This week I had the opportunity to discuss the upcoming game with DavidSDSU of SanDiegoSportsDomination.com You can check out the link to see his in depth preview for tomorrows game and the questions he asked me and my responses.
MotSaG: In 2005 the Aztecs ran their first possession in for a touchdown and you could hear a pin drop right when it happened (I was there) are you hoping to quiet the ‘Shoe again?
SDSDomintation: If we are able to quiet the Shoe that would greatly improve the Aztecs chance at winning the game.
MotSaG: Is there going to be a hangover effect from last weeks loss?
SDSDomintation: There will be no hangover from last weeks loss. The Aztecs have not been known as a team that keeps lingering thoughts about their last game (during our winning era). The Aztecs will bring there best game into Ohio and will come out fighting against Ohio State.
MotSaG: What are San Diego State’s keys to the game for a victory?
SDSDomintation: San Diego State has few keys to victory that revolve around the Aztec offense. The Aztecs can not give up turnovers as they must score every time they get the ball if they plan on keeping up with Ohio States offense. The Aztecs need to get the ground game back online and look forward to playing against the inexperienced Ohio State defensive line.
MotSaG: Coach Meyer says not to look past the Aztecs even though they lost to Eastern Illinois why should Buckeye fans buy into what he said?
SDSDomintation: San Diego State has a very good offensive when they are playing as a unit. The Aztecs lost to Eastern Illinois because of dropped passes and turnovers. The Aztec offensive normally does not drop eight passes in a single game. Even though the Aztecs dropped eight passes they still managed to throw for over 300 yards.
MotSaG: I noticed on your preview that your defense is locked down on the running game. Is that fair to say after surrendering 172 yards on the ground to the Panthers last week?
SDSDomintation: Yes. The Aztec Defense is normally locks down the run and last weekends game was an exception. The Aztecs are starting two very young and in experienced defensive backs and they got beat horribly by the Panther receivers. In order to help out those defensive backs head coach rocky long decided to drop more athletes into coverage. That move opened up the run game for the Panthers. The Aztecs did not stack the box as they normally do. Now we are not quite sure how good this defense will be against the run this season. The Aztecs were among the best run stoppers in the Mountain West Conference last season and have returned all players but the two defensive backs.
MotSaG: How long of a rope does your QB Dingwell have before you feel he will be pulled if hes unproductive?
SDSDomintation: This is two part question. First off we need to discuss why Dingwell has been struggling in his last two games. Dingwell has thrown seven interceptions in his last two games because of the protection he is receiving. The Aztecs have had a major breakdown on pass protection thanks to the offense line. Now the offense line has trouble of their own with the injury to Adam Muema the Aztecs threw the ball a lot more than they wanted against Eastern Illinois.
Now lets talk about pulling Dingwell. I believe that Dingwell will be pulled after the first quarter if he continues his subpar play. This is a senecio that a lot of Aztecs fans will be looking. San Diego State will need to play a perfect game if they wish to defeat Ohio State and they cannot afford to have major errors in the passing game.
MotSaG: What’s the word on your star running back Adam Muema?
SDSDomintation: Adam Muema was hurt in the game against Eastern Illinois and that was a major problem for the San Diego State offensive. He suffered a low ankle sprain and was placed into a walking boot. As of now (Wednesday) Muema is now out of that boot and will practice today. Now this injury is day to day. Muema says that he will be good to go on game day but we will leave that up to the Aztec training staff.
MotSaG: Last week Ohio State played against one of the best linebackers in the nation (Khalil Mack) how good are your linebackers?
SDSDomintation: San Diego State has the best linebackers in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztec linebacking core is led by senior Jake Fely. Fely is on many different awards lists and led the Aztecs in tackles last season. The second best linebacker on the team is Derrick Largent and will not play against Ohio State (injured).
MotSaG: Strength of your defense?
SDSDomintation: As previously stated the strength of the Aztec defense is stopping the run game. The Aztecs have some of the best linebackers in the nation and have a great group of defensive linemen.
MotSaG: Strength of your offense (if no Muema)?
SDSDomintation: With out Adam Muema the strength of the Aztecs would fall on our starting quarterback Adam Dingwell. He has been a great player for this Aztec team only losing two games since he tool over for our injured quarterback halfway through last season.
MotSaG: If Ohio State throttles San Diego St and kind of run up the score how disrespectful is that in the day in age where they dropped a spot in the polls for only winning by 20 against Buffalo?
SDSDomintation: No that is not a sign of disrespect. That is a sign of a better football team. Now if they are winning by 40 points most fans including me would say that running up the score is disrespectful.
MotSaG: What is your final score prediction?
SDSDomintation: If San Diego State plays really good I could see Ohio State winning by only a touchdown. If we play bad I believe Ohio State will cover the spread of 27.5 points in the first half.
I am hoping DavidSDSU isn’t even close to his prediction of Ohio State only winning by a touchdown or there might be rioting in the streets. I love his passion that he has for his team and would like to thank DavidSDSU for taking the time out of his schedule and working with me to let Buckeye fans get to know San Diego State University from a different light today.
If you want to get involved and have questions about upcoming opponents feel free to send them in to me and I can send them on. Email your questions to AskMotSaG@gmail.com or MotSaG@gmail.com. Would love to know your thoughts on this post and hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks for interviewing with us! Check out our biggest preview on the web for the game. We have just updated I have updated the preview to include a video interview of my friend from Xtra Sports 1360 with Kevin O’Connell (The last Aztec QB to play at OSU) and more! http://sandiegosportsdomination.com/2013/09/03/sdsu-football-sdsu-vs-3-ohio-state-game-preview/