SDSU to Discover What Football Is Like Without Santos

Through the change of coaches from Doug Scovil to Denny Stolz, the rise from Western Athletic Conference also-rans to conference champions and back again, one constant remained on the San Diego State football team--quarterback Todd Santos.

Santos, who ended his career last fall with a major-college record 11,425 passing yards, went through five sessions of spring practice at SDSU.

So excuse Stolz if he finds himself a little preoccupied Monday when for the first time in his three seasons at SDSU, he starts spring practice without Santos.

“Anytime there is an uncertainty at quarterback, it’s a busy time for me,” Stolz said last week. “I was spoiled by having Todd.”

Finding a replacement for Santos is Stolz’s No. 1 priority this spring, but it is not his only one. Retooling the Aztecs’ defense with the help of a reshuffled coaching staff rates a close second. That is why Stolz figures this will be one of the most intense spring practices of his coaching career.

Eighty-two players are expected to report when Stolz holds the first of 20 spring practice sessions. The Aztecs will practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons on the practice fields behind Peterson Gymnasium and will hold a weekly scrimmage in Aztec Bowl on Friday nights. There will be no practice from March 28 to April 1, when the university is on spring break.

“That (spring break) will give us some extra time to evaluate our personnel,” Stolz said. “The week off should help us.”

Practice will conclude with a final scrimmage April 15.

The Aztecs will reconvene in August to prepare for their Sept. 3 season opener against UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

The competition at quarterback is expected to come down to a two-way fight between Brad Platt, a redshirt junior from Southwestern College and Hilltop High School, and Scott Barrick, a redshirt freshman from Fallbrook High. Neither has taken a snap in a major-college game.

Jack Skoog, a redshirt sophomore who backed up Santos last season, also will be tried at the position. Skoog, who also is a relief pitcher on the baseball team, is considered by Stolz to have the weakest arm of the three. Dan McGwire, a 6-foot 8-inch junior who transferred this semester from Iowa, will practice with the team but will not be eligible to play until the 1989 season.

“I hope we can come out of the spring with a No. 1 quarterback,” Stolz said. “But if we don’t, we don’t. There is no way you can establish a No. 1 quarterback until he plays some games. I’m sure if we have a No. 1 quarterback out of spring ball, that will be subject to revision in the fall and after we play a few ballgames.

“You only become a No. 1 quarterback by playing, not practices. When the time arrives that one guy is the man, then so be it.”

If not for the uncertainty at quarterback, Stolz would have little to tinker with on offense. Besides finding a successor to Santos, the Aztecs are looking to replace fullback Troy Reed and fill three openings on the offensive line created by the loss of guard Reggie Blaylock and tackles Dave DesRochers and Mike Knutson.

Reed’s position should be filled by Kevin Macon, a sophomore from Patrick Henry High School who started three games last season, or Jim Jennings, a redshirt freshman from San Marcos High School.

Several players are expected to contend for the openings on the offensive line, including newcomer Derek Sang, a junior transfer from Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana.

The rest of the offense contains such holdovers as center Kevin Wells, tight end Kerry Reed-Martin, running backs Paul Hewitt and Ron Slack, and a group of receivers led by Monty Gilbreath, Alfred Jackson and Robert Claiborne.

Stolz also is expecting to get his first full look at wide receiver Patrick Rowe and running back Tommy Booker, two of the Aztecs’ top recruits last season who spent most of the fall recovering from injuries.

“I expect Tommy Booker to have a great spring,” Stolz said. “He has been working real hard in the off-season. He is making the adjustment to college and is becoming a much more popular player.”

While the questions on offense revolve mostly around the question at quarterback, the situation on defense is more complex.

SDSU is trying to redesign a defense that was ranked near the bottom of almost every National Collegiate Athletic Assn. category last season. The Aztecs allowed an average of 38.6 points per game.

Not only are the Aztecs switching from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4 front, but they are doing it with a reorganized coaching staff.

Ed Schmidt, who coached the offensive line with Ulima Afoa the past two seasons, has taken over at defensive coordinator for Tim McConnell, who resigned to take a position as offensive coordinator at Illinois State. In addition, the other three defensive coaches--outside linebacker coach Dan Underwood, defensive backs coach Jon Hoke and inside linebacker coach Mike Nelson--are at new positions this season.

Stolz also has made several personnel moves in an effort to shore up the defense. Randy Peterson, who caught 12 passes for 181 yards as a wide receiver last season, has been moved to cornerback. Steve Blyth, a junior transfer from Rancho Santiago who was recruited as an offensive lineman, will be tried at nose guard.

Lee Brannon and Mitch Burton, who played defensive end last season, will be given a look at inside linebacker. Also expected to help at that position is Todd Coomes, a junior from Salt Lake City who Stolz said probably would have started at defensive end last season but did not report to preseason camp.

Stolz said the defensive switch to three down linemen and four linebackers, from the four-down-linemen and three-linebacker alignment preferred last season, is an effort to give the Aztecs a more flexible defensive look. He also hopes it affords him an opportunity to get a closer look at several community college transfers--such as Kevin Maultsby and Derek Santifer--who had a tougher-than-expected adjustment last fall to major-college football.

“The look won’t be evaluated as much as the personnel on defense,” Stolz said. “We’ll be trying to play with more players who can run a little bit more. We want more of a speed-movement defense.

“We’re going to have a renewed emphasis on defense. We intend to have a dominating type defense.”