Aztec Unit Finds Role Real Special : College football: Special teams players take pride in being heavy hitters at SDSU.

A sinister smile crept across Ed Schmidt’s face, and wasn’t that special?

Football practice had ended, and Schmidt, San Diego State’s special teams coordinator, had car keys in one hand and a pigskin-covered briefcase in the other.

He was headed home, but not until he was finished talking about high-speed collisions.

“If you like high-speed collisions, you can get great ones on special teams,” he said.

That smile. And his eyes glistened.

“Guys not looking, blindside hits . . . things like that.”

Once, the Aztecs bore the brunt of the blindside hits whenever the special teams would take the field. Long kickoff returns, long punt returns, plays that made fans gasp and SDSU coaches cover their eyes.

There were enough of them that Al Luginbill, who took over as Aztec coach in 1989, immediately listed two areas which he needed to revamp. Defense and special teams.

“We had to improve our coverage over 1989,” Luginbill said. “We were pathetic.

“We’ve made a 180-degree turn since then.”

Why Players Like Special Teams, Reason No. 123: The Huitzilopochtli Trophy.

Huitzilopochtli is the Aztec God of War. Schmidt learned this while reading an Aztec history book. The trophy, crafted by Schmidt, is a traveling trophy and goes each week to whichever Aztec makes the hit of the game.

Like the one Larry Maxey delivered Saturday against New Mexico.

SDSU’s kick receiving team was on the field. The Lobos attempted an onside kick. It bounced over the head of Chad Provensal and into the hands of a Lobo player.

Enter Maxey. Originally lined up on the SDSU 20, Maxey ran 20 yards on a dead sprint and crashed into the New Mexico player.

“He hit him face on,” Schmidt said, smiling broadly. “The player went up into the air, came down, and the back of his head hits the ground first. And he was all wobbly when he got up.”

And, of course, he had lost the ball. SDSU recovered.

SDSU’s coverage teams have improved so much that, finally, Luginbill has felt comfortable enough this year to work harder on the return teams as well. And it has paid off: T.C. Wright is second in the Western Athletic Conference with an average of 11 1/2 yards per punt return. Darnay Scott is second in the conference with an average of 24.8 yards per kick return.

And the Aztec coverage teams have also held up well in 1991. Although punter Jason Savorn is seventh in the WAC (in WAC games only) in punting with an average of 37.9 yards a kick, the Aztecs are third in the conference in net punting. They have given up the fewest return yards (39, on seven punt returns) in the conference.

The improvement hasn’t come without its share of blood, sweat and spears. Before the players would take special teams seriously, the coaches had to convince them.

“Teaching, pleading,’ Luginbill said. “Pretty soon, the lights went on. Kipp Jeffries is a great example. He came up to me and said, ‘Coach, I just want to play. Put me on every special team you can.’

“And Marcus Preciado got hurt and, when he came back, the first thing he said was, ‘Coach, am I going to lose my spot on special teams?’ ”

Why Players Like Special Teams, Reason No. 257: De-cleaters.

These are self-explanatory. If an Aztec knocks an opponent into the air, completely off his feet, he is credited with a de-cleater.

“We like the back of the helmet to hit the ground first,” Schmidt said, barely containing himself.

The record this season, held by Jeffries, is three de-cleaters in one game. He did it against UCLA.

“They have to get knocked off of their feet,” Schmidt emphasizes. “It gets kind of vicious in there.”

The Aztecs drill their special teams first thing every day in practice. They have an incentive program in which the coaches give away T-shirts, sweat shirts, sweat pants and a baseball cap (all with Aztec special teams logos or sketches) according to how many points players earn while playing on special teams. The points system was devised by Schmidt.

A blocked punt or field goal, for example, is worth 10 points. A kickoff or punt return for a touchdown is worth 15, an unassisted tackle 3, an assisted tackle 2 . . . the list goes on.

“It’s the only thing we give awards for in our program,” Luginbill said. “If you make something that important . . .”

A player earns a sweat shirt with 50 points, a pair of sweat pants with 80 and a cap with 110.

Currently, Zac Stokes is the points leader with 46, Darrell Lewis is next at 45 and Wright is third at 41.

Why Players Like Special Teams, Reason No. 341: The threads.

About those T-shirts . . . Schmidt ordered 18 dozen before the season started--six different designs--and he gives them away as prizes for making what he feels are great plays on special teams.

Which, of course, can reduce big, tough football players to begging children during film sessions.

“They’ll sometimes say, ‘Hey, coach, watch this block,’ ” Schmidt said. “Just the other day, I had to give George Glaze and Wayne Pittman T-shirts for de-cleaters I missed.

“They’re going to make sure you see their de-cleaters now that they get rewarded for it.”

Sometimes, an entire special team unit can earn T-shirts for achieving its goals.

“Everybody talks about offense and defense,” Luginbill said. “Most kids we inherit from high school, their mind-set is that special teams is the last thing practiced. Usually on a Wednesday or Thursday; never every day.”

But the things that can happen on special teams are the things that cause a coach to stop by the nearest drugstore for a stomach soother.

“Of all the crap that went on in Wyoming a year ago (during a 52-51 loss),” Luginbill said. “The things I remember most are in the kickoff area.”

The Aztecs fumbled and bobbled a handful of kickoffs and, once in the second half, a Wyoming kickoff landed untouched between two Aztecs inside the 10. The ball settled right there on the grass.

“The thing I never will forget is how that ball landed . . .” Luginbill said, spitting out the words.

Schmidt has enjoyed working with the special teams.

“Yeah, it’s a great way to win it quick or lose it quick,” he said. “I think the one thing Al has done here that has been good is do more than talk about it. He devotes the manpower and hours to it.

“Every day that we practice, we work on special teams. And we always start with it--that tells the players it’s important.”

Said Darrell Lewis, who is on four special teams units: “We want to outplay the other team’s special teams each week. We don’t want to get beat on special teams--that’s showing that the other team is playing harder than we are.”

The Aztecs try not to use a starter on more than one special team.

“If you have to use your ones and you don’t have any depth, they treat it as a rest down,” Schmidt said.

Of course, there are your slightly bonkers players who love special teams. In 1989, former SDSU free safety John Wesselman couldn’t wait for the special teams to take the field.

“He enjoyed special teams so much he would rest on scrimmage downs,” Schmidt said. “He wouldn’t let me take him off any of the special teams.”

Schmidt continued: “I don’t think you can ever have a good special teams if you don’t have good defense. Most of the players come from the defense. And that means not only having a few good players on defense, but having depth.

“We want to keep up the interest of the younger guys. It’s their chance to shine.”

Why Players Like Special Teams, Reason No. 479: It can be interesting to see how an opposing player lands after you smack him.

On a punt return against Hawaii two weeks ago, Robert Griffith blocked a Rainbow player so hard on his right side that the Hawaii player flipped into the air, did a half-cartwheel and landed upside-down on the right side of his head.

Splat.

It isn’t difficult to get Luginbill fired up talking about special teams. Especially in a year such as this, when SDSU has managed to prevent its opposition from making big plays in the special teams area.

“If it is 20% of a game,” Luginbill said, “I know we spend 20% of our practice time on it Monday through Thursday. It’s paid off for us big time, and I think it’s going to win some games for us in our last six games.

“I think special teams can win a third of your games every year.”

All he needs to do to test that theory is keep watching films of Texas El Paso, Saturday’s opponent. The Miners lost to Colorado State two weeks ago partly because the Rams blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown, and they lost to Brigham Young last week, 31-29, when the Cougars blocked a last-second field goal attempt.

But special teams aren’t for everybody. Particularly 6-foot-7, back-up quarterbacks.

Why Players Who Aren’t on Special Teams Are Envious, Reason No. 1: The T-shirts. Since only special teams members are rewarded in the SDSU program, there is a long line waiting to join.

Said Schmidt: “Cree Morris keeps bugging me to let him go in and block field goals.”

Schmidt was still smiling--sort of.