FREEDOM BOWL NOTES : San Diego State Moves Practice Sessions to UCI

The San Diego State Aztecs had their first practice at UC Irvine Sunday in preparation for the Dec. 30 Freedom Bowl, and Coach Al Luginbill said the transition from one campus to another went well.

“I felt we did the things we’ve talked about, and that’s focusing five hours a day on football,” Luginbill said. “Our team did that today. If we continue to do so, we will play well on the 30th.”

People talk about youth on SDSU’s football team. But how about the Aztecs’ 45-year-old coach? This is Luginbill’s first bowl game as the head man.

“As a head coach, I don’t do anything differently,” said Luginbill, who participated in three Fiesta Bowls as an assistant at Arizona State. “I’m going to do the same things that got us here.”

There was one thing Luginbill nearly did differently, though.

Attempting to shore up a defense that was 103rd in the nation out of 106 Division I teams--and a secondary that has allowed 1,084 passing yards in its past two games--he said he nearly unred-shirted defensive backs Michael Landry and John McCartney for the Freedom Bowl. Both players are in their first seasons after sitting out last year because they didn’t meet NCAA admission standards.

After thinking about it, Luginbill decided against it.