The beautiful: San Diego State’s new Snapdragon stadium. The 35,000 seat venue has an open feeling where one can view the surrounding hills from virtually all the seats. Certainly a vast improvement over the dilapidated Qualcomm Stadium. Truly a gem! The Mountain West is not a Power 5 conference but I defy you to find a prestige conference boasting two stadiums as nice as Snapdragon and Colorado State’s Canvas Stadium.
The beastly: SDSU’s performance Saturday afternoon against the supposed doormat of the Pac-12: Arizona. The Wildcats cruised to a 38-20 upset that rarely appeared in doubt.
Arizona’s defense was woeful in 2021 but toyed with San Diego State’s offense, allowing only 232 yards. Transfer Quarterback, the local Braxton Burmeister, demonstrated why he did not stick with his two previous schools, Oregon and Virginia Tech. His line: 7/16/62. While not 100% Burmeister’s fault, one has to wonder when SDSU will get a QB who makes defensive coordinators nervous. While Ryan Lindley was not all-world, his successors over the past decade have made him seem like Patrick Mahomes in comparison.
The Aztecs’ calling card during their successful run of the past 14 years has been their defense. Not on Saturday, getting carved up for 466 yards.
While the Odyssey has decried some of the problems associated with insta-transfers, Arizona did demonstrate that a doormat can more quickly right the ship. The Wildcats’ induced Jayden De Laura to leave Washington State. Smart move! In another brilliant maneuver, Arizona also induced about the only explosive element of the 2021 UTEP offense, Jacob Cowing, to move 320 miles West. Cowing caught 8 passes from De Laura for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns. Regardless, the Odyssey does cringe at the poor getting poorer due to the exodus of Cowing from UTEP.
Kudos to Jedd Fisch for a brilliantly executed game plan. Meanwhile, we wonder if Brady Hoke is the right head man for SDSU. If you were typecasting for a likeable, rumpled defensive line coach, one need look no further than Hoke. We wonder if Hoke has the recruiting chops to bring enough offensive weapons to Montezuma Mesa.
In his defense, Hoke did have 2 coaching triumphs that resulted in both Aztec touchdowns and prevented an even more embarrassing loss. In the first half, Hoke went for a TD on 4th and goal from the 4. While the call went against Hoke’s often conservative DNA, his bravado was rewarded with a touchdown. Early in the 2nd half in a 31-10 game, Hoke faced a 4th and 5 decision from the UofA 44. He elected to punt, much to the temporary chagrin of the Odyssey. The punt was downed at the 1. The ensuing punt from the end zone was blocked by an unsuspecting Wildcat blocker for an Aztec touchdown. Well done, Coach!! Now if you can just get a quarterback and some receivers for your new palace of a playing field. Please!