Aztecs Put Streak, Support to the Test

San Diego State spent a month building a four-game winning streak, its longest in three seasons. Tonight, the streak gets put to a fair test.

The Aztecs play host to Wyoming, the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion, in a game that Al Luginbill said will help measure the team’s progress in his first season as coach. A victory would assure the Aztecs (5-3-1, 3-2) their first winning season since 1986.

“This is a make or break week for us,” Luginbill said. “This is the first opportunity since I’ve been coach to establish ourselves as a top echelon team in our conference.”

Like the Aztecs, who have won five of their past six games after opening 0-2-1, Wyoming is showing signs of a late-season revival. The Cowboys (4-5, 4-2) enter the 7:05 game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium with a three-game winning streak.

“At 1-5, they could have pitched it in, just gone through the motions,” Wyoming Coach Paul Roach said earlier this week. “We’re a much better team than when we started, but we still have a long way to go.”

The Cowboys struggled early offensively under sophomore quarterback Tom Corontzos but have scored 115 points in their past three victories. Still, Wyoming ranks last in the WAC in total offense, averaging 361.9 yards per game.

The Cowboys’ leading rusher, Dabby Dawson, has gained 717 yards, an average of 5.2 a carry. That is 2.4 fewer yards per carry than last year when he led the conference with 1,125 yards during the regular season.

But Roach has been more troubled by his team’s shortcomings on defense. The Cowboys are allowing an average of 29.1 points per game, nearly 11 more than last season, when they allowed a conference-low 18.2 points during the regular season.

That should interest an Aztec offense, which is ranked third in the country, averaging 516.7 yards per game. But SDSU will have to overcome two key losses.

Running back Darrin Wagner, the team’s leading rusher and scorer, has been suspended for the season for missing practices. Tony Nichols, a redshirt freshman who has started every game at the strong side tackle, is out with a severely sprained ankle.

Curtis Butts, a sophomore walk-on, stepped in for Wagner last week and rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries in 45-28 victory over New Mexico. Butts and senior Ron Slack, whose 717 yards are second only to Wagner’s 721, will be counted on again to make up for the loss of Wagner.

Nichols’ spot will be taken by Judd Rachow, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound sophomore from Hilltop High School. Rachow has played sparingly since being moved to offensive line by Luginbill last spring. He entered the program as a tight end but was moved to the defensive line midway through last season. Rachow will be backed up by senior Chuck Hardaway.

The Cowboys should be a better test of Luginbill’s program than the five teams the Aztecs have beaten. Those teams have a combined record of 10-39.

“This gives us a gauge to see how far we have come,” Luginbill said. “Wyoming has been one of the premier teams in the conference. Now we get to see how we measure up.”

If the Aztecs lose, their goal of a winning season could be in danger. They close the season with games at No. 7 Miami next Saturday and against No. 21 Brigham Young Nov. 25.

But this game has importance beyond wins and losses. SDSU is concerned about another bottom line. Falling attendance at home football games has put the athletic department in a financial bind. School officials are hoping a healthy crowd tonight and a victory will lead to an even bigger response for the final home game two weeks later against BYU.

“I don’t know if we have earned the crowds back yet, but I know we need them there in a big way,” Luginbill said. “No. 1, we need them back to see a football team that has proved to be an extremely competitive, exciting team that plays hard. And No. 2, we need their financial support for all our (non-revenue) sports.”

Aztec Notes

San Diego State wide receiver Dennis Arey (hamstring), who had been listed as unable to play earlier in the week, might be available. . . . David Cooper, a junior from Honolulu, will make his first start in place of Larry Maxey at split safety. . . . Scouts for the Holiday Bowl will watch six teams this week as they search for an at-large opponent to meet the Western Athletic Conference champion Dec. 29 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. Scouts will watch Illinois (7-1), Ohio State (6-2), Penn State (6-2), Pittsburgh (5-1-1), Washington State (6-3) and West Virginia (6-2-1). Representatives also will attend an important WAC game at Provo, Utah, between Air Force (7-2, 4-0) and Brigham Young (7-2, 4-1). The winner will have the inside track on the conference’s Holiday Bowl berth.