San Diego State Aztecs
2 stories filed under San Diego State Aztecs on Wazzu. The newest of them: “At SDSU, Cougs need Eshelman and Moore to find the gear they lost” and “Five-game skid meets the road: Cougs chase first FBS win at SDSU”. Kirby Moore came back to something simple this week. Five straight losses. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every San Diego State Aztecs story on Wazzu, newest first.
At SDSU, Cougs need Eshelman and Moore to find the gear they lost
Kirby Moore came back to something simple this week. After the Boise State loss, after the questions piled up, he said what he knew: Owen Eshelman battled his tail off. That's the kind of thing you want to hear about a young quarterback who threw a pick-six in his second start. But here's the thing, against San Diego State this Saturday, Eshelman might not have to be a hero. He just has to be clean. SDSU's defense is bad. Like, historically bad. They're giving up 36 points and 462 yards a game. They rank near the bottom of the country in nearly every defensive category. If the Cougs can't get right against this group, you have to wonder if they can get right at all. The problem is the offensive line. They're not blocking for the run, and they're not protecting the passer. That's why the tailbacks, Vorhees, Woods, Pulalasi, are averaging just 15 carries for 48 yards against FBS teams. You can't win that way. The Aztecs are terrible against the run, so maybe this is the week the line finds a lane. Moore is only playing three receivers, too. Ganashamoorthy is third in the country in snaps. Blood is 21st. They trust those guys. Everyone else is still learning the assignments. That's fine if it works, but it's a thin rotation for a road game.
Five-game skid meets the road: Cougs chase first FBS win at SDSU
Five straight losses. That's the weight the Cougs are carrying into San Diego on Saturday. WSU hasn't beaten an FBS team all season, and after a 31-10 loss to Boise State where they tied the game through three quarters only to watch it fall apart in the fourth, the frustration is real. Owen Eshelman is still settling in as the starter, but the offense around him isn't helping. The running game is basically nonexistent, 53 yards on 33 carries against Boise, and the offensive line is getting beat on stunts and push. Kirby Moore didn't sugarcoat it: they weren't good enough up front. San Diego State isn't exactly rolling either. They've lost two of three, their defense ranks near the bottom of the entire FBS, and they're on their backup quarterback after an injury. Stone Saunders can throw, 369 yards in his first start, but he's not running anywhere. The Aztecs give up yards and points in bunches. That should be an opening for a Coug offense that desperately needs one. This is the third road game in four weeks for WSU, and the bye is next week. A win here changes the conversation. A loss makes that five-game skid feel a lot heavier. For more on who might be missing from the lineup, check out our update on Clemons and Bernard being day-to-day after the Boise loss. Go Cougs.