For Aztecs, Loss to UCLA Was Lesson Learned : Stolz Reacts Positively but Says WAC Champions Must Improve, Starting Against Utah Tonight

No sooner did the San Diego State locker room door swing open after last Saturday night’s game than the theme for this week was struck. Whatever good that could be said about a 47-14 loss to UCLA would be said. Coach Denny Stolz wasted no time pointing out the positives.

Sure, he criticized the team, because after a lopsided loss like that, there was plenty to improve. But most of his public comments that night and on the days that followed have emphasized what the Aztecs had learned, not what they had done wrong.

Making good from bad had been the predominant feeling around the SDSU practice fields this week as the Aztecs prepared to open defense of their first Western Athletic Conference football championship with a game against Utah tonight at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

“We learned a lot from that game against UCLA,” Stolz said. “UCLA is a great team. They tested us in every phase of the game. That was good for our team, especially for the new players. They know a lot more about themselves and what it takes to win.”

Presumably, it will take more than the Aztecs showed a week ago. The Bruins ran through the SDSU defense for 514 total yards in the Aztecs’ most one-sided defeat since a 47-12 loss to Brigham Young in 1983. But last Saturday was a nonconference game; tonight is the first of eight WAC games this season, including next week at Air Force, the only conference team to beat the Aztecs last season.

Stolz said he does not think his team’s confidence has been shattered by what happened in the Rose Bowl.

“This time of year, there’s no such thing as a psychological loss,” Stolz said. “It’s just too early. If you lose a game now, it’s not like losing one at the end of the year that costs you a championship or a bowl game. Those are the ones that really hurt you. You lose early, you can come back and have a great season.

“Look at what happened to Ohio State last season. They lost their first two games and then won eight in a row.”

The disappointed faces in the SDSU locker room Saturday night must have told Stolz that a few kind words could go a long way. He did express his displeasure with the score, but he also spent much of the early minutes after the game patting players on the back, offering a word or two of encouragement and reminding them that there is a long season ahead.

“The coaches knew that yelling at us wouldn’t do much good,” junior cornerback Mario Mitchell said. “They knew we felt bad about what happened. No one wants to lose like that. It was embarrassing.”

The coaches did make their displeasure clear, however, especially to the defense. While the offense was finishing up its drills Tuesday, the defense was running extra wind sprints. Defensive coordinator Tim McConnell was not pleased with their effort against the Bruins.

“We don’t want to go through another game like the last one,” he said. “They (the defense) had a week to think and learn about what they did wrong. We hope it did some good.”

Mitchell said the lessons of the UCLA game were not lost on the defense.

“We didn’t hustle to the ball,” Mitchell said. “A lot of guys got tired in the second half, and they got lazy. We had some new guys out there that had to learn some things. I’m sure this week they’ll be ready.”

Although Stolz may not disagree with Mitchell’s criticism, he was offering little of his own in public. Instead, he accentuated the positive. He singled out the kickoffs of Tyler Ackerson, a junior transfer from Southwestern College; the blocking of center Kevin Wells and tackle Mike Knutson; the pass rush of defensive end Brett Faryniarz; the all-around defense of linebacker Chuck Nixon; the steady play of fullback Troy Reed, and the debut of tailbacks Paul Hewitt and Tommy Booker.

“We did a lot of good in that game,” Stolz said. “A team like UCLA, as good as they are, will make a lot of teams look bad. You might be surprised to look at the film and see just how much we did right.”

Yet none of that will erase the reality that SDSU must improve in many areas if they want to repeat as WAC champions. The debacle at the Rose Bowl has newly inspired them.

“It’s like a different attitude this week,” Booker said. “You can see it in the whole team. We’re going out this week to clear up some of that doubt in people’s minds after last week. They’re asking, ‘What about those Aztecs? Are they any good?’ We’re going out Saturday to try and end those question marks.”