the series that dates back to 1935. The Aztecs won in 1936 and 1937, and the teams played to a 27-27 tie in 1956. Other than that, it was all San Jose State. 

Until 1966.

The Aztecs headed to San Jose for their fourth consecutive road game with a 4-0 record that included wins over Mexico Poly, Weber State, Cal Poly SLO and Long Beach State. San Jose was a major program back then, and had already beaten Oregon and Cal earlier in the season. The Aztecs were in the College Division (the equivalent of D2 today).

Spartan QB Danny Holman was leading the nation in total offense going into the game. John Madden – an Aztec defensive assistant prior to Oakland Raider and video game fame – solved the mystery of the Spartan’s complicated offensive scheme and turned the Aztec defense loose.

Final score: Aztecs 25, Spartans 0. And it wasn’t that close.

The Aztec D, led by Leo Carroll and Cliff Hancock, held Holman to 7-12 passing for 46 yards with one interception, and sacked him for losses totaling 65 yards. The Spartans were held to 56 total offense yards, including -5 yards rushing. 

Aztec QB Don Horn was 13-29 for 141 yards and threw 2 TD passes to WR Haven Moses. Ted Washington rushed for 85 yards and Don Shy added 52 more yards and a TD. Craig Scoggins kicked a field goal and two extra points. And Hancock blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety.

Sports Illustrated sent Gary Ronberg to the game to write about the Holman and the Spartans; he returned with a glowing report about a “might win for a minor with major ambitions”: https://vault.si.com/vault/1966/10/24/mighty-win-for-a-minor-with-major-ambitions 

That win and article 55 years ago put the Aztecs and head coach Don Coryell on the map. The Aztecs finished the year 11-0 and ranked #1 in the College Division poll. Three years later, the Aztecs moved up to Division 1. 

Fourteen members of that 1966 championship team were drafted, including two in the first round (Horn 1967, Moses 1968) and four in the second. Six players and two coaches, as well as the team are in the Aztec Hall of Fame. Coach Coryell is in the College Hall of Fame; assistants John Madden and Joe Gibbs are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

FLASHBACK: Aztecs & Lobos Shared Football History And Rocky Long

When asked, most Aztec fans would say that we had played Fresno State more than any other teams, and that is correct. The two teams will play for the 60^th time later this month. Second: San Jose State with 44 games so far. Who is third on the list? UNLV? Long Beach? Pacific? No, no and no.

Believe or not, number three on the list is the University of New Mexico. The Lobos and Aztecs will meet for the 43^rd time Saturday at 6:00 in Dignity Health Sports Park.

Back to work. #BeatUNM #Win22

Tickets: https://t.co/wWgW5acHhw pic.twitter.com/auq98EaUGG

— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) October 4, 2021

And there will be some familiar faces on the New Mexico sidelines. Head Coach Danny Gonzales, an SDSU assistant from 2011-17 and, of course, the second-winningest head coach in Aztec history: Rocky Long. The former Aztec and Lobo head coach is back at his alma mater as defensive coordinator. Rocky was a QB for the Lobos in the 1970s, but he never played against the Aztecs.

The Aztecs lead the series 27-15, and three of those losses came in the 1950s. There was one constant in the series between 1998 and 2019: Head Coach Rocky Long. In 16 games as head coach between the teams, Rocky is 14-2: 5-0 with the Aztecs and 9-2 with the Lobos. In other words, New Mexico, without Rocky Long as head coach, is 6-25 vs. San Diego State, with only 3 wins since 76. On the Aztec sideline, Brady Hoke is 2-0 vs. New Mexico.

One of my Dad’s favorite stories from the series came from a road win in 1979. Albuquerque is 5,000 feet above sea level. Not Wyoming altitude, but the air is noticeably thinner than at sea level. In the visitors locker room that day was a sign that pointed out the elevation and asked if you were having trouble breathing. Aztec Head Coach Claude Gilbert was not amused. Aztec Hall of Famer Pete Inge, an offensive lineman on that team recalled this week:

“Claude’s exact words were: ‘We’re going to kick their ass and tear down that sign and take it back to San Diego and put it in their locker room when they come to San Diego next year!’ I had never seen Coach that fired up.” 

The Aztecs left Albuquerque with a 35-7 win and the sign.

Celebrating 100 Years of Aztecs Football

Note: Although today marks the 100^th birthday of Aztec Football, the 2021 season is the 99^th Aztec team. San Diego State did not field teams in 1943 and 1944 during World War II. The 2022 season will be special:  the 100^th Aztec Football team will play in the inaugural season in Aztec Stadium.

October 1, 1921 – 100 years ago today – Aztec football took the field for the first time, a 6-0 win vs. Army-Navy Academy JC. San Diego State, led by Head Coach C.E. Peterson, won three more games that initial season and finished 4-6. The next season the Aztecs finished 6-4 overall and 4-0 in league to win their first of 21 conference championships.

It was a hard-nosed squad that practiced on sand-and wood shavings-filled tackling dummy they made themselves. Guys with great names like John Hancock and George Champion. Let’s take a minute to remember the 19 men on that ‘21 squad and thank them for everything they did to start the great tradition of Aztec football:

Alfred Tarr (Captain), Ross Bond, Walter Bryant, George Champion, Hi Dillon, Curtis Gorham, John Hancock, Herman Harris, Jones Hathaway, Arthur Heilbron, Spencer Held, Tom Hester, Al Morrison, DeWitt Mott, Julian Pohl, Sam Russo, Lyman Scheel, Joe Varney and George Wilson.

Tarr and Hancock were named first team all-conference; Champion was on the second team. Harris was named captain for the 1922 championship season at the 1921 football banquet.

Coaching staffs 100 years ago weren’t like they are today. In addition to football, C.E. Peterson was also the head basketball coach, head track coach and business manager for the Women’s Rowing Association. After he retired from coaching, Dr. Peterson became the Dean of Men, a position he held into the 1950s. When the new gym was opened in 1961, it was named in his honor. My Dad, Tom Ables, always said that “Dean Pete” deserved something better than Peterson gym named in his honor.

GO AZTECS!