San Diego State finally has a nonconference dance card it can deal with.
Now all it need do is exit the floor without falling on its face.
The Aztecs, who have gone 10-28 in nonleague games since their inaugural season in the Mountain West Conference in 1999, will be looking for their first victory in a season opener since 2004 on Saturday when they host Cal Poly. Only once in the past decade has SDSU posted a winning record against nonconference opponents, that coming in 2003.
“If you study programs that have been able to turn things around, and I've been a part of a few of them, a big part of it was because of scheduling,” said coach Chuck Long, who as a player was part of a major reversal of fortune at Iowa and as an assistant had a hand in Oklahoma improving from 7-5 in 1999 to winning a national championship in 2000. “We had three BCS teams (on our schedule) last year and this year we have one (Notre Dame). But you still have to go out and earn it.”
Only twice in the past decade has SDSU's nonconference schedule not included at least one Pac-10 or Big Ten team. In 2002, a year in which the Aztecs went 0-5 in nonconference games, the itinerary included meetings with Colorado (Big 12), Arizona State and UCLA in the span of three weeks. SDSU lost by an aggregate 116-49.
Yet even with the prospect of a rosier road to conference play this year, the Aztecs are hardly in position to go giddy. Or had you forgotten the 16-14 loss to Cal Poly two years ago?
Following Saturday's opener, SDSU travels to Notre Dame and San Jose State before hosting Idaho on Sept. 27. The Irish, though expected to be improved, finished 3-9 last year. San Jose State, which beat the Aztecs two years ago, was 5-7 in '07, while Idaho went 1-10. The Vandals' win came against Cal Poly.
“No one is ever going to roll over for you, but at least (this schedule) gives us a chance going into (conference play),” Long said. “It gives us a chance to get our footing. When you're 0-4 or 1-3 coming out of nonconference, you're behind the eight ball already.
“Scheduling isn't an easy thing to do, and we weren't able to do much about it our first two years. Now we can start fixing it.”
Yoshida wins job
Lane Yoshida, who became the odd man out when SDSU reached its maximum of 105 players before fall camp, has been named the team's starting kicker.
Yoshida edged Bryan Shields, a transfer from Utah State who has been bothered by a hip flexor much of the past two weeks. Shields had been expected to succeed Garrett Palmer, who handled the kicking duties the past four years.
Yoshida, a junior transfer who earned All-America status at Reedley College, 30 miles southeast of Fresno, rejoined the team just 13 days ago. He enrolled at SDSU last year but did not join the team until spring drills in April.
Jersey giveaway
The first 20,000 fans at Saturday's opener will receive a
Marshall Faulk replica jersey. Fans can also save $5 on Plaza/Club Corner and general admission tickets with the presentation of a Diet Pepsi can. The limit is four tickets per can.
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
