Proving His Worth : Ex-Monarch Blanton Shows He Can Win a Big Game for San Diego State

SAN DIEGO — Billy Blanton has been a successful quarterback for three seasons at San Diego State, but he hasn’t been immune to an occasional harangue on a radio talk show or a subtle comment in a newspaper story that he hasn’t led his team to victory in big games.

And last Thursday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium it looked as though it was about to happen again.

Another big game, and the Aztecs were only 1 minute 39 seconds away from losing to 16th-ranked Wyoming. This time, Blanton, who was a standout at Mater Dei, did about everything one player could do.

Blanton, who passed for 366 yards, was at his best when the game was on the line, pushing his team 72 yards in 61 seconds and scoring the winning touchdown from 11 yards on a quarterback draw. It took the Aztecs seven plays to score, and Blanton was the key figure in all seven. He completed three of four passes for 31 yards and ran for 41 yards in three carries. His 23-yard scramble on a broken play set up his final touchdown run.

San Diego State’s 28-24 victory ended college football’s longest winning streak at 12 games, gave the Aztecs new life in the Western Athletic Conference race and the postseason bowl picture, and marked the first time they had beaten a nationally ranked team since 1988.

Maybe it also will give Blanton credit as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks.

“I’ve never thought about it as having to do well in big games,” Blanton says. “I try to prepare myself well for every game. I just know I hate losing any time. It sticks in my head.”

San Diego State has lost only twice this season in eight games. Once was at Colorado State in a 45-mph gale. Blanton was held to 138 yards passing and the Aztecs lost, 28-17, but he makes no excuses.

“I just don’t think we were prepared to play,” he said. “I really can’t blame the wind. We just didn’t make the big plays.”

The other loss was in the second game of the season at California, where the Bears won, 42-37. But how could anyone blame Blanton for that one? He passed for 438 yards and four touchdowns, one of them an 80-yarder. But the offense stumbled when a late surge might have won the game.

Despite those defeats, Blanton’s performance this season has been remarkable. He ranks third nationally in passing efficiency, and has thrown for 2,207 yards with a .649 completion rate. During one stretch, he completed 132 passes without an interception, and has given up only four all season. He has thrown for 22 touchdowns, including a season-high five, in a 51-31 victory over Oklahoma.

And if he can somehow lead San Diego State to three more victories, the Aztecs would have a shot at the WAC’s Pacific Division title, if Wyoming can knock off Colorado State this weekend.

Even if that scenario doesn’t play out perfectly for the Aztecs, Blanton is hopeful a 9-2 record will put the Aztecs in a bowl game.

It also would be a good way for him to finish his college career.

Blanton chose San Diego State after leading Mater Dei to a Southern Section Division I championship in 1991. He was highly recruited as one of the most prolific passers to come out of Orange County, but he had some rocky times at the start. He was a restless redshirt his first year, then third string the next season under then-Coach Al Luginbill, who recruited him.

“It was frustrating,” Blanton said. “About all I did was take a knee and watch. I felt like I was wasting my time.”

Ted Tollner, the former USC coach, took over at San Diego State in 1994, and he had some immediate concerns about Blanton’s commitment to football.

“He was unhappy at the time, and I think it was affecting his attitude about everything,” Tollner said. “Our biggest concern was whether he really liked football. You have to be concerned about that in a quarterback. Is he the guy you want leading your team? But once he got the opportunity, his real personality came out.”

When No. 1 quarterback Tim Gutierrez went out with a career-ending shoulder injury six games into the 1994 season, Blanton took over, and showed considerable potential. He completed nearly 63% of his passes, including 30 of 39 for 447 yards and four touchdowns against Fresno State.

But Tollner wasn’t ready to turn the job over to Blanton.

“We decided we’d recruit a junior college quarterback to at least give Billy some competition and see what happened,” Tollner said. But at the last minute, Cody Smith changed his mind and signed with Kansas State, and it was too late for Tollner to look elsewhere.

As it turned out, he really didn’t need to.

Blanton passed for more than 3,000 yards as a junior and his quarterback ranking was 12th-best in the country. He was seventh in total offense nationally and second in the conference.

Two conference losses in the last three games, however, took away some of the luster. The Aztecs lost to Wyoming, 34-31, and then to Colorado State, 24-13, and finished 5-3 in the conference race. A victory in either game would have given San Diego State a share of the title.

But the 8-4 record was the school’s best since 1991, and Tollner made it clear that Blanton had his trust and support going into his senior season.

“Billy had a very good junior year, and we went into this season telling him that he didn’t have to prove anything to us,” Tollner said. “He showed us that he could win. What we wanted him to do this year was to learn to play more within himself. An experienced quarterback should do that, be ready to take what’s given and not force things.”

Blanton believes his most significant improvement this season has been in decision-making.

“It was a matter of knowing where to go with the ball and not trying to force it,” Blanton said. “That and getting rid of the ball quicker and reading the defenses better.”

Blanton also has flourished in the no-huddle offense Tollner picked up from Marv Levy when Tollner was an assistant with the Bills.

“I really like running the plays fast like that because it makes it so tough on defenses,” Blanton said. “You can see the defensive line gasping from the last play, and we’re up there ready to go again. Most of the time we’re ready to go as soon as the referee puts the ball down. We’re ready because we’re doing it all the time.”

Tollner says he hasn’t been bothered that Blanton is barely 6 feet and 190 pounds.

“The pro people might be concerned about that more than me, but he does a lot of things well,” Tollner said. “He’s very accurate on the passes underneath, and he throws the deep route real well. He also has the ability to scramble and make something off broken plays. He certainly did it all against Wyoming.”

While that lack of size might be a factor in how he’s viewed by scouts, Blanton says he wants to give pro football a try.

“I’ve always heard about my size, about being short, but hopefully I’ll still have a shot. If not, I’ll go on. But look at Ty Detmer, who’s starting for the Eagles now. He’s not that big. It gives me hope.”

Regardless, Blanton will finish as one of the school’s all-time leaders in passing. He has 60 touchdown passes, only 10 behind Todd Santos’ school record. He also ranks third in total offense at the school where Brian Sipe and Marshall Faulk played. Blanton is ahead of both of them.

With at least three college games left, Blanton says he wants to make them the best he can.

“I just want to do what it takes to win,” he said. “All those stats don’t mean anything if we’re not winning games.”

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Blanton by the Numbers

Billy Blanton, right, is moving up the charts in four career offensive categories at San Diego State:

TOTAL OFFENSE

1. Todd Santos, 1984-87: 10,513 yards

2. Dan McGwire, 1989-90: 7,087 yards

3. Billy Blanton, 1993-: 7,060 yards

PASSING YARDAGE

1. Todd Santos, 1984-87: 11,425 yards

2. Dan McGwire, 1989-90: 7,484 yards

3. Billy Blanton, 1993-: 7,176 yards

PASS COMPLETIONS

1. Todd Santos, 1984-87: 910

2. Dan McGwire, 1989-90: 528

3. Billy Blanton, 1993-: 524

TOUCHDOWN PASSES

1. Todd Santos, 1984-87: 70

2. Billy Blanton, 1993-: 60