I didn't get to watch the game but was there a reason he only played 11 min?

It's not working, says the video is a duplicate of another video. Anyone else having this issue?

Just got to my seat and there's a pretty vocal crowd of Aztec fans here so far. Still a lot of open seats.

In case you're wondering, Polee is here getting stretched out on the court.

Thanx again for the coverage.

To my untrained eye, for all the bigs we have on the OL, it seems the standouts were, to me, Phillips
Craighead, the smaller guys. Miller looked good, while Krum looked like a statue. Green looked a bit slow. Pope looked like a project.

More great coverage, Ruben.
You provided some great hilights.
I would think, based on the clips, the defensive coaches
aren't too happy while the offensive coaches liked what they saw.
Based on what you observed overall, how did both sides of the ball look
to you?

Any word on the qb situation?? Or any hint??

Looks like we got another commitment from a 2015 QB. Mason Hall from Smyrna, TN tweeted his commitment along with a picture of Tony White.


https://twitter.com/MasonHall_12/status/574976525294043136

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2801225/mason-hall

Ruben, I realize our chances are extremely thin, and there may be recruiting violations by Texas and LSU relating to this individual, however we apparently have some contacts in Texas, so can you ask the staff if they would have any interest in pursuing any athletes that decommit from another college due to something unsavory happening at that college?

For those wondering Jean Delance is a Rivals four star (5.9 rating) offensive lineman from Mesquite, Texas. He committed to Oklahoma, and has requested his release from there after the video of a fraternity chapter there singing a racist chant.

No, he shows no interest in us on his Rival profile, however many of the programs he does have listed may have their scholarships full, I think we still have one or two to give. So, it can't hurt reaching out to him, if Oklahoma has released him. And it may not be bad reaching out to Stoops staff and mention if he comes here, then they will probably never face him.

http://sports.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/recruiting/player-Jean-Delance-167600

CBS: Four-star recruit decommits from Oklahoma fol

Practice had its earliest start of spring camp today but there was a lot going on and I got a lot of good film to post up for you guys this weekend. Here are some of my notes.

-SDSU had a period where they began drives inside their own five to see if they can get downfield. Marcus Stamps broke a 95+ yard run on one play but it looked like he may been have caught from behind inside the opposite five. That was really the only plus play he had today.

-The real star once again was Rashaad Penny. He had two nice long runs where he really showed off his wheels when he got into open space. Penny really makes the most out of good blocking by the o-line when opportunities arrive. Walker and Stamps tend to either lose balance or get shoelaced tackled once they start to reach the second level.

Penny tends to pop outside too early on runs but his vision and quickness allow him to extend runs and get down field in a hurry. He really knows how to make DBs miss once he reaches the second level and he has the speed to score each time he has a lane (both down the sideline or up the middle). He did get caught from behind on a 50+ yard run when Pierre Romain, probably the fastest DB on the team, made a great diving play to trip up Penny inside the five. Penny was able to run it in on the next play.

-One of the most eye popping plays of the days was when SDSU was facing fourth and long. Nick Bawden scrambled to his right and hurdled over Derek Babiash near the sideline. He came up just short of a 1st down but it seemed like nobody on the sideline expected him to pull that off. Bawden also made a nice 15-yard run down the sideline for first down later in practice.

Babiash later made up for his mistake by picking off a tipped pass and returning it for 15+yards by making a few tacklers miss.

-The two reserve tackles, Joe Salcedo and Ryan Pope, both had off and on days. I thought Darrelle Greene could have especially been better during scrimmage periods. I remember one play in particular where he pulled around and Marcus Stamps had a clear hole to run through behind him but Greene allowed Julian Rochelin to beat him to his spot and Rochelin made the tackle for a loss of yards.

-Rochelin and Noble Hall had some very good reps during one-on-ones but you can tell the only thing holding them back is their weight. I think that if they can add at least 20 pounds come season, they can contribute some.

-Sergio Phillips may be the smallest o-lineman but I like that he's been able to pick everything up in stride since changing positions and he always seems to finish off his blocks. Both he and Kwayde Miller are true maulers.

-One of the bigger collisions today came from Dakota Gordon. He made a nice catch and run up the sideline and just flat out ran over walk-on DB Kevin Walcott. I though Walcott did a nice job getting off his block and getting in position but he just wasn't able to wrap Gordon up - perhaps because Gordon is so good at getting low.

-WR Mikah Holder made the catch of the day over the middle where he really went up and got it just before receiving contact. It was a type of play that, last season, would have been tipped in the air and intercepted. Holder's able to haul those throws in and he's proving time and time again the type of difference maker he is.

On downfield passes, there weren't too many that were completed. Christian Cumberlander and Chase Favreau both had one-on-on opportunities but I should note that the sun was in their face the whole way. Maxwell Smith threw a nice fade pass near the pylon but Cumberlander couldn't locate the ball with the sun behind it and ran right past it. A few plays later, Favreau ran a perfect corner route and the ball unfortunately hit his helmet - otherwise it would have been a TD.

-Dakota Turner and Jon Sanchez had strong days again.Turner had a great TFL when he burned Ryan Pope inside and got to RB PJ walker for a perfect tackle right as Jake Rodrigues was handing it off to him (shotgun set). On the next play, Sanchez tracked down Rodrigues on a scramble for a sack to end the drive.

-Turner also looked solid during one-on-ones and also recovered a fumble during the scrimmage later on.

-I didn't pay attention too much to the kickers but every PAT and field goal attempt within 35 yards was made.

-Leon McFadden and Adam Roberts attended practice.
-I believe I saw La Habra QB Eric Barriere during practice too.
This post was edited on 3/6 6:24 PM by RubenMeza

This post was edited on 3/6 6:25 PM by RubenMeza

First off I'm not saying I have any inside knowledge about this.

SDSU has a scholarship available next year and I find it difficult they couldn't fill that spot. Of course they could fill it will a year 5 transfer but I find that difficult to swallow as they're loaded for next year and they need experiecnd big men the following year when all of our bigs leave.

If DeAndre graduates early, is he eligible to come on as a mid-term addition?

I really don't know the answer and Ruben has said he's not going to the college route for a year. Would he do it for a semester?

Obviously Ruben would have to do some digging he thought that were possible. Ane if I missed someone elses post regarding this, my bad.

Jeff

Both Dwayne Polee II and Malik Pope are warming up with the team and look fine.

Is the Rivals big board ever gonna give us credit for this signing? No reflection on Ruben, I love his passion.....but its really too bad the national/regional articles reflecting '15 recruiting have already been writen....our class shouldnt be #4 in the conference.....I know its not that big in reality but Id love to see us, at least, get the credit we deserve....It helps momentum and perception, and that is a lot of what recruiting is....I think its weak that theyve back burnered our best class in recent memory...weak effort Rivals....again not intended for Ruben

This post was edited on 3/2 7:51 PM by DesertAztec

Hoping to add a second video focusing a bit more on the quarterbacks here on this page. Once it's up I'll post it and head out to practice. After reviewing all the video, it should be pretty clear that Maxwell Smith was the top dog yesterday while Chapman, Bawden and Rodrigues were about even.

https://sandiegostate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1

The midyear frosh arrived to Sam Diego State with shin splints. SDSU found out about it two days in. He had surgery and was sent back to Arizona to rrehab for more than six months.

He will probably grayshirt and join the team next January.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

After Spring Ball will there be a Jr. Day on campus for football? If so when will it be held?

But help!
I'm still trying to figure out the DT situation. You mention the OL
Musical chairs but haven't seen Phillips name. Does he end up back
at DT?
Will you be doing a d-line analysis this Spring?
Thanx

What was the background story on why Sean O' Grady, the DL transfer from ASU quit the team? With as many injuries in the DL, it seemed like he had a good opportunity to move up the depth chart.

Something I learned today, while not official, is that SDSU's football practice field behind the parking structure will likely have artificial turf installed as early as this summer.

He reunited his knee during the offseason, went through two practices but didn't perform at a level he liked. Rocky said he had surgery today and will miss spring.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

The T&M has a white out going on tonight, but the turnout is surprisingly low. The pace of the game tonight will be very interesting.

Today's practice began 45 minutes earlier than usual so I was very late but still managed to take some notes from today's action.

First off, the breakout players today were RB Rashaad Penny and RB Darryl Richardson. Richardson made two more very impressive catches today while Penny was the only running back to bounce outside and break off two long touchdown runs during scrimmage periods today (credit Dakota Gordon for key blocks). It's crazy to think that Richardson and Penny may end up being third stringer this season - that's how much talent SDSU has at each position.

Speaking of the two scrimmage periods, it looked like Rocky basically wanted to work on getting first downs today since the markers never moved and drives never went longer than 10 yards. I'm told Friday's scrimmage will be more of a full field scrimmage.

Along with scrimmage action, today was the first time I caught everyone in full pads. It made a big difference for me when watching the QBs as I can tell Christian Chapman and Jake Rodrigues are the most elusive quarterbacks when it comes to avoiding traffic in the pocket. Nick Bawden's right behind them.

I also had a good look at the OL/DL one-on-ones, which I will post some clips for you guys soon. I think, as of today, Darrell Greene is the best pure offensive lineman out of the group. With Christian Heyward and Alex Barrett out, Dakota Turner is beginning to stick out more and more as a top DL. I thought Noble Hall had some good reps but he still relies on his bull rush a lot, even though it's proven to be very effective.

The two reserve tackles, Ryan Pope and Joe Salcedo, were very inconsistent today and were blown by on consecutive reps.

The transfer OL, Ryan Krum, is a huge guy but he's extremely stiff and I don't know if his footwork will ever get to a level high enough to see playing time.

I should also note that former LB Zach Brown is now lining up at nose tackle now that walkon NT Sean O'Grady quit. Brown actually looked pretty comfortable at nose but it will take him a while before he shows true potential at the position.

Walk on DE Damon Moore looked very good today too.

Another transfer that impressed today was linebacker Ryan Dunn. He made a number of impressive tackles near the line during live scrimmage periods and he's looking like he can be a contributor. I also really like what Devante Davis brings to the table with his speed.

David Wells and Richardson were both consistent during 7on7, but Richardson definitely stood out more during live action. He looks like he can be the go to guy once a play breaks down because the QBs looked for him whenever they were forced out of the pocket today, and he made plays each time.

At WR, Paul Pitts III and Eric Judge each had nice downfield plays. For whatever reason, Judge doesn't run as fluid as I remember so I'm guessing his knee is still bothering him. His speed and cutting ability is still all there but you can tell his running strides look a little off.
I should also note that WR Chase Favreau is becoming more and more confident as a wide receiver and he's much more vocal than I remember. He's beginning to show a different side of himself.

Posting my notes today because I wanted to watch some of my video clips to review some things.

Rocky told me today that he'll let me at all the practices and I plan to do that, but I won't be able to report on certain practices that the media wasn't previously scheduled to watch.

On to Monday's practice. It was a little disappointing to once again see the team back in helmets-only (no pads), but I was told SDSU scrimmaged on Friday and practiced 120 total plays (slightly under 100 plays is usually the norm) so they wanted to keep it light on Monday. The team will have a light scrimmage Wednesday and a full one on Friday so that may be another reason why I didn't get to see full contact.

Because of this, it's once again hard to say much about the d-line, o-line, and LBs. From what I saw though, Ryan Pope has improved a lot in just a week, and so has Robert Craighead at guard. Craighead is built like a rock and already looks like a natural pass blocker. Austin Maass is far and away the most technically sound center. Kwayde Miller and Pearce Slater didn't have their best days in one on ones but give credit to the d-line, guys like Julian Rochelin, Noble Hall and Zach Brown. Julian Rochelin is still probably 25 pounds away from game weight but he's still a solid edge rusher. Micah Seau is still just a swing defensive end right now but a solid one.

I should also note that Coach Schmidt really seems to have command of this OL group. While it's a small group and more bodies will be added this fall, Schmidt's instructions are taken seriously and the players usually follow them correctly on the first try. I saw about 10 minutes of this up close yesterday and I can tell Schmidt has grown a lot as a coach over the last few years. He also deserves a lot of credit for his on the field product. It can only improve.

One thing I noticed about the quarterbacks is that basically every QB but Maxwell Smith runs up the middle of the field if there are no receivers open during their rep. When Smith can't find anybody, he extends the play by rolling out and usually is able to find somebody by then. He looks very comfortable throwing on the run but he's definitely not viewed as a guy who can scramble if needed, as shown by what the coaches are having him do during practices. They know what his strengths are and he's proving rep and rep again that he can make all the throws.

I'm not telling you guys to go out and start buying No. 17 jerseys, but Smith has been the most consistent quarterback out of the group. I'd actually say Christian Chapman and Smith throw the best catchable balls (especially on tough throws near the sideline) but Smith's completion rate on deep balls really sets him apart. Jake Rodrigues and Nick Bawden, in my opinion, are battling for that third spot in the rotation behind the two aforementioned QBs. I think Rodrigues still has timing and accuracy issues but those can be fixed with more reps with the receivers. Bawden still plays it a little too safe and conservative for my liking and he's missing out on some open downfield throws during reps, so I'd give Rodrigues the edge right now. I should also note that Bawden was a Toledo recruit through and through, for what it's worth.

I personally can't wait to see the QBs in live action scrimmages this week.

-Pierre Romain looks much more comfortable at corner and he made some nice plays yesterday. Kazee and Whittaker are easily the top guys in the group though. I don't think I've seen Whittaker make a bad play on the ball or get beat downfield all spring, honestly.

-WR Mikah Holder has clearly separated himself from the pack. He mossed Kendrick Mathis yesterday to haul in a very pretty pass by Maxwell Smith and made all the quarterbacks look good during one on ones. I know he wasn't too productive last year, but man, I truly believe he will be the next big thing.

-WRs Jabril Clewis and Chase Favreau are improving every time I watch them. Clewis still favors his knee a bit but he uses his size so well and runs very hard. I'd argue that he's the first 6-3-plus guy since Brice Butler that plays like a 6-3 plus guy on the field, albeit Christian Cumberlander is starting to show that now with consistency too. (Cumberlander actually made one of the tougher deep ball catches of practice yesteday.)

-Favreau has been one of the bigger surprises of spring camp and it's not looking like a fluke. There are times where I catch him headed to the wrong side of the field after the huddle breaks, and you can tell he's still learning the wide receiver position, but at least athletically, he's looking like the real deal. He's very, very fast and he looks much more natural cutting on his routes. He definitely has a chance to be a Lloyd Mills type receiver.

-Speaking of Mills, just to let you guys know where his head is at, he practically begged the training staff to clear him during the entire practice yesterday. He actually looked good doing footwork drills on the sidelines based off what I saw, but you can tell he still has some pain in his groin and I even spotted him limping a bit to the parking lot after practice. He thinks he can return during the last week of spring ball but knows he probably won't play in the spring game. I don't think Rocky will let him hit the field at all this spring though.

-Jemond Hazely needs to pick it up soon or else his chances in the fall won't look great. He hasn't stood out too much so far and he's running out of time. He'll have to prove himself during the upcoming scrimmages and the spring game if he wants to enter fall in good standing with Coach Cooper. Practically every other receiver on scholarship is playing at a higher level than him as of now.

-TEs: David Wells and Daniel Brunskill had average days and dropped a couple catchable balls. I'd argue Darryl Richardson beat them out on Monday, something he hasn't done in a long time (at practices I've attended). Adam Wood found Richardson wide open over the middle for one of the only touchdowns during 7on7, and Richardson also made the most acrobatic catch of the day during one on ones when he tipped a pass up over his head and changed his body direction to get it back into his chest with one hand while falling down.

-Trey Lomax and Na'Im Mcgee once again had standout days. Kameron Kelly and Fred Trevillion struggled but I will note that Kelly made one of the better plays of the day, diving to deflect a pass on a corner route. With Trevillion, he just needs to improve his backpedal, hip flexibility and become more of a natural turn&go guy. He did show a preview of what his athleticism can do when he ran alongside Chase Price up the middle of the field and got up to his highest point to deflect a pass (which could have easily been an over the shoulder touchdown catch for Price). Trevillion's vert is incredible, probably the best out of all the safeties.

-Something's been off about Billy Vaughn Jr. and I finally caught the problem today. His hands are keeping him from making a bunch of interceptions during practices these days. It's probably the main issue keeping him off the field with the first team as of now. He always looks the most uncomfortable (out of the CBs) hauling in passes during individual drills with Coach White. I think he's one of the top cover guys but he drops way too many interception opportunities as far as I can tell. I think he will be a great replacement for JJ Whittaker down the line though.

-I want to note two walkons who looked good on Tuesday. WR Brandon Fitzpatirck is the definition of a walkon as he is very skinny and not too quick or fast, but he made some very tough catches and runs full-speed each rep.

War safety Luke Bussey also had a nice day. He's just about 5-9, 180 but he's a tough-minded player who makes plays every now and then, including a pick-six interception on an Adam Wood pass during 7on7.
-I should also note the walk-ons that have quit the team this past week are DL Sean O'Grady, LB Jessie Klein and WR Scott Hoover.

-Will post clips and another note on the grad assistant candidates soon.
This post was edited on 3/3 11:24 AM by RubenMeza

This post was edited on 3/3 2:54 PM by RubenMeza

Ruben----Thanks for getting the new (2016) recruits up so fast. I follow all of them very intently right down to the first week in February!! Ruben, all of us think you do a wonderful job!! Keep it up.

Time to be a homer for the Mountain West.

Barring a horrific finish, SDSU is in. To realistically advance, we need a 7 or preferably a 6 seed to avoid a 1 or 2 before the Sweet Sixteen. We can defend anyone in the country, but scoring against a balanced top seed would probably require more luck than we've exhibited this year.

Our conference is pretty bad top to bottom, even without the anchor that is San Jose State. Kenpom has us as the 12th rated conference, and we're not real close to anyone above us. (The WCC is the highest rated basketball conference outside the Big 6 this year because no one really sucks.) A 12th rated conference is highly unlikely to have three teams attend the party. So barring a highly unlikely event in Vegas, that leaves Colorado St and Boise. I'd be surprised if anyone watching our games thinks CSU is the better of those two teams.

CSU has the better record, but they played nobody before the conference season began. Top wins were Georgia St (!!!), Colorado, UTEP and New Mexico St. Georgia St and New Mexico St may sneak into the tourney, but as bottom feeders. They also beat Boise on the road, and the Aztecs at home. They have no bad losses, and an experienced lineup. Kenpom has them as the 74th best team in the nation, which is probably more accurate than their RPI at 26.

Boise is definitely the hot team in the conference. They should go to Vegas at 24-7, and with two wins should reach the final at 26-7. They have one bad loss to Loyola Chicago on a neutral site, but that team sits at 155 in Kenpom, which isn't that bad. Boise is up to 38 in Kenpom and 30 in RPI. By the conference finals, those will be closer to 30 and 25. They rebound and defend well and have the only player of the top three teams - Derrick Marks - that can own a game. If they get to the conference final without another loss, it will be very tough to keep them out.

So presuming the 12th rated conference in the country only gets two teams, who will it be? I'd say the key game will be the semis in Vegas. If SDSU beats CSU, I think CSU will be a high seed in the NIT. If CSU wins, the winner of the conference tourney advances, and the other will be one of those teams that has a legitimate beef as to why they didn't get into the NCAAs.

An afterthought ... winning at Vegas this week locks in our tourney invitation as a 7 or higher, which avoids a 1 in the second game. This is a very big game for us if the end game is a return to the Sweet Sixteen.

It might be just me, I'm spoiled by his quality coverage, but did we hear at all
From Ruben this past weekend?

Hoping all is well.
This post was edited on 3/2 9:42 AM by Rickdoerr