Aztecs to Sport New Look as Plum Takes Over at QB

Rich Brooks was slightly inaccurate, but his premise couldn’t be questioned.

“When your second-string quarterback is rated eighth in the nation, it’s quite a luxury,” the University of Oregon football coach said.

Brooks was referring to San Diego State’s Todd Santos, who is actually rated 10th nationally in passing efficiency. Santos will be watching when Jim Plum starts for SDSU in tonight’s nonconference game against Oregon.

Plum has a higher rating than Santos, but he has not thrown enough passes to qualify for the NCAA statistics. If it sounds as if there’s not much difference between the two quarterbacks, well, that’s what coaches and players of both teams have said all week.

There is one major difference, however. Santos has played a lot and Plum has played very little.

Plum has started once in 3 1/2 seasons at SDSU, including a redshirt year. He played the first half of a 24-24 tie against Utah last year, only to be replaced by Santos.

And until now, Santos had not given up the position.

Plum earned his promotion last week, leading the Aztecs back from a 21-3 deficit in a 39-37 loss against Utah. Santos has been demoted by a bad game in a 28-0 loss against Brigham Young and the bad first quarter against Utah.

But nothing is permanent at SDSU, especially when the current athletic director or quarterback situations are involved.

“We don’t want Jim to worry about having to come out of the game,” Coach Doug Scovil said. “We’ll go with him as long as he is doing the job. If we’re in danger of losing, we wouldn’t be hesitant to switch. We know they both can play. Todd has gone through a bad period. It might help him to watch a little bit.”

Evidently, Santos learned something the last time he watched Plum start. Santos rebounded the next week to pass for a career-high 418 yards against Colorado State.

“A lot of schools would give a lot to have either one of them,” Brooks said. “If one guy doesn’t have the hot hand, they have another one to go to. It’s a nice situation to be in.”

The quarterbacks have different styles. Whereas Santos prefers to drop back, Plum is more apt to scramble.

Brooks said his team did not have to prepare differently for Plum. Nor will the Aztecs change their offense because they have changed quarterbacks.

“None of the plays are different,” SDSU offensive tackle Dan Knight said. “If Jim breaks the corner, he’s a threat to run. If Todd breaks, he looks more toward the pass.”

Plum also can pass well. He hit on 15 of 25 attempts for 240 yards and 1 touchdown in his relief role against Utah.

Aztec wide receiver Webster Slaughter is seventh nationally in receptions. Vince Warren doesn’t catch nearly as many passes as Slaughter, but he did have two 47-yard receptions against Utah. Chris Hardy and Corey Gilmore both rushed for more than 100 yards against Utah.

“They have so many tools they can hurt you with,” Brooks said. “When people have tried to blitz against their offense, they’ve been burned. If you stay in a zone, they can pick you apart underneath. They have a great offensive scheme.”

At midseason, it also appears a great quarterback debate may be brewing at SDSU.

Aztec Notes Both teams are coming off frustrating losses. SDSU was beaten by Utah on a 42-yard field goal as time expired. Oregon was beaten by California, 27-24, after leading, 21-0. . . . The Aztecs have lost two straight and the Ducks have lost three straight. Oregon’s streak began with a 63-0 loss at Nebraska. “That game certainly didn’t help us,” Coach Rich Brooks said. “We’ve played better defensive teams, but our offense hasn’t come back to what it was before that game. I don’t know that we’ve lost confidence, but we haven’t learned how to win close games.” After the Nebraska game, Oregon lost to Washington, 19-13. . . . Oregon’s Tony Cherry leads the Pacific 10 in rushing, averaging 123.5 yards a game. He didn’t practice until midweek because of a thigh contusion and pulled groin, but he is expected to start. . . . SDSU defensive coordinator Burnie Miller on Oregon’s offense: “They have a lot of the same characteristics as Utah. They have a quick back in Cherry, who can break the game open at any time. They have an excellent receiver in (Lew) Barnes, and their quarterback (Chris Miller) is very mobile. I think this game will almost be the same picture as last week’s.” . . . The Aztecs are 1-1 against Pac-10 teams this year, having lost to UCLA, 34-16, and beating Stanford, 41-22. SDSU has a 5-4 career record against the Pac-10. . . . Nose tackle Levi Esene of SDSU is expected to play after missing the last four games with a dislocated elbow. Running back Casey Brown will see spot duty after missing last week’s game with a pulled hamstring.