Let’s begin on the offensive side of the ball.
QB: As “fall” (honestly, any school west of the Rockies should choose a summer or pre-season description rather than any reference to autumn) camp concludes, Maxwell Smith will be named the starting quarterback. Mr. Smith started for bad Kentucky teams against dauntingly good SEC (the AAA of the NFL) teams. That experience is beyond valuable. If Mr. Smith can limit mistakes and quickly grasp the offense of Jeff Horton, a flurry of offense is the result. Backing Mr. Smith is Christian Chapman and the Oregon transfer Jake Rodrigues. Thankfully, Nick Bawden is now a fullback.
RB: The best running back in the MW returns. Donnel Pumphrey has no peer. Fine, I admit New Mexico, Wyoming, Fresno State and Colorado State all possess at least one quality running back, but none quite so talented as Mr. Pumphrey. Chase Price (a human bowling ball seeking immediate contact with linebackers), the injured Marcus Stamp whose depth chart spot will go to Rashaad Penny followed by Pumphrey-sized freshman, Juwan Washington, make for a talented group of running backs.
FB: Dakota Gordon is entering Chad Young territory. No higher praise can be offered to any Aztec fullback.
WR: A point of major weakness in 2014. Poor route running. Extreme lack of concentration. No confidence. Alas, 2015 Aztec receivers cannot be any worse. I choose to anticipate renewed vigor and focus given the arrival of the new wide receivers coach, Hunkie Cooper (how can you not have confidence in a man named Hunkie?). Lloyd Mills (moments of brilliance during 2014), Mikah Holder, Eric Judge and Chase Favreau head a list of credible receivers. Unlike the Bob Toledo years, look for two, rather than three, receivers at the line of scrimmage.
TE: All five on the depth chart are listed at 6’5″, thus Maxwell Smith should not have difficulty finding any of them downfield. If Daniel Brunskill and David Wells each develop a pair of hands, this position could be the surprise of the offense.
OL: Darrell Greene’s six game suspension puts the damper on three of five returning starters. Now Nico Siragusa and Pearce Slater are the shining light of return. Kwayde Miller, Arthur Flores, Robert Craighead more than likely complete the starting five. Austin Mass probably backs Mr. Flores at the center spot. Joe Salcedo (redshirt freshman) impresses o-line coach, Mike Schmidt. This group allows for a successful start or a few games of adjustment as the season begins.
DL: Jon Sanchez, Christian Heyward and Alex Barrett may be the best d-line in the West of the Mountain West.
LB: Calvin Munson was the defensive surprise of 2014. Expect no drop-off in 2015. If, if, Jake Fely is healthy, he and Mr. Munson will provide and deliver a substantial amount of energy and hurt. Choose from Jay Henderson, Devante Davis or Ryan Dunn as the other starter.
DB: What is the greatest benefit of the return of J.J. Whitaker, Damontae Kazee, Malik Smith, Trey Lomax and Na’im McGee? They all started in 2014. This lends to a certain calm, satisfying sleep pattern on behalf of Rocky Long. Coaching these five becomes more of a conversation than instruction. A great depth rarely found on a college football team. This group is the strength of the 3-3-5. Anticipate much more blitzing than any year since Mr. Long arrived on the Mesa.
K: Donny Hageman and his wonderfully accurate foot return.
P: Tanner Blain or Joe Weilbacher. You choose.
LS: Jeff Overbaugh (and a guaranteed NFL draft selection).
Coaches: Jeff Horton remains the running backs coach while assuming offensive coordinator duties. He has edited Bob Toledo’s playbook. Rather, removed dozens of pages. Simplicity is the theme. With a new starting quarterback, I second the idea. Hunkie Cooper, granted, has zero collegiate experience, but he brings an energy and demand upon the wide receivers not seen in years. Bobby Hauck, who was seemingly 100-2 at Montana as head coach, should strengthen the special teams. I find smart of athletic director Jim Sterk to have two ex-head coaches on staff in Mr. Horton and Mr. Hauck. Whenever Mr. Long decides to retire, in-house replacement may be a convenient and effective theme. Blaine Morgan enters year one as SDSU quarterbacks coach. As a former Air Force Cadet quarterback, anticipate Mr. Morgan grooming a feet-don’t-fail-me-now option when all else fails with Aztec quarterbacks. Media folks love to swoon over Mr. Long’s unique 3-3-5 alignment, but without a quality defensive coaching staff, a 3-3-5 equals 0. Coaches Lewis (d-line), Arnett (linebackers), White (cornerbacks) and Gonzales (safeties) deserve a great deal of credit and note on behalf of a superb 2014 defensive effort that was nationally ranked. Look for even greater defensive heights in 2015.
2015 Schedule: Beginning the season against USD is less than ideal, but a game is a game. At Cal follows. An immediate test to determine the real ability of the Aztec defense. South Alabama is the second home game. The Jags recruit kids thought to be a step below SEC ability. This game must find a prepared Aztec squad or this is a not so surprising loss. Penn State at Happy Valley follows. I’m predicting an Aztec win (at last) over a legendary football program. Fresno State (and their impressive band of alumni travelers) opens MWC play at the Q. Two road games follow: at Hawaii and at San Jose State. The Aztecs return home for the always challenging Aggies of Utah State. A Halloween game at Fort Collins may bring heavy snow, high winds or a pleasant evening. Wyoming, at UNLV and Nevada finish the 2015 season. Since two of three are at the Q, opportunity exists to right any prior disappointment. Worst case: 7-5. Best case: 10-2.
Final thoughts: Will 2015 finally yield a win over a PAC-12 school (Cal) or nationally recognized legend (Penn State)? Will Donnel Pumphrey rush for a minimum of 100 yards each game? Is Jeff Horton’s offensive scheme simple enough or too simple? Does an Aztec defense returning eight defensive starters smash opposing offenses or suffer from a case of overconfidence? As always, stay tuned.
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