Aztec Notebook : Offensive Line Becomes a Casualty List

By the end of Saturday’s game against Colorado State, guard Doug Aronson was San Diego State’s only healthy starting offensive lineman.

On the casualty list are tackles Greg Williamson (sprained ankle) and Mike Ariey (knee ligaments), guard Mark Tegio (sprained knee) and center Kevin Wells (sprained knee). Ariey will have surgery today and miss the remainder of the season, but the others may return for the next Aztec game when they play Wyoming in two weeks.

Wells was hurt after snapping for SDSU’s final extra point. The others were sidelined before the fourth quarter.

“The line did a really good job,” quarterback Todd Santos said. “They gave me a lot of time on our last drive.”

Reserve quarterback Jim Plum was used at wide receiver on five plays. Plum was the intended receiver once on a fourth-quarter pass, but he was overthrown.

Plum said he asked Coach Denny Stolz again this week about playing wide receiver. Stolz said Plum was inserted as a running back and wide receiver to give halfback Chris Hardy a rest.

“It felt good out there,” Plum said. “Ever since I was 9 years old, I played wide receiver in street football. I chipped a cap on a tooth diving for a ball when I was 11.”

Colorado State fullback Steve Bartalo rushed 37 times for 149 yards Saturday. His 1,102 career rushing attempts surpass the all-time NCAA record of 1,074 attempts of Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett, who now plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

Bartalo is 14th in NCAA history with 4,322 rushing yards, needing 260 yards to make the top 10. He also has surpassed 100 yards rushing in 25 games, tying for sixth place with former South Carolina star George Rogers, who nows plays for the Washington Redskins.

The Rams were hurt by their punting game. A bad snap led to an SDSU touchdown and a fumbled snap led to a field goal.

Rod Smith was punting in place of regular Andy Tejeda, who was sidelined with the flu.