Aztecs Know Rams Stand Between Them, Big Games : College football: Luginbill, players are determined to not be caught looking past Colorado State.

And so, in the season’s 10th week, it has come down to this: Is San Diego State overlooking tonight’s game with Colorado State in anticipation of a showdown next week with Brigham Young?

Aztecs players say no. Coach Al Luginbill says no. When they line up against the Rams at 6:05 tonight in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, only the Rams will be on their minds, they say.

In addressing this question with his team, Luginbill said he has chosen the bottom-line approach this week.

“If we don’t beat Colorado State, Brigham Young won’t mean a thing,” Luginbill said, over and over and . . .

If they do, it means a whole lot. If the Aztecs (7-2, 5-1) defeat Colorado State (3-6, 2-3) tonight, the winner of the SDSU-BYU game next Saturday would win the conference championship and go to the Holiday Bowl. If SDSU doesn’t win tonight, it has no chance at the WAC title.

Yes, it has been quite a season for the Aztecs. Only 17 other Divison I teams in the nation have at least seven victories. And with starting running back Marshall Faulk returning tonight--he has missed the past three games with two fractured ribs and a punctured lung--the optimism continues to grow.

But before getting carried away and figuring the Aztecs might as well have a bye tonight, before getting too excited about that BYU game, and before scrambling to line up those Holiday Bowl tickets, consider:

- The combined record of opponents SDSU has played so far this season is 37-43-2.

- Of SDSU’s seven victories, only one (Utah) has come against a team with a winning record.

“Really?” quarterback David Lowery said. “Damn.”

And in their last three victories, SDSU has won by seven, three and two points.

What this means is: No way can anybody, Colorado State included, be taken lightly, and, after the Rams, SDSU is headed for the most difficult part of its schedule--BYU (6-3) and Miami (7-0).

Despite their seven victories, the Aztecs aren’t subjects of national acclaim. SDSU received 18 points this week in the CNN/USA Today coaches’ poll (they were listed below the Top 25, under “Others”) and none in the Associated Press (writers) Poll.

Predictably, Luginbill says the coaches’ poll is the most accurate.

“The only people I would look at is somebody who really, truly understands football teams and doesn’t get caught up in who and where you are,” Luginbill said, talking about his fellow coaches. “All I know is that there are 18 Division I teams with seven or more wins, and we’re one of them.”

Perhaps because the season has taken them a little bit by surprise, the Aztec players are not about to start bleating for national recognition. Not yet, anyway. Defensive lineman Eric Duncan said he is not bothered in the least that the Aztecs have been ignored in the polls.

“It’s something we haven’t emphasized,” he said. “It’s a big possibility for us. A good performance this week and we’ll turn a few heads. Right now, though, we’re just playing for a victory.”

Besides, Duncan said, he prefers the underdog’s role.

“When you play to a high level, people are more enthused, but when you’re the favorite, people start expecting too much,” Duncan said. “Like last week (a 24-22 victory over Wyoming). Even though we were expected to win, we didn’t win by much. People expected more last week--I could tell. People both inside the program and outside the program were saying, ‘You guys didn’t play good at all.’ ”

Linebacker Lou Foster had a similar reaction.

“I think some people are not really sure about us yet,” he said. “I think after this game, we’ll gain a little respect.

“We’ve just got to go out there and play each week. As long as we keep winning and know within ourselves what we can do, that’s fine with me.”

What they need to do tonight is cover Ram receiver Greg Primus tightly. Primus, a junior, leads the WAC with 6.6 receptions per game. He averages 16 yards a catch and needs 11 catches to surpass the school record of 69 and 252 yards to surpass the single-season school record of 1,193.

The Aztecs also need to slow down senior quarterback Kevin Verdugo (second in the WAC in pass efficiency; has completed 61% of his passes) and gain a couple of turnovers.

Luginbill thinks the biggest difference between last year’s 9-4 Colorado State Freedom Bowl team and this year’s edition is in turnover ratio. The Rams led the WAC in turnover margin a year ago at plus-1.17 a game but are last in 1991 at minus-2 a game.

The situation is nothing new to SDSU. Since the first week in October, when SDSU was 2-2, the Aztecs have been facing must-win situations. For five weeks in a row, they have answered the bell.

“It’s getting tough,” said Lowery, who is 5-0 as a starter. “We’re down to the last two. We’ve won five in a row. We might as well not stop now.”

Said Foster: “Every time, we keep winning. I think, ‘Hey, we might as well keep going with it.’ Whatever it takes.

“Win.”

Aztec Notes

Marshall Faulk needs 17 yards to tie Emmitt Smith for the NCAA record for the earliest game for a freshman to reach 1,000 yards rushing. It is Faulk’s seventh game.. . . The Aztecs are anticipating a crowd of about 30,000 tonight. . . . SDSU, winner of five in a row, has not won six consecutive games since 1977. . . . SDSU leads the series, 7-4, but the teams have not played since 1988, when Colorado State won in Fort Collins, 13-7. . . . Injury report: SDSU defensive end Ramondo Stallings (sprained right ankle) is doubtful. Colorado State had no major injuries in a 40-17 loss to Brigham Young last week. Starting tailback Brian Copeland (left big toe) and fullback John Ivlow (right shoulder) both played against BYU.

WAC Standings

Conference Overall Team W L T W L T Brigham Young 5 0 0 6 3 0 San Diego State 5 1 0 7 2 0 Air Force 5 2 0 7 3 0 Utah 2 2 0 5 3 0 Hawaii 2 3 0 3 4 0 Wyoming 2 4 1 4 5 1 Colorado State 2 4 0 3 6 0 Texas El Paso 1 4 1 2 6 1 New Mexico 1 4 0 2 8 0

Today’s Games

Colorado State at San Diego State

Army at Air Force

Wyoming at Brigham Young

Texas El Paso at Hawaii

New Mexico at Utah