SDSU Notebook : Stolz Allows His Players to Elect Team’s Captains

SAN DIEGO —  San Diego State Coach Denny Stolz, taking what he hopes is an important step in solving what he has said is a leadership gap on his football team, held an election for team captains Wednesday.

Stolz said the players selected guard Reggie Blaylock and quarterback Todd Santos as the offensive captains and end Brett Faryniarz and cornerback Clarence Nunn as the defensive captains. All four are fifth-year seniors.

“By defining the leaders on our squad through election, maybe that will help us through some of the critical times in practice and in ballgames,” Stolz said. “Those four guys are tremendous selections.”

Stolz had been selecting captains before each game but decided to have the team vote on permanent captains after the Aztecs lost Saturday at Wyoming, 52-10. It was their fourth loss in five games.

“The players will look up to us, and maybe I can help them out,” Santos said. “Hopefully, we can change this losing around.”

The Aztecs (1-2 in conference play) start a three-game home stand Saturday night at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium against Texas El Paso (2-0, 3-1), the Western Athletic Conference co-leader.

Blaylock said the team believes it can salvage a winning season and have an impact on the WAC race.

Blaylock said he didn’t think that naming four captains would make the team “so much better,” because, he said, it would take “the whole team realizing we are a better team than the teams we’ve lost to.”

Aztec Notes

The two-way experiment with Lee Brannon is over, Coach Denny Stolz said. Brannon, a junior who started at defensive end and tight end against Oregon two weeks ago, will play tight end exclusively. . . . Jon Hoke, first-year assistant coach who is working with the special teams, has been given added responsibility for tight ends, Stolz said. Hoke joined the staff in January after four seasons at Bowling Green, the first three under Stolz. The Aztecs have been without a full-time tight end coach since Steve Fairchild left the staff after last season to coach quarterbacks at New Mexico. . . . Holiday Bowl scouts will attend three games this weekend--Arizona State at Washington, Colorado at Oklahoma State and Michigan State at Michigan. The game, to be played Dec. 30 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, will match the WAC champion against an at-large opponent.