Room for Rowe : Offensive Change at SDSU Will Put Receiver in His Place

Patrick Rowe has nothing to fear from the sophomore jinx. How could anything be tougher than what he went through last year, in his first season at San Diego State?

Rowe had not even made it onto campus when his troubles began.

It started when he broke his collarbone in the Shrine All-Star high school game at the Rose Bowl, less than two weeks before the start of preseason practice.

After his collarbone mended, Rowe worked his way back into the Aztec rotation at wide receiver in time for the second game--then sprained his ankle in the sixth and missed two more games.

“I was frustrated,” Rowe said. “There is nothing worse than sitting on the sideline thinking you could be in there helping.”

Coach Denny Stolz shared Rowe’s frustration. He wanted nothing more than to find a way to make Rowe, a Parade All-American at Lincoln High School, a productive member of his team. Stolz was determined to create an offense in which Rowe would be more than a part-time player.

“If you have a player of his caliber, you just have to have him on the field,” Stolz said.

A summer of thought gave him the answer.

Alfred Jackson will start at split end.

Monty Gilbreath, who led Aztec wide receivers with 43 catches and was an All-Western Athletic Conference selection as a return specialist last season, has been moved to the newly created position of H-back. He will act as third receiver when the Aztecs line up in a one-back offense, or be replaced by a fullback when they use two backs.

That leaves Gilbreath’s old flanker position open for Rowe.

“We wanted Rowe and Jackson on the field (at the same time),” Stolz said. “Now we have two bookend wideouts who can absolutely fly--and they’re huge.”

Both Rowe and Jackson weigh 185 pounds, with Rowe an inch taller at 6-feet 2-inches. Gilbreath, at 5-9, 170, is a more Smurf-sized receiver.

The pairing is what Stolz envisioned when he signed Rowe as part of a local recruiting triple crown in the wake of the Aztecs’ first WAC championship in 1986.

Rowe joined tailback Tommy Booker from Vista High School and quarterback Scott Barrick from Fallbrook to give Stolz the keys to his offense of the future. All spent relatively quiet freshman seasons last fall.

Barrick did not play. Booker missed several games because of ankle sprains, but still managed to finish second on the team in rushing with 246 yards on 71 carries.

Rowe, slowed by the injuries, ended with 9 catches for 197 yards. He averaged a team-high 21.9 yards per catch, showing flashes of the speed that at Lincoln made him a two-time San Diego Section champion at 100 and 200 meters, but he never felt comfortable at his position.

“The hardest transition from high school was the switching defenses,” Rowe said. “They would disguise what they were doing, and I was supposed to adjust my route to what the defense was doing. Sometimes they would switch their coverage so fast, I would miss it.”

All three of the Aztecs’ highly sought recruits had to learn as freshmen. But a year after they arrived on campus, Rowe is apparently the first who will earn a starting job.

Stolz said he plans to use Rowe and Jackson as more than twin long-ball threats. He has ideas for their more varied role.

“If teams are scared to death we’ll go long, we’ve got other places to throw them the ball,” Stolz said. “We’re working on getting them the ball in other ways than just bombing it. One of our game plans is to get these kids the ball a number of times and let them run with it. We can do some things with that, too.”

Stolz does little to hide his excitement over the prospect of teaming Jackson and Rowe. His only disappointment might be that he had to wait to unveil it.

“(Rowe) would have played an awful lot more if hadn’t missed so much practice time (as a freshman),” Stolz said. “Once he missed that time, it was very difficult to work him into the starting rotation. We just worked him in the best we could.”

After Rowe returned for a strong and healthy spring practice, Stolz and his staff went to work finding a way to give Rowe a prominent offensive role. It took some tinkering over the summer to find the answer.

When Stolz arrived at a solution, he called Rowe to his office. It didn’t take Rowe long to figure out this season should be different.

“It was really good news to learn that I would be more active in the offense,” Rowe said. “This way we will get a chance to spread the defense. It will open up the field to our other players.”

Usually shy and quiet, Rowe is showing a reserved enthusiasm for his expanded role. During his difficult first year, he mostly kept his feelings to himself.

“I’ve never seen a freshman so happy to be some place,” Stolz said. “From the day he stepped on the field, he knew this is where he belonged.

“He is noisy today compared to what he was. He was real quiet before. Everything was ‘Yes, sir; Yes, sir; No, sir; Yes, coach.’ Now he can carry on a conversation with you. He’ll even ask you a question.”

The opportunity to play football and go to school near his home and family was influential in his decision to attend SDSU. Not only could his parents go to the home games, but several times last season they came out to watch him practice.

Whatever pressures there might have been for a hometown high school star staying home to play football, Rowe found them soothed by having his family and friends close at hand.

“It’s nice to go out to practice and see my family there,” Rowe said. “If I had gone away, I wouldn’t have gotten the recognition and the support I got by staying in San Diego.”

Rowe said that was especially valued when he found himself trying to overcome his injuries. The toughest time might have been after he worked so hard rehabilitating himself after breaking his collarbone, only to sprain his ankle in the sixth game against Texas El Paso while blocking for Booker.

Later in the game, Booker sprained his ankle. The two found themselves sitting in the locker room, wondering what could go wrong next.

“Tommy turned to me and said, ‘You know, Pat, we should be out there helping our team,’ ” Rowe recalled. “I just nodded. I wanted to contribute.”

After a year of waiting, Rowe figures it might be about time to do just that.

Aztec Notes

The injuries mounted as the Aztecs completed their second day of full-contact workouts, but trainer Don Kaverman said he expected few, if any, to keep a player out of practice for more than a week. Among the injuries to projected starters are H-back Monty Gilbreath (groin and shoulder strains), tight end Kerry Reed-Martin (partially dislocated knee cap) and offensive tackle Samida Tuiaana (sprained knee). Kaverman said the most serious injury might be to reserve offensive lineman Vince Pellerito (sprained knee). X-rays on outside linebacker Derek Santifer’s ribs showed no break, but a bruise is expected to keep him out of practice for several days, Kaverman said.