Transition Over, Aztecs Seeking Path of Progress

There are questions. There are always questions.

For the past nine months, San Diego State Coach Al Luginbill has been plotting and maneuvering, shaping and molding. He led the Aztecs to their first winning season (6-5-1) in three years in 1989, but the books closed on that last November.

Now, there is a new challenge. The Aztecs haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 1981-1982, and if they hope to, they will have to navigate a schedule that includes five teams that went to a bowl game after the 1989 season, plus UCLA. So instead of relaxing over the winter, Luginbill went back to work. He recruited hard, planned with his assistant coaches, ran game films until the VCRs in the Aztec Athletic Center practically pleaded for mercy, and suddenly . . .

It is game week.

The Aztecs will take the field to kick off the 1990 season Saturday at Oregon, and despite the preparation, there are still questions. It is that time of year. The next three months are for finding he answers.

For now, there is a freshman middle linebacker. And a freshman punter. There are three starters from 1989 returning to the offensive line--but all of them are in different positions.

Will the freshmen be able to adjust quickly to Division I football? Will the offensive line give quarterback Dan McGwire enough time to set up and throw?

These are just for starters. There are more questionable areas. The defense needs to improve. No, the defense really needs to improve. Likewise, the special teams. And the offense needs to be consistent.

“We know we’re better, but other people get better, too,” said Barry Lamb, the defensive coordinator. “We’ll see. We’re not going to know after one or two or three games. We’ll know after six or seven or eight.”

So far, this fall has been much easier for Luginbill. The transition phase is finished. No longer does he have to beg and plead for all-out effort in practice. And that, maybe, is the thing he likes most about this team.

“We’re practicing the way you’re supposed to practice, with intensity,” Luginbill said. “We didn’t do that probably until the middle of the year last year. That was very frustrating to me. I’m used to teams on Tuesday or Wednesday giving it all out effort in practice. That’s the only way you can see if you’re game plan is correct. Anybody can go through the motions.”

As most coaches are at this time of year, Luginbill is optimistic. He says the Aztecs are faster and more athletic than last year. They also figure to be a little deeper.

They are in need of one thing: “We need to play a game to find out where we are,” Luginbill said.

Here are nine points of interest that should determine that:

1. Inside linebacker: Essentially, this is the middle linebacker spot, and Luginbill has called it his “major concern.” The person who will play it Saturday is big, quick . . . and a freshman. Name of Jamal Duff.

“He’s a force,” Luginbill said. “He’s gotten better and better every day.”

Still, given his druthers, Luginbill would rather avoid the freshman and start community college transfer Lou Foster, who finished spring practice as No. 1 inside. But Foster pulled a hamstring and didn’t start practicing in pads until this week. So Duff will get an opportunity.

“He’s making progress, but a few months ago, he was trying to figure out who to take to the senior prom,” Lamb said. “Now, he’s lining up against the team that finished second in the Pac-10 (Oregon).”

2. McGwire: Dan McGwire passed for 3,651 yards last season, second-most in SDSU history and ninth highest even in the Western Athletic Conference. He completed 258 of 440 passes, 16 for touchdowns. The negative side: 19 interceptions.

McGwire thinks he was a thrower last season instead of a quarterback. As a result, he will attempt to improve his decision-making. He also worked out in sand during the summer attempting to improve his quickness.

“You will see a new Dan McGwire this year,” he said.

3. Running backs: One of the fiercest battles this fall has been between Tommy Booker (redshirted last season), T.C. Wright (All-American last season at Mesa, Ariz., Community College, 2,185 all-purpose yards including 1,073 rushing), Curtis Butts (381 yards rushing for SDSU in 1989) and Kipp Jefferies (redshirt freshman). Luginbill said Booker and Jefferies have had the best falls, although who gets the most playing time will depend on who gets hot.

“Don’t be surprised if you see all four versus Oregon,” Luginbill said. “But don’t be surprised if you see only one. If we get a guy hot, we’ll run that sucker until his tongue is hanging out. His grant-in-aid doesn’t increase by how many carries he gets.”

4. General offense: McGwire will have plenty of targets. H-back Jimmy Raye, the third-leading receiver on the team last year (45 catches for 745 yards), has had an impressive fall. Dennis Arey (24 for 439) is also back. Junior Patrick Rowe, a former Lincoln star who was redshirted last season because of a knee injury, has earned the starting split end spot.

Merten Harris, Keith Williams and Larry Maxey are also capable receivers. Ray Rowe or Jim Hanawalt will start at tight end.

Three players return to the offensive line, but all three have shifted positions: Nick Subis has moved from center to strong tackle, Derek Sang from weak guard to strong guard and Tony Nichols from strong tackle to weak tackle.

Center Kevin Macon and tackle Jim Jennings, both former fullbacks, are the other two starters.

In all, six starters return from last season: McGwire, Nichols, Raye, Rowe, Sang and Subis. That’s not bad from a team that finished seventh in the country in total offense, eighth in scoring offense and 19th in scoring offense.

5. Dee-fense: In 1989, the Aztecs allowed 65 plays on which the opponent gained 20 or more yards.

The offense averaged 30.7 points a game, but it didn’t matter; the defense gave up 31. Opponents ran for an average of 181 yards and passed for 262.

You can understand, then, why Luginbill is stressing defense. Wrap, don’t grab, he tells the Aztecs. Sometimes, he thinks he is getting through.

Eight starters return. Ends Eric Duncan and Pio Sagapolutele are back, although Duncan has been moved to nose tackle, and Jason Swaney has been inserted as a defensive end. Another returning defensive end, Steve Matuszewicz, is out with a sprained ankle.

Duncan isn’t the only player who has been moved. Tracey Mao will start at outside linebacker after playing inside last year. Morey Paul has been moved from tight safety to strong safety. Last year’s starting strong safety, Maxey, is now backup H-back.

Linebacker Sai Niu is second on the depth chart to Duff after missing practice time with a pulled hamstring.

The final returning starter is Clark Moses, a second-team all-WAC cornerback in 1989, but he was beaten out of the job by Marlon Andrews after reporting to camp out of shape. Gary Taylor is the other cornerback, and Johnny Walker will play free safety.

Derrick Williams, who started one game last season at strong safety, is battling Robert Griffith for the nickel back job. That will likely not be decided until the end of the week. Williams or Griffith will be attempting to replace John Wesselman, SDSU’s Mr. Everything on defense--and All-WAC.

The other addition is linebacker Andy Coviello, a transfer from Sacramento City College. Coviello has been playing well in practice the past couple of weeks.

“The guy runs all over the field and makes plays,” Luginbill said. “He is constantly attacking the offense.”

6. Special teams: The most obvious thing to watch is the punter: Jason Savorn. Luginbill has been emphasizing hang time rather than distance, and he was pleased with Savorn in last Wednesday’s scrimmage. But Savorn is a freshman, so Aztec coaches will be a little nervous until they see what happens. Savorn graduated from high school early last year so he could enroll at SDSU in time for spring practice.

Place-kicking shouldn’t be a problem. Andy Trakas made 16 of 23 field goal attempts last season, including his last nine in a row.

As for the kickoff and punt coverage teams, Luginbill thinks they will be improved from the often-porous ones of the past.

“We have more athletes, and more athletes with a stronger desire to compete than a year ago,” Luginbill said. “In practice, we’ve improved our effort level and practice habits. I believe you play like you practice. That was probably the most frustrating part of my first year here--special teams.”

7. Surprises: One play that stood out last season was a fake punt. It came in the first quarter against UCLA, and Wesselman took it 73 yards for a touchdown to give SDSU a 7-0 lead. Luginbill said the Aztecs may turn a few more tricks this season.

“I think we’ll always be unique in our kicking game,” Luginbill said. “We’ll always pull a surprise that will get the fans’ attention or the other team’s attention. Punt, punt return . . . I’ve never been conservative, and especially if we start getting strong defense. We’ll go for it much more than the other coaches on fourth down (and short yardage). I just think the percentages are so much more in your favor.”

8. The schedule: In a word: tough. The Aztecs open Saturday in Oregon, and they have lost six road openers in a row.

They are also at Brigham Young (six SDSU losses in a row), UCLA (SDSU is 0-12-1 anywhere against the Bruins), and they play host to defending national champion Miami.

In another word: weird. SDSU and BYU moved their game to Sept. 22 from Oct. 20 at the request of CBS television, so the Aztecs now play six games--two at home--get two weeks off (Oct. 20 and 27), then play five games--four at home.

Oh, well. The two weekends off in October should give McGwire time to catch his brother, Mark, in some World Series games.

9. What to expect: That depends.

“I think this season will hinge on how much we improve compared to how much the teams that beat us last year improve,” Luginbill said. “If we improve more than they do, I think it will be tremendously successful. If we go backwards, I think we could have a difficult time.”

SDSU ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown 1 Patrick Rowe WR 6-2 195 Jr. San Diego 2 John Lewis CB 6-1 175 Fr. Point Loma 3 Kipp Jeffries RB 5-8 190 Fr. Etiwanda 4 Sam Williford DB 6-0 185 Fr. Pasadena 5 Merton Harris WR 5-11 175 Jr. Detroit 6 Jeff Speech WR 6-1 170 Fr. San Francisco 7 Cree Mooris QB 6-7 220 Fr. Escondido 9 Marlon Andrews CB 5-10 180 Sr. Pasadena 10 Dan McGwire QB 6-8 240 Sr. Claremont 11 David Lowery QB 6-0 200 So. Mission Viejo 12 Sai Niu LB 5-11 215 Sr. Oceanside 13 Toby Weymiller WR 5-10 195 So. Federal Way, Wash. 14 Andy Trakas K 5-8 180 So. San Diego 15 Chris Johnson DB 6-0 190 Fr. San Diego 16 Dennis Arey WR 5-11 185 Sr. Fountain Valley 17 Jimmy Raye WR 5-8 155 Sr. Irvine 18 Michael Wynn DB 6-3 205 Fr. San Fernando 19 Tim Gutierrez QB 6-3 200 Fr. Oxnard 20 Chris Chiarappa WR 5-10 170 Fr. Carlsbad 21 Curtis Butts RB 5-10 200 Jr. Moreno Valley 22 T.C. Wright RB 5-10 190 Jr. Mesa, Ariz. 23 Gary Taylor CB 5-11 175 So. Highland 24 Beveren Means RB 5-9 175 Jr. Los Angeles 26 Jason Savorn P 6-2 195 Fr. Rancho Cordova 27 Larry Maxey WR 5-11 170 So. San Diego 28 Clark Moses CB 5-10 185 Sr. LaVerne 29 Tommy Booker RB 6-0 200 Jr. Vista 30 Johnny Walker FS 6-2 200 Jr. San Diego 31 Zac Stokes DB 5-10 190 So. Portland, Ore. 32 Mike Ibe DL 6-1 215 Jr. San Diego 33 Steve Rudisill S 6-1 185 Fr. Thousand Oaks 34 Robert Griffith DB 5-11 185 So. San Diego 35 Art Berry RB 5-10 200 Jr. El Cajon 36 Morey Paul TS 6-2 205 Sr. Oceanside 37 Lawrence Calhoun LB 6-1 195 Fr. Long Beach 38 Derrick Williams NKB 6-2 215 Jr. Carlsbad 39 Damon Pieri CB 6-0 185 So. Glendale, Ariz. 40 Chad Provensal LB 6-0 205 Fr. Bakersfield 41 Marcus Preciado DB 6-2 185 Fr. Santa Barbara 42 Terrill Steen LB 6-2 220 Fr. Inglewood 43 Lou Foster LB 5-11 230 Jr. San Jose 44 Eric Sutton CB 5-9 175 Fr. Inglewood 45 Andy Coviello LB 6-0 215 Jr. Fair Oaks 46 David Cooper S 6-1 195 Sr. Honolulu 47 Steve Matuszewicz DE 6-4 230 Jr. La Puente 48 Jamal Duff LB 6-7 225 Fr. Tustin 49 Darrell Pasquale RB 5-10 210 Fr. Scripps Ranch 50 Mark Roberts LB 6-2 210 Fr. Bakersfield 51 Jason Bill C 6-5 235 Sr. Escondido 52 Bonner Montler C 6-2 250 So. Boulder, Colo. 53 Angel Chavez LB 6-0 215 Jr. Chino 54 Mike Murphy LB 5-9 210 Jr. El Cajon 55 Bob Shults C 6-4 240 Fr. Chico 56 Turaj Smith LB 6-2 215 Fr. San Francisco 58 Tracy Mao LB 6-2 230 Jr. Lynwood 59 Eric Webb P 6-1 180 Jr. El Cajon 60 Nick Subis C 6-6 285 Sr. Torrance 61 Mike Deal OL 6-2 260 Fr. Monterey Park 63 Jim Jennings OG 6-4 270 Jr. San Marcos 64 Kevin Macon OG 6-3 260 Jr. San Diego 65 Derek Sang OT 6-5 270 Sr. Burnaby, Canada 66 Joe Heinz OG 6-3 280 So. Chula Vista 68 Shane Griffis OL 6-6 240 Fr. Exeter 69 Burton Ewert DL 6-7 235 Fr. Modesto 70 John Williamson OT 6-6 280 So. San Diego 71 Carlson Leomiti OT 6-4 340 Fr. Wilmington 72 Chris Rodahoffer DL 6-5 235 Fr. Lodi 73 Tony Nichols OT 6-5 235 So. Sonora 74 Mark Koenig DL 6-5 240 Fr. La Mirada 75 Brandon Bejarano OT 6-6 250 Fr. Pico Rivera 76 Judd Rachow OT 6-6 265 Jr. Chula Vista 77 Louis Zumstein DE 6-4 265 Fr. San Diego 78 David Cole OL 6-6 245 Fr. San Luis Obispo 79 Mike Alexander OL 6-3 235 Fr. Carson 80 Jake Nyberg WR 6-0 190 Fr. Escondido 81 Keith Williams WR 5-11 175 Fr. Lodi 82 Mike Misch TE 6-4 245 Sr. Alta Loma 83 Will Tate WR 5-10 160 Fr. San Diego 84 Jim Hanawalt TE 6-4 235 Sr. Phoenix 85 Garret Ford TE 6-4 210 Fr. Tucson 86 Marc Ziegler TE 6-4 215 Fr. San Diego 88 Curtis Shearer WR 5-11 175 Fr. San Jose 89 Ray Rowe TE 6-4 240 Jr. San Diego 90 Ramondo Stallings DT 6-7 275 Fr. Ansonia, Conn. 91 George Glaze DL 6-4 235 Fr. San Fernando 92 Eric Duncan DT 6-1 245 Jr. Stockton 93 Sebastian Glaze LB 6-1 245 Fr. Northridge 94 Curt Pieson LB 6-4 220 So. Riverside 95 David Kim DL 6-1 235 Fr. Woodland Hills 96 Jason Swaney DE 6-4 245 Sr. El Paso, Tex. 97 Mark Hyatt DE 6-4 230 So. Fountain Valley 98 Pio Sagapolutele DE 6-5 280 Sr. Honolulu 99 Vaea Santos DL 6-4 240 So. Vallejo