SDSU Receivers Passed Over This Year : So Far, the Aztecs Seem to Prefer Their Other Offensive Weapons

These guys are supposed to be the big names on campus at San Diego State. They are the wide receivers, normally the most prominent people, other than the quarterback, on a pass-oriented football team.

Dana Bible, Aztec receivers coach, talked about the group’s reputation before this season.

“You can play as well as guys who have been here before,” Bible told his receivers. “People just don’t know your names yet.”

So, has anybody yet heard of Brett Blanchard, Anthony Conyers, Alfred Jackson or Kenny Moore?

For the most part, SDSU’s wide receivers remain anonymous six games into the season.

None of the four had started for SDSU before this season. Moore, who had 30 receptions as a reserve last season, was the only one with considerable game experience.

This season, Moore is the only wide receiver among the Aztecs’ top four players in receptions. Considering the Aztecs’ reputation, that’s not the norm.

Several theories may explain why SDSU’s receivers are not catching on in 1986:

--Tight end Robert Awalt is playing so well that SDSU has little need to throw to its wide receivers.

--Wide receivers have often received double coverage.

--Maybe it’s a down year for SDSU receivers.

--Maybe this is one of the inexplicables of football.

“We’ve kind of been wondering about this ourselves,” Conyers said. “At first, we thought the coaches might be a little leery because of our lack of experience at wide receiver. I think our coach sees a great tight end and wants to use him to his full ability.”

Awalt has arguably been SDSU’s most valuable player thus far. He has a team-leading 31 receptions, 11 more than Moore.

Aztec wide receivers have often been little more than decoys. They are frequently asked to clear out the middle to open things up for Awalt.

Historically, this is not the way patterns were designed at SDSU.

Two former Aztec receivers were first-round NFL draft choices--Haven Moses and Isaac Curtis. Gary Garrison was a first-round American Football League selection with the Chargers. Four other Aztecs have been second-round NFL picks--Ken Burrow, Tom Reynolds, Webster Slaughter and Ron Smith.

Last year’s receivers, Slaughter and Vince Warren, were both selected within the draft’s first five rounds. SDSU was the first university in the nation to have two receivers taken that soon.

This year, a different pattern has developed. Wide receivers are not much more likely to catch a pass than a running back or tight end.

SDSU’s wide receivers have 53 receptions. Running backs have 51 and tight ends 33. Moore, the leading wide receiver, is tied for third in receptions with halfback Chris Hardy.

Moore had seven catches against New Mexico and six against Utah. Blanchard, who had four receptions against Cal State Long Beach, is the only other wide receiver with more than three catches in one game.

It could be argued that this is a reflection of the offensive philosophy of Denny Stolz, SDSU’s first-year head coach.

However, last year at Bowling Green, Stolz’s top two pass catchers were wide receivers. His wide receivers had 129 catches in the regular season. Running backs had 71 and tight ends had 39.

“If you have an extraordinary wideout, you may design more plays for him,” Stolz said. “The long and short of it is that our scheme is not designed for one wide receiver. Our scheme also has to do with (opposing) defenses. Defenses affect wideouts more than they affect tight ends or backs.”

In Saturday’s 15-10 victory at Texas El Paso, wide receivers had three of SDSU’s 16 receptions.

Players and coaches said that UTEP had double coverage on SDSU’s receivers. So the Aztecs threw primarily to their tight ends and running backs.

However, wide receivers also dropped three passes against UTEP.

“I thought our wide receivers really played well up until that game,” Stolz said. “They dropped balls and made critical mistakes as a group. Before that game, they probably performed a little better than I had expected them to prior to the season. We slipped back a little against El Paso.”

The receivers were considered question marks going into the season.

Blanchard, a fifth-year senior, hadn’t started before this season. Conyers, a community college transfer, caught one pass as a junior last season. Jackson, a sophomore, was converted from defensive back in spring practice. Moore, a senior, played defensive back for two years before switching to offense last season.

Even now, the Aztecs frequently alternate their receivers. Blanchard and Moore start, but Conyers and Jackson play frequently.

“Last year, they lost two kids who caught on with the pros,” said Air Force Academy Coach Fisher DeBerry, whose team plays SDSU Saturday night. “That was like us losing our starting quarterback. The Slaughter kid was an outstanding player for them. You have to use the people you have the most confidence in.”

A look at SDSU’s wide receivers:

Brett Blanchard--He is among 10 fifth-year seniors on the team. Before this season, he had 14 receptions for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns.

This season, he has 13 catches for 165 yards.

“Sure, I’d like to catch more balls,” Blanchard said. “As long as we win, I’d rather go to the Holiday Bowl than catch 10 a game. I’ll keep catching one a game if it means we go to the Holiday Bowl.”

Anthony Conyers--He came to the Aztecs with a reputation for speed. But after being a redshirt in 1984, he caught one pass for six yards last season.

This season, he has 11 receptions for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“After three years here, I’m getting my first chance to show what I can do,” Conyers said. “We don’t have any real receiving stars. I think we all have pretty comparable talents.”

Alfred Jackson--As a freshman last year, he blocked a punt on his first play, resulting in a touchdown. He rarely played defensively and was switched to wide receiver in spring practice.

Jackson has 8 receptions for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns this season. He had the game-winning, 38-yard reception in a 27-24 victory over Long Beach in the season opener.

“Sometimes, I still feel like playing defensive back,” Jackson said. “I guess it’s because that’s what I came here to play. (But) I’m happy with my situation now.”

Kenny Moore--He was a wide receiver in high school, but was switched to the secondary for two years at SDSU. Moore was the team’s fourth-leading receiver last year and was third among wide receivers.

This season, he has 20 receptions for 300 yards and a touchdown.

“Sometimes, you can’t expect to catch a pass in every game,” Moore said. “The way we’re going at it now is as a group effort.”

Aztec Notes

The Aztecs lead the Western Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record. Air Force is second at 4-1. “I can sense our team looking forward to this game,” Coach Denny Stolz said. “It’s probably the combination of being in first place and being home for the first time in a month. You can sense a little something building here.” . . . Stolz was upset when a newspaper article Tuesday revealed that reserve quarterback Jim Plum practiced at wide receiver Monday. “We were going to use Jim Plum as a wide receiver on a reverse pass,” Stolz said. “Now, it’s out the window. We try to have open practices, then when we move a quarterback to wide receiver, it’s in the paper. That hurts us.” . . . Offensive tackle Greg Williamson is expected to miss the next two weeks with a sprained knee. He is the only regular not expected to start against Air Force. . . . Tight end Robert Awalt has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl. Awalt previously accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

SDSU RECEIVING

No. Yards TDs Receivers 53 790 5 Backs 51 341 1 TightEnds 33 410 2