Lowery Is SDSU’s Starting Quarterback

Unhappy with an offense that was third-most productive in the nation last season but that has managed only three touchdowns in its past six quarters in 1991, San Diego State Coach Al Luginbill on Sunday handed the reins to David Lowery.

Lowery, a redshirt sophomore quarterback who has yet to start a college game, will replace redshirt sophomore Cree Morris on Saturday against Hawaii. As was the case with Morris when he won the job, Luginbill said Lowery will be given every opportunity to keep the job.

“As I said many times before, it’s not a thing where I feel the blame for (lack of) offensive production lies fully with Cree,” Luginbill said. “There are a lot of aspects in which we need to improve--even though (the quarterback) is the focal point.

Luginbill also said the Aztecs (2-2) will cut back their sputtering passing game and emphasize the things they are doing well. He said SDSU will work with a main receiver rotation of Patrick Rowe, Darnay Scott, Merton Harris and Larry Maxey. Jake Nyberg, Morris’ teammate at Orange Glen who had started each of the first four games, will be relegated to reserve duty.

“Obviously, if we’re not functioning after the fourth game, we need to cut back and get good at certain aspects of it,” Luginbill said.

The Aztecs have been hampered by injuries at the receiver spots throughout the fall. Keith Williams and Will Tate, two players who figured into SDSU’s H-back rotation, have hamstring injuries. Williams returned Thursday against UCLA; neither have caught a pass.

“We need to go forward with the quarterback throwing to the same set of receivers,” Luginbill said. “Just to get a feel for it.”

But while he has been working with an inconsistent receiver corps, Morris has failed to produce. He has been erratic in his first four games, hitting bottom the past two weeks with a two-for-10 performance for only 48 yards in the second half at Air Force Sept. 21 and an eight-for-23 performance Thursday against UCLA.

Morris, replaced by Lowery in the third quarter of SDSU’s 37-12 loss to UCLA, said he was not surprised that Lowery would keep the starting job Saturday.

“(Luginbill) made the change in the game, so as far as I knew he was going to stick with it until David does something negative,” Morris said. “Then he’ll make another switch.

“I wasn’t getting it done. Now it’s David’s chance.”

Morris has completed only 42.5% of his passes this season--51 of 120--for 675 yards and three touchdowns. He has also had three passes intercepted.

“I don’t even think I’ve thrown 50% in a game yet,” Morris said. “It’s just not enough production.”

Actually, Morris was over 50% once--in the season opener against Cal State Long Beach, when he completed 13 of 25 passes for 214 yards. But he has taken several steps back since then.

“I think I just expected a lot of things to come to me,” he said. “Instead of going out and grabbing and taking them, I didn’t have a real aggressive attitude and it hurt me.”

Lowery, who had been running a couple of steps behind Morris ever since getting his jaw broken in a fraternity brawl last winter and missing the first couple of weeks of spring practice, has not started a game since guiding Trabuco Hills High School to a CIF championship over Woodbridge, 34-14, in 1988.

He said he learned he would start in Hawaii when Luginbill called him in Sunday.

“He challenged me to get things going and produce,” Lowery said. “Just naming me as the starter is a challenge.”

Although he led SDSU to its only two touchdowns Thursday against UCLA, he wasn’t a savior. He completed only four of 13 passes for 71 yards, and he lost a fumble. He termed that performance “very mediocre” but said he will not be looking over his shoulder in fear of being replaced Saturday.

“That would be my downfall,” he said. “I have to go in there thinking I’ve been here 10 years. You can’t be looking over your shoulder your whole life, and I don’t think you can do it in football.”

SDSU was trailing UCLA, 24-0, when Lowery arrived, and he said he entered the Aztec huddle with a message.

“We’re going to get our (butt) in the end zone before the game ends,” he said he told the offense. “There is no way we’re getting shut out.”

He said the attitude in the huddle was one of, “Let’s go. They seemed to respond.”

Aztecs coaches only hope the team responds in Hawaii. With Brigham Young defeating Air Force Saturday, 21-7, Luginbill said the Aztecs are back in the Western Athletic Conference race. Now that Air Force has matched SDSU’s one conference loss, the Aztecs once again can control their destiny. They still have seven conference games remaining.

“What happened over the weekend put us right back in the thick of things,” Luginbill said. “We’re no better or worse off than anybody else. The WAC is wide-open, and three of them (Wyoming, Colorado State and BYU) are coming through San Diego in November.

“And by November, we’re going to be a good football team.”