Aztecs Hope to Settle the Score

There was no messing around for San Diego State’s football team Friday afternoon.

The Aztecs dressed quietly for practice, walked around the interior of Brigham Young’s Cougar Stadium then walked through a couple of plays. Though practice was scheduled for an hour, everything was accomplished in 30 minutes.

SDSU can only hope that the early finish was not an omen for this afternoon’s game against BYU on Cougar homecoming day. Traditionally, BYU has disposed of the Aztecs within the first 30 minutes of the game.

The Cougars are 18-point favorites today, which might sound extreme for a 4-1 team against a 3-1 team. However, one must consider that SDSU has never come closer than 18 points against BYU since joining the Western Athletic Conference seven years ago.

“Obviously, we’ll have to score a lot because BYU’s offense is going to score,” Aztec running back Casey Brown said. “I think it is going to take 30 points to win this game.”

If that’s the case, both teams are capable of winning. SDSU has averaged 34.8 points in four games and BYU has averaged 30.2 points in five games.

BYU’s defense has been strong for years, but few seem to realize it because the Cougar offense gets so much publicity. BYU has allowed an average of 15 points this season, 8.3 points fewer than SDSU’s average.

In the seven previous WAC games between the teams, SDSU has scored seven touchdowns.

“I think San Diego State’s offense is more open this year than in past years,” said BYU linebacker Leon White, a graduate of La Mesa’s Helix High. “Still, the only thing that will cause us problems is if we don’t play like we can. We can play against any offense, especially one like San Diego State’s because we play against a passing offense every day in practice.”

Both teams are throwing the ball well in 1985. Todd Santos of SDSU leads the nation in passing efficiency. Robbie Bosco of BYU is first in passing yards per game and eighth in passing efficiency.

“Consistency is the key for any quarterback,” BYU Coach LaVell Edwards said. “Passing efficiency is predicated on a lot of factors. Santos is rated so high because he has been very consistent.”

So has Bosco. He has passed for 1,865 yards and 12 touchdowns in 5 games, compared to Santos’ 936 yards and 10 touchdowns in 4 games. Bosco has thrown nine interceptions and Santos has thrown five.

Bosco picked apart the Aztecs last year, passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns.

“If we can keep Bosco in the pocket, we should do well this time,” Aztec defensive tackle Mike Hooper said. “He has a real good offensive line, and his numbers speak for themselves.”

Statistics did not speak well for the SDSU defense in last week’s 41-22 win over Stanford when John Paye set a school record by completing 40 passes against the Aztecs. Paye passed for 390 yards, but the Cardinal offense scored just one touchdown. The other Stanford touchdown came on an interception return.

Stanford continually threw short passes against SDSU, likely BYU’s game plan as well.

“We’ll have to be patient and probably throw underneath against them like Stanford did,” Edwards said. “Plus, we’re going to have to put the ball in the end zone, which Stanford didn’t do. San Diego State beat Stanford worse than the score indicated.”

Since Doug Scovil left as BYU’s offensive coordinator in 1981 to coach SDSU, scores indicate that BYU has dominated the Aztecs. BYU has outscored SDSU, 166-30, in the Scovil era.

According to Scovil, the Aztecs will play a “typical BYU team” this afternoon.

“Their offensive line is huge, their skill people are excellent and their defense doesn’t give you a darn thing,” Scovil said. “It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Aztec Notes BYU has won or shared the last nine WAC championships. The Cougars have won 23 consecutive conference games since losing their 1982 home opener against Air Force, 39-38. . . . Because of its WAC winning streak, BYU has become everybody’s No. 1 target in the conference. “People in the WAC feel if they can beat us, they’ve had a good season,” BYU wide receiver Mark Bellini said. “It wouldn’t matter if they lost every other game. If they beat us, it puts them on the map.” . . . The Cougars and Aztecs have had two common opponents this season. BYU lost to UCLA, 27-24, and SDSU lost to UCLA, 34-16. BYU beat Colorado State, 42-7, and SDSU beat Colorado State, 48-23. . . . SDSU will play seven of its last eight games against WAC teams. The nonconference opponent is Oregon, which plays at San Diego in two weeks. . . . The Aztecs have a 2-9 career record against BYU. SDSU’s wins are in 1947 (32-7) and 1970 (31-11). . . . SDSU is off to its best start since going 4-0 in 1981. The Aztecs lost Game No. 5 in 1981 to BYU, 27-7, and finished the season with a 6-5 record. . . . Nose guard Levi Esene of SDSU will miss his third straight game today because of a dislocated elbow. . . . Aztec kicker Chris O’Brien has made 13 straight field-goal attempts, a WAC record. . . . Tight end Trevor Molini of BYU had 10 receptions last week against Colorado State. His brother, Aaron, is a freshman redshirt at SDSU.