SDSU Athletic Media Relations Office 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA (619)

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1 SDSU Athletic Media Relations Office 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA (619) game no. 4 Aztecs Play at Home For First Time in Three Weeks; INSIDE... San Jose St. (1-1) at San Diego St. (0-3/0-1) Saturday, Sept. 24, :05 p.m. PDT (announced) 5:07 p.m. PDT (kickoff) Qualcomm Stadium (71,294) San Diego, Calif. Television SportsWest. Eddie Doucettte (play-by-play), Nate Griffin (analyst), Don Breshears (producer), Marty Tarr (director). The game will be shown tape delayed beginning at approximately at 9:30 p.m. PDT in the San Diego market on Channel 4 San Diego. The contest is also available live nationally in all other markets through ESPN s GamePlan package. Radio KOGO-AM 600, San Diego. Alan Horton (play-by-play), John Kentera (analysis), Jack Cronin (sidelines). Josh Rosenberg serves as host for the pregame show. Web Live audio and statistics are available on SDSU s official athletic department web site at goaztecs.com. Tickets Tickets are available at the Aztec Ticket Office (Qualcomm Stadium, Window E), Aztec Center Ticket Office, online at goaztecs.com or by phone at (619) 283-SDSU. Face San Jose State Followed By KGB SkyShow XXX Having faced one of the nation s most difficult schedules to date (12th most difficult schedule in the nation according to the Sagarin ratings), San Diego State (0-3 overall; 0-1 Mountain West Conference) plays its first home game in three weeks when the Aztecs entertain San Jose State (0-2) on Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium. Game time is set for 5:05 p.m. PDT and shortly after the game KGB will present its annual SkyShow. Last season, San Diego State set a single-game attendance record (57,216) in conjunction with the SkyShow and Aztec athletic department officials say that could be broken on Saturday when SDSU will have its third crowd of 50,000 or more in its last seven home games. Those unable to attend will be able to watch the game via SportsWest (tape delayed on Channel 4 San Diego) or live nationally through ESPN s GamePlan. The game can also be heard in San Diego on KOGO-AM 600. Last Saturday in front of 104,533 fans in Columbus, Ohio, San Diego State, a fourtouchdown underdog, kept ninth-ranked Ohio State close for three quarters and trailed by just 11 points entering the fourth quarter before dropping a 27-6 decision to the Buckeyes. The Aztecs scored on the first play from scrimmage on a screen pass from sophomore quarterback Kevin O Connell to sophomore wide receiver Brett Swain for an 80-yard touchdown pass. The Aztecs defense turned in their best performance of the season, limiting the Buckeyes to 375 yards of total offense, despite being on the field for 82 Ohio State snaps and 38:14 of the contest. Senior middle linebacker Freddy Keiaho made 18 tackles against Ohio State, including 10 solo stops. That tackle total is the fourth highest total of the Tom Craft era and Keiaho now ranks eighth nationally with an average of 13.0 tackles per game. This is the third consecutive season the Aztecs have traveled to Big Ten country to face a nationally-ranked team and the third consecutive time the Aztecs have performed better than expected. In each of the previous two seasons, SDSU has bounced back with an impressive win over a Western Athletic Conference team the following week. In 2003, following a loss to second-ranked Ohio State, the Aztecs responded with a 34-0 victory at Texas-El Paso. In 2004, after a loss at 17thranked Michigan, San Diego State rebounded with a win over Nevada. This season, following an impressive outing at ninth-ranked Ohio State, SDSU faces WAC member San Jose State. San Jose State enjoyed an off week after opening the season with a home victory over Eastern Illinois and losing a decision at Illinois. The Spartans boast one of the top special teams in the country with Trestin George ranking sixth nationally in kickoff returns at 39.3 yards. In the NCAA rankings, San Jose State is 20th in net punting, 21st in punt returns and 25th in kickoff returns. San Diego State will put an 18-game nonconference winning streak against teams from non-automatic qualifying BCS conferences. The last time the Aztecs did not win a game in that category was a tie versus Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 23, The Spartans lead the series , although the Aztecs have won the last six games in the series. San Diego State owns an series lead in games played in America s Finest City. The teams last met on Nov. 14, 1998, as members of the Western Athletic Conference, with the Aztecs claiming a 34-6 victory at San Jose. San Diego State Schedule/Results (0-3 Overall/0-1 MWC) SDSU-SJSU Series pg. 2 Craft Bio 11 Player Notes 12 Roster 29 Two-Deep 31 Last Time 36 Statistics 38 San Diego State is one of five teams nationally that has played two members of this week s Associated Press top 25. The others are Hawai i, Notre Dame, Rice and South Carolina. SDSU-San Jose State The Series, Page 3 SDSU is one of the youngest team in the country with the freshmen and sophomore classes combining for 28 starts in the first two games. Of the 45 players who have seen action in the first three games, more than half (24) are underclassmen. Young at Heart, Page 5 For the third consecutive year San Diego State will try and follow a loss at a nationally-ranked Big Ten team with a victory over a member of the Western Athletic Conference. No Big Ten Hangovers, Page 7 Senior middle-linebacker Freddy Keiaho had a careerhigh 18 tackles against Ohio State and currently ranks eighth in the nation in tackles. Another Year..., Page 9 Date Opponent TV/Video Result/Time Record Series Note Sept. 3 UCLA (Sony HD Classic) ESPN2 L, SDSU had more 1st downs (23-16) and total off. ( ) Sept. 10 *at Air Force ESPN360 L, AF snaps SDSU 3-game series win streak; TOs: SD 3, AF 1 Sept. 17 at (9/9) Ohio State ABC (r) L, SD enters 4th quarter down 17-6; Holds OSU to 375 yds. Sept. 24 San Jose State (KGB SkyShow) SportsWest 5:05 p.m. PT SDSU has won last 6 meetings; Last SJSU win was 1975 Oct. 1 *Brigham Young (Fleet Week Classic) SportsWest 7:05 p.m. PT Last Aztec win vs. Cougars in San Diego was 1991 Oct. 8 *at UNLV ESPN+Plus Noon PT SDSU has won last 3 meetings; Last year: SDSU won 21-3 Oct. 15 *at Utah TBA Neither team has been shutout in the series (24 games) Oct. 22 *New Mexico TBA Aztecs looking for first win over UNM since 2000 Oct. 29 *TCU (Homecoming) TBA First meeting between Horned Frogs and Aztecs Nov. 12 *at Colorado State TBA Aztecs are 4-6 all time in Fort Collins despite an avg. of 14.4 ppg Nov. 19 *Wyoming (Hall of Fame) TBA SDSU has won 5 of last 6 meetings; Aztecs won 4 strt. in SD Dec. 3 at Hawai i TBA Teams combined for 81 pts. and 944 yards in 2002 * - indicates Mountain West Conference game. r -indicates regional broadcast.

2 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 2 General Info. SAN DIEGO STATE 0-3/0-1 MWC Head Coach Tom Craft Career Record 14-25/4th SDSU Record 14-25/4th vs. SJSU 0-0 Location San Diego, Calif. Enrollment 34,174 Colors Scarlet & Black President Dr. Stephen Weber AD Jeff Schemmel SID Contact Mike May SID Phone (619) SID Fax (619) mmay@mail.sdsu.edu Website goaztecs.com SCHEDULE/RESULTS S.3 UCLA L, S.10 *at Air Force L, S.17 at Ohio St. L, 6-27 S.24 San Jose St. 5:05 p.m. O.1 *BYU 7:05 p.m. O.8 *at UNLV Noon O.15 *at Utah TBA O.22 *New Mexico TBA O.29 *TCU TBA N.12 *at Colorado St. TBA N.19 *Wyoming TBA D.3 at Hawai i TBA All time Pacific SAN JOSE STATE 1-1/0-0 WAC Head Coach Dick Tomey Career Record /25th SJSU Record 1-1/1st vs. SDSU Location San Jose, Calif. Enrollment 30,067 Colors Gold, White & Blue President Don W. Kassing AD Tom Bowen SID Contact Lawrence Fan SID Phone (408) SID Fax (408) ltfan@ .sjsu.edu Website sjsuspartans.com SCHEDULE/RESULTS S.3 E. Washington W, S.10 at Illinois L, S.22 at SDSU 5:05 p.m. O.1 *Nevada 4:00 p.m. O.8 *at Utah State 12:05 p.m. O.15 *at Boise State 5:00 p.m. O.22 *Hawai i 3:00 p.m. O.29 *at La. Tech 4:00 p.m. N.5 *at Fresno State 6:00 p.m. N.19 *N. Mex. State 3:00 p.m. N.26 *Idaho 3:00 p.m. All time Pacific SDSU vs. San Jose St. Comparison and History Series: San Jose State leads Total Score: San Jose State 693, San Diego State 609 Average: San Jose State 21.7, SDSU 19.0 In San Diego: San Diego State leads Total Score: San Diego State 324, San Jose State 268 Average: SDSU 23.1, San Jose State 19.1 SD SJ Total Passing Rushing Date Site Result Score Rk - Rk FD - FD Yds - Yds TOs -TOs Yds - Yds Yds - Yds Temp Att. O A-Spartan L O H-Aztec Bowl W N A-Spartan W O H-Aztec Bowl L O A-Spartan L O A-Spartan L O A-Spartan L N.8.42 A-Spartan L N H-Balboa L O H-Balboa L N A-Spartan L N H-Aztec Bowl L S A-Spartan L S H-Aztec Bowl L O H-Balboa T O A-Spartan L N A-Spartan L O A-Spartan W (-5) 19,400 O H-San Diego W (-9) 34,641 O.4.69 A-Spartan W (-8) 60 9,271 O H-San Diego W ,216 N.6.71 A-Spartan L (-49) ,394 O.7.72 H-San Diego W ,030 N.3.73 A-Spartan T ,501 O H-San Diego W ,016 N A-Spartan L ,399 N.6.76 H-San Diego W ,710 N A-Spartan W ,500 O H-Jack Murphy W ,555 N.2.96 A-Spartan W ,483 N.8.97 H-Qualcomm W ,896 N A-Spartan W ,833 Individual Single-Game Series Bests (Div. I Era Only) San Diego State Rushing Att. Yds. TD G. Jones (95) Benton (76) Turner (77) Watson (96) J. Lewis (98) J. Lewis (97) Kramer (74) Geary (73) Passing A-C-I Yds TD Freitas (73) Davis (77) Blanton (96) Receiving No. Yds. TD Denson (73) Noble (73) R. Smith (76) Childs (96) Owens (71) Reyes (97) R. Smith (77) Curtis (72) McDonald (74) Warren (77) T. Johnson (97) Tackles (Since 71) Solo Ast. TT Paopao (71) Osborne (97) Walton (75) Henderson (73) Peterson (72) Ferguson (72) Walton (76) Cassady (73) Craney (72) San Jose State Rushing Att. Yds. TD Kane (75) Kane (76) Lloyd (73) Jenkins (75) Stewart (74) Cooper (71) Cole (77) Stewart (75) Passing A-C-I Yds TD Dean (95) Luther (77) Receiving No. Yds. TD Bowers (96) Roche (95) McBee (74) Ellis (69) Newell (97) Hayes (95) Hopkins (74) LeBlanc (98) Prager (73) Tackles (Since 71) Solo Ast. TT Brown (71) Hawkins (76) Wasick (74) Gill (77) Porter (71) Malae (96) Michalski (96) McLaughlin (76) Redmond (96) Wasick (73) Chaney (71) Season indicated to the right of player s name

3 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 3 Media Info. COVERING THE AZTECS SDSU Media Relations 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA Phone: Fax: Mike May, Interim Director Peggy Curtin, Assistant Interview Opportunities/ Weekly Schedule Sunday: Coach Craft is available in the Aztec Athletics Center football offices. Call the media relations office to confirm the time as it varies week-toweek. Players are off Sundays. Monday: Players are off on Mondays. Tuesday: Practice 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. MWC Conference call wtih Tom Craft (10:32 a.m. (Pacific)). Tom Craft Media Luncheon: Food available at 11 a.m., Tom Craft available at 11:30 a.m. Players available at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday: Practice 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Immediately following practice is the final time players are available for out of town media prior to postgame. Thursday: Practice from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Friday: San Diego State will hold a closed walkthrough at Qualcomm Stadium. Saturday: Postgame only. Aztecs Put Up Fight Before Falling at the Horseshoe to Ohio State, 27-6 COLUMBUS, Ohio - San Diego State started off on the right note scoring on its first play from scrimmage, but could not overcome a stifling Ohio State defense as the ninth-ranked Buckeyes defeated the Aztecs, 27-6, before a crowd of 104,533 at Ohio Stadium. SDSU quarterback Kevin O'Connell, who threw for 159 yards on 12-of-17 passing, silenced the crowd when he hit wide receiver Brett Swain on the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown. The scoring drive, which took all of 11 seconds, was the Aztecs' longest single play of the season. After taking an early lead for a second consecutive week, SDSU would never see the scoreboard again as the Buckeyes came with defensive pressure early and often. For the game, San Diego State only recorded three first downs, 13 rushing yards and 166 passing yards. Despite SDSU's offensive struggles, the Aztec defense kept the visiting side in the game as it kept Ohio State to only 375 yards of total offense. The 179 yards the Buckeyes earned on the ground were the fewest allowed by SDSU this season. Leading the way for the Aztecs was Freddy Keiaho. The senior linebacker totaled 18 tackles, 10 of which were of the solo variety, a tackle for a loss of eight yards and a pass break up. Cornerback Donny Baker also had an impressive game with 12 tackles, a forced fumble, a pass break up and the team's first interception of the season. Safeties Marcus Demps and Reggie Grigsby each chipped in with nine tackles apiece. The Buckeyes matched SDSU's opening touchdown with 26 seconds left in the first quarter when quarterback Troy Smith scored on a 14-yard TD run after beginning their drive on the San Diego State 20. Ohio State was kept in check for most of the second quarter until Smith scored from one yard out with 5:15 left in the first half giving the Buckeyes a 14-6 advantage. OSU then took its initial second half drive 62 yards into Aztec territory and posted another three points on a Josh Huston 25-yard field goal. Then as the third quarter winded down, Ohio State punted to the SDSU 13 with an Aztec penalty to follow as time expired. With no time left on the clock and the ball at the SDSU 7-yard line, O'Connell rushed to his right, fumbled the ball and Buckeye linebacker Anthony Schlegel recovered it on the one-yard line. Both teams marched to the other side of the field to begin the final quarter and Brandon Schnittker ran it in from a yard out effectively ending any chance of an Aztec rally. OSU would later tack on another field goal to give the game its final score. San Diego State-San Jose State: The Series Saturday's game will mark the 33rd meeting between San Diego State and San Jose State. The Spartans lead the all-time series with a record of , although the Aztecs have claimed six straight in the series. SDSU and SJSU met annually from 1968 to 1977, but went 18 years before the two former PCAA rivals renewed acquaintances in 1995 as members of the Western Athletic Conference. The two teams last met Nov. 14, 1998, during SDSU's final year in the Western Athletic Conference. In that game, the Aztecs defeated the Spartans 34-6 up in San Jose. The last time the two teams met in San Diego, SDSU rolled to another decisive victory, 48-21, on Nov. 8, The Spartans are 0-7 in Qualcomm Stadium and have not left America's Finest City with a victory since 1952, when they handled the Aztecs In the beginning of the series, however, the Spartans dominated the Aztecs, going in the first 13 games from The men from Montezuma Mesa were shutout by SJSU in nine of those 13 meetings. Since then though, SDSU has posted a record and has won the last six meetings. The last four games between the two schools have been especially lopsided in favor of the Aztecs, with SDSU winning by an average score of Date Score Margin Oct 21, 1995 at San Diego State 49, San Jose State Nov 2, 1996 San Diego State 49, at San Jose State Nov. 8, 1997 at San Diego State 48, San Jose State Nov. 14, 1998 San Diego State 34, at San Jose State 6 28 In 28 of the last 32 contests between SDSU and SJSU, the margin of victory has been over 10 points. SDSU has only faced three other schools more than 30 times in the program's history - Fresno State (50), UC Santa Barbara (35) and New Mexico (31). In Aztec history, the San Jose State series is the fourth-most frequently played. SDSU vs. WAC W L T Boise State no meetings Fresno State Hawai i Idaho Louisiana Tech no meetings New Mexico State Nevada San Jose State Utah State TOTALS Current Aztecs vs. San Jose St. Rushing none Att. Yds. Avg. TD Passing A-C-I Yds. TD none Receiving none No. Yds. YPC TD Defense S-A-T Other none SDSU-SAN JOSE STATE CONNECTIONS: SDSU assistant head coach/defensive line Jim House coached linebackers/special teams at San Jose State from Claude Gilbert served as head coach and assistant head coach at both schools... Gilbert, a graduate of SJSU, won three league titles while with the Aztecs and is a member of the school s athletic hall of fame (class of 2004)... Outside linebackers coach Charlie Camp (SJSU) was an assistant linebackers coach with the Aztecs from Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Ken Margerum (SJSU) worked with current SDSU coaches Andy Buh (linebackers), LeCharls McDaniel (running backs) and Ed White (offensive line) during his tenure at California from 2000 to 2001 Director of equipment services Nick Pettit (SDSU) worked with the San Francisco 49ers as an assistant equipment manager at the same time as SJSU director of football operations Bill

4 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 4 MWC Info. MWC STANDINGS MWC Overall New Mexico TCU Wyoming Utah BYU Colorado St Air Force SDSU UNLV MWC SCHEDULE Thursday, September 15 at TCU 23, Utah 20 (OT) Saturday, September 17 at (9) Ohio State 27, SDSU 6 Wyoming 29, at Air Force 28 at UNM 38, New Mexico St. 21 at Nevada 22, UNLV 14 Thursday, September 22 at Utah 38, Air Force 35 Saturday, September 24 San Jose State at SDSU, 5 p.m. TCU at BYU, noon Nevada at Colorado State, 3 p.m. Wyoming at Ole Miss, 4 p.m. UNLV at Utah State, 5 p.m. New Mexico at UTEP, 7 p.m. All time Pacific. * - Indicates Mountain West Conference game. MWC COACHES TELECONFERENCE The MWC football coaches will participate in a weekly teleconference on Tuesday mornings. The calls are scheduled every Tuesday from August 30-November 15. 9:30 Call opens 9:32 Kyle Whittingham, Utah 9:42 Gary Patterson, TCU 9:52 Rocky Long, UNM 10:02 Sonny Lubick, CSU 10:12 Fisher DeBerry, AFA 10:22 Mike Sanford, UNLV 10:32 Tom Craft, SDSU 10:42 Joe Glenn, Wyoming 10:52 Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 11:02 Craig Thompson, MWC All times Pacific SAN JOSE STATE at SAN DIEGO STATE Team Comparisons SDSU (0-3/0-1 Mountain West) Team Statistics SD OPP Points/Game First Downs Rushing/Game Passing/Game Total Offense/Game Fumbles-Lost Pen.-Yards/Game Time of Poss. 27:03 32:57 Ind. Leaders Rushing Att Net AvgTD YPG Hamilton O Connell Passing A-C-I PctTD YPG O Connell Mougey Receiving Rec Yds AvgTD YPG Webb Ortiz Defense U-A-TT TFL Int FF-R Keiaho Grigsby San Jose St. (1-1/0-0 WAC) Team Statistics SJ OPP Points/Game First Downs Rushing/Game Passing/Game Total Offense/Game Fumbles-Lost Pen.-Yards/Game Time of Poss. 29:54 30:06 Ind. Leaders Rushing Att Net AvgTD YPG Davis Guidry Passing A-C-I PctTD YPG Tafralis Bozzo Receiving Rec Yds AvgTD YPG Skillern Jones Defense U-A-TT TFL Int FF-R Staples Wilson Hall, SJSU head coach Dick Tomey, and SJSU graduate assistant cornerbacks coach Al Simmons SJSU running back Chris Williams, defensive tackle Buick Tuua, and SDSU running back Alex Thompson all played on the same team at Palomar College in 2002 Defensive line coach Joe Seumalo (SJSU) was a graduate assistant at Hawai i in the year 2000, the same year SDSU tight end coach Dennis McKnight was a special teams coach SJSU wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator Brent Brennan was hired at SDSU to be the quarterbacks coach at SDSU before taking the job at San Jose State in High School Alumni Valley Christian (San Jose) LB Matt Castelo (SJSU) CB Kevin Jurovich (SJSU) WR Colin Maher (SJSU) DB James Finkle (SDSU) Mission Bay High School LB Dimitrous Chattman (SJSU) LB Stephen Houston (SDSU) Oceanside High School DT Buick Tuua (SJSU) WR Roberto Wallace (SDSU) WR Marcus Montgomery (SDSU) RB Faleselau Poumele (SDSU) Narbonne High School CB Marquis Delgado (SJSU) DE Antwan Applewhite (SDSU) LB Marc Hull (SDSU) Centennial High School TB Brandon Minor (SJSU) LB Brett Martin (SDSU) College Transfers Cerritos College DT Anthony Flores (SJSU) QB Kevin Brown (SJSU) OL Ramsey Fiapai (SDSU) Fordham University QB Kevin Brown (SJSU) OL Ramsey Fiapai (SDSU) From New Orleans, La CB David Bowen (SJSU) TB Chris Williams (SJSU) RB Michael Franklin (SDSU) TE Lance Louis (SDSU) NCAA TEAM RANKINGS Statistic SD SJ Rushing Offense Passing Offense Total Offense Scoring Offense Rushing Defense Pass Eff. Defense Total Defense Scoring Defense Net Punting Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Turnover Margin Pass Defense Pass Efficiency Out of 117 Division I-A schools. Through games of Sept. 17th. LAST MEETING: San Diego State 34, San Jose State 6 Nov. 14, 1998 San Jose, Calif. SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Diego State defense held San Jose State to 243 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers as the Aztecs recorded a 34-6 victory over the Spartans in the 10th game of the 1998 season. San Diego State rushed for four touchdowns, including three by quarterback Brian Russell. The Aztecs got on the board first, late in the first quarter on a two-yard run by Russell. San Diego State pushed the advantage to 21-0 by half, on a Jonas Lewis two-yard rush and Russell s second TD carry of the afternoon, this one from one yard out. The Aztecs would push the lead to 31-0 in the third quarter and were looking for the shutout when the Spartans got on the board with 13 seconds remaining in the contest.

5 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 5 Rankings SDSU in the Computer Polls BL MS SA PS S S S S.25 O.2 O.9 O.16 O.23 O.30 N.6 N.13 N.20 N.27 D.4 Final BL - Billingsley, MS - Massey, SA - Sagarin. Bold indicates highest ranking that week. SDSU Highest Computer Ranking of the Week Best PS 47th by Solecismic S.5 48th by Solecismic S.11 68th by Bassett/ Lawler S.18 72nd by Bassett S.25 O.2 O.9 O.16 O.23 O.30 N.6 N.13 N.20 N.27 D.4 Final Revisiting the WAC Under current conference alignments, SDSU holds a record (59.2 percent) against teams from the Western Athletic Conference. The only current member of the WAC that San Diego State does not own a.500 or better record against is San Jose State. Since the inception of the Mountain West Conference, however, the Aztecs have faced only four foes from the WAC (not including current WAC member Idaho, although the result of the game is listed below), with two of those contests taking place in Date Score Aug at Fresno State 16, SDSU 14 Sept at Idaho 48, SDSU 38 (Idaho was in the Sun Belt Conference when this game was played) Dec. 7, 2002 at Hawai'i 41 SDSU 40 Sept. 13, 2003 SDSU 34, Texas-El Paso 0 (UTEP is now in Conference USA) Sept. 25, 2004 at SDSU 27, Nevada 10 Those four games (again, not including the Idaho game) have been decided by a total of 47 points and include a onepoint and a two-point game. Dating back to the 1998 season, San Diego State is 9-3 in its last 12 games against teams in the WAC at game time. The Aztecs have won five straight home games against teams that were in the WAC at the time of the game. It s The Schedule According to the Sagarin Ratings, San Diego State, which has opened the season with games against UCLA, at Air Force and at ninth-ranked Ohio State, has played the 12th-most difficult schedule in the nation to date. How difficult is it playing that type of schedule? The teams with the 15 most difficult schedules to date own a collective record of The five victories have been by Clemson (two), LSU, Miami and Tennessee. The non-automatic-qualifying BCS conference schools among the top 15 most difficult schedules, which includes 10 teams, is a collective Only five teams have faced at least two teams in this week s Associated Press top 25 teams (released Sept. 18). The Aztecs have faced 25th-ranked UCLA and eighthranked Ohio State, joining Hawai i (top-ranked USC and 17th-ranked Michigan State), Notre Dame (14th-ranked Michigan and 17th-ranked Michigan State), Rice (25th-ranked UCLA and second-ranked Texas) and South Carolina (seventh-ranked Georgia and 20th-ranked Alabama) as the only teams to face two teams in this week s AP Top 25. Young at Heart San Diego State is one of the youngest teams in the nation. Through two games only 24 of a possible 66 starting positions have been filled by seniors and just 38 of 66 starting spots have been logged by upperclassmen. The future looks bright for the Aztecs, who through three games have had nine players total, including seven defensive players, make their first career start this season. The list of Aztec players who have made their first career start this season includes defensive tackle Nick Osborn, strong-side linebacker Andrew Schantz, middle linebacker Freddy Keiaho, strong safety Reggie Grigsby, cornerback Terrell Maze, linebacker Russell Allen, right tackle Eric Rouser, flanker Chazeray Schilens and free safety T.J. McKay. The Aztecs went with three freshmen starters against Air Force with linebacker Russell Allen and right tackle Eric Rouser making their first career starts and linebacker Andrew Schantz making his second straight start. San Diego State started two freshmen against Ohio State on Saturday with Rouser starting his second straight game and free safety T.J. McKay getting his first career start. Other lineup tidbits: The freshmen and sophomore classes have already accounted for 28 starts, including 18 starts on the offensive side of the ball. Through three games, 11 freshmen (redshirt and true) have seen the field for the Aztecs. The freshmen class has already accounted for six starts. 7 redshirt freshmen played in their first career game (Allen, Fifita, McKay, Mougey, Rouser, Schantz, Ulibarri) 4 true freshmen played in their first career game (Robles, Sampson, M. Schmidt, Soto) 6 transfers played in their first career SDSU game (Amaral, Barbier, Fiapai, Metroka, R. Nelson, S. Schmidt) Sagarin Ratings Most Difficult Schedules (through 9/17) The 15 teams with the most difficult schedule according to the Sagarin Ratings are a collective 5-29 this season. Rk. Team Record 1. Miami, Fla Hawai i Rice North Carolina LSU Colorado State Temple Louisiana Tech Boise State Florida International Clemson San Diego State Tennessee Florida Atlantic Ball State Starts By Class Below is a look at SDSU s starting lineup by class in the first three games of the season. Off. Def. Tot. Seniors Juniors Sophomores Freshmen TOTALS Youth Movement Below is a look at SDSU s starting lineup by class in the first three games of the season. Sr Jr So Fr UCLA at Air Force at Ohio State TOTALS San Diego State has 45 players who have seen action in each of the first three games. Of the 45 players, more than half (24) are underclassmen and 33 will have eligibility remaining at the end of this season. The breakdown by class is: 12 seniors, nine juniors, 16 sophomores and eight freshmen (including one true freshman, wide receiver DeMarco Sampson).

6 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 6 Awards SDSU MWC Player of the Week Nominees Offense UCLA Air Force Ohio State SJSU BYU UNLV Utah New Mexico TCU CSU Wyoming Hawai i Defense UCLA Air Force Ohio State SJSU BYU UNLV Utah New Mexico TCU CSU Wyoming Hawai i Specialist UCLA Air Force Ohio State SJSU BYU UNLV Utah New Mexico TCU CSU Wyoming Hawai i Hamilton Webb none Keiaho none Keiaho none Palmer Hughes Bold indicates player won award. Forever Young In the season opener against UCLA, San Diego State started the fewest number of upperclassmen in a decade. SDSU started a mere eight seniors and five juniors in the starting offensive and defensive units. The last time an Aztec squad started 13 or fewer upperclassmen was Sept. 2, 1995 against California when SDSU started seven seniors and five juniors. SDSU defeated the Golden Bears 33-9 that night at home and went on to post an 8-4 season. Included in the starting lineup that night were future NFL players Will Blackwell, Kyle Turley, Az Hakim and La Roi Glover. The complete starting lineup from the game is listed below. Offense Defense SE Will Blackwell, So. LE Roger Blake, Sr. LT Ephraim Salaam, So. LT La' Roi Glover, Sr. LG Robert Whitman, So. RT Doug Tom, Sr. C Dan Nilsen, So. RE Avo Avetisyan, Sr. RG Chris Finch, Sr. OLB Sam Lawanson, Jr. RT Kyle Turley, So. MLB Joey Tuipala, Fr.-RS TE Zach Smith, Sr. OLB Craigus Thompson, Jr. FL Az Hakim, So. LCB Eric Lewis, Fr.-RS QB Billy Blanton, Jr. SS Julius McChristian, So. RB George Jones, Jr. WS Jason Moore, So. HB Ray Peterson, Sr. RCB Ricky Parker, Jr. Youth Movement Another example of how young San Diego State is can be found in the number of senior starts. The Aztecs started eight seniors in the opener against UCLA. A survey of sports information directors showed that only 13 schools in the country expected to start fewer seniors in the season opener. In addition, entering the season, three SDSU senior starers had combined to start just 10 games and currently own just 13 starts. Middle linebacker Freddy Keiaho made his first career start against the Bruins and classmates left tackle Chris Pino (five career starts) and defensive end Kurt Kahui (seven career starts) are relatively new to the starting lineup. Although starting just 13 upperclassmen is unusual by SDSU standards, starting only eight seniors is not. Six times in the last 11 years (including this season) the Aztecs have had eight or fewer seniors on the field. In fact, in 1998, just four seniors opened the game against Idaho (a SDSU victory). Progress as Promised Now in his fourth season at the helm, Tom Craft has breathed life into the football program at his alma mater. Now in his fourth season, Craft has won three more games and more than double the amount of wins at home as the Aztecs had in the three seasons before Craft ( ). Below is a look at the before and after: Close Record Conf. Home Away Losses Craft Era (4th Season) Previous 3 Seasons Close losses are those games lost by eight points or less. Of the 25 losses since 2002, six have come to nationally-ranked teams (at Colorado, Colorado State, at Ohio State (twice), at Michigan and Utah). Take those games away and the Aztecs have played near.500 football the last three-plus seasons (14-19). Also, SDSU opened the 2002 campaign with five straight losses, meaning the last two-and-a-half years the Aztecs are against all teams, and against nonranked teams since Oct. 12, Opening Night Upperclassmen Starters Below is a look at SDSU s seniors, juniors and upper-classmen who started for San Diego State in the season-opening game. The figures below include starting offense and defense players (22 total) and do not include specialists. Sr. Jr. Total Fewest Senior Starters in 05 Rk. Team No. 1. Rice 3 2. Cincinnati 5 Central Florida 5 Illinois 5 Kansas State 5 6. Connecticut 6 Florida State 6 Fresno State 6 Navy 6 Wake Forest Baylor 7 Louisiana-Lafayette 7 Tulsa SDSU 8 others tied at 8 NCAA Rankings Below is alook at SDSU s national ranking in total offense and defnse by season. Nat l Ranking Tot. Off. Tot. Def Craft Era In his first three seasons at the helm, Craft has guided the Aztecs offense to upper-half NCAA finishes in total offense, including a ranking of 29 in He has been equally impressive on the other side of the ball, posting two upper-half NCAA finishes in total defense, including a number eight national ranking in Last season, despite near catastrpohic injuries, the Aztecs finished in the top-half of both total offense and total defense charts for the first itme since Full House Aztec officials believe San Diego State may break the school-record for home attendance on Saturday against San Jose State. Last year, SDSU drew a record 57,216 patrons on opening night against Idaho State. The Aztecs averaged 35,995 fans for five home games in 2004 and had the third-largest attendance increase in Division I football last season. After playing in front of 50,710 people three weeks ago against UCLA, SDSU is primed for another sharp increase

7 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 7 TWT TWT: Tuesdays with Tom San Diego State head coach Tom Craft and requested players will be available each Tuedsay during the season at a media luncheon. Food from Da Kine s will be served at 11 a.m. with Tom Craft addressing the media at 11:30 a.m. with players to follow. at the gate in If the Aztecs break the 50,000-mark for the second time this season Saturday, it will mark the first time since the 1992 campaign that SDSU has had a pair of 50,000-plus crowds in the same season. Top-10 Home Crowds Date Opponet Attendance Result Sept. 4, 2004 Idaho State 57,216 W, Nov. 16, 1991 Brigham Young 56,737 T, Nov. 8, 1975 Arizona 53,611 L, Sept. 5, 1992 USC 52,168 T, Nov. 28, 1992 Miami (Fla.) 52,108 L, Sept. 3, 2005 UCLA 50,710 L, Nov. 19, 1977 Florida State 50,453 W, Sept. 20, 1986 UCLA 50,338 L, Sept. 9, 1984 UCLA 50,318 L, Nov. 14, 1992 Hawai'i 50,021 W, (SDSU played Iowa in front of 59,473 fans at Jack Murphy (Qualcomm Stadium) in the 1986 Holiday Bowl) 2004 Attendance Increase School Pct. Increase California 38,305 64, Texas-El Paso 20,009 41, San Diego State 22,626 35, Arizona State 54,248 62, USC 77,804 85, SDSU Average Home Attendance (since 1992) A look at San Diego State s average home attendance for every season since setting the school-record in Year HG Total Avg ,993 45, ,339 38, ,271 31, ,386 30, ,498 28, ,109 26, ,181 25, ,398 29, ,244 23, ,109 22, ,316 25, ,754 22, ,976 35, ,710 50,710 HG - Home games. No Big 10 Hangovers Here This marked the third consecutive season that San Diego State has performed better than expected playing at a nationally-ranked Big 10 schools. In each of the two previous seasons, the Aztecs shook off the long flight back and disposed of a Western Athletic Conference team at home. In 2003, San Diego State shook off a loss at Ohio State by claiming a 34-0 win at Texas-El Paso the following week. In 2004, the Aztecs followed a setback at Michigan with a victory over Nevada. Below is a look at the recent trend. Season Big Ten Opponent Note WAC Opponent 2003 at (2/2) Ohio State - L, Total Yards: SDSU 216, OSU 196 SDSU 34, at UTEP at (17/17) Michigan - L, Aztecs lead at halftime at SDSU 27, Nevada at (9/9) Ohio State - L, 6-27 Four-TD underdog, SDSU down 11 in 4Q San Jose State at SDSU Defensive Numbers Are A Bit Skewed San Diego State, which ranked eighth in total defense in 2003 and 52nd in total defense last season, is off to a bit of a slower start this season, playing a younger, less experienced unit against one of the nation s most difficult schedules to date. The Aztecs have started just three seniors on the defensive side of the ball in the first three games and seven players have already made their first career start this season on that side of the ball. Nonetheless, the yardage totals are a bit misleading as SDSU has allowed 11 plays of 22 yards or more. In total, those 11 plays have accounted for 391 yards. That means 31.9 percent (391 yards of 1,227 total yards allowed) of SDSU opponent s total yardage have come on those 11 plays. The Big Plays The big play has hurt the Aztecs this season. Below is a look at what the SDSU defense has allowed to date. Big Plays Others Plays Yardage Average If you factor out the first play from scrimmage against UCLA, the Bruins had just 285 yards on 52 plays. On four of the final seven series in the game, the San Diego State defense limited UCLA to six yards or less. Against Air Force, the Aztecs allowed 503 yards of total offense, marking just the third time in the last 25 games SDSU has allowed 500 or more yards. Despite the large total, the Aztec defense continued to make plays, recording six tackles for loss, two sacks and four forced fumbles. San Diego State also held on downs once, keeping the Falcons from picking up a first down off of a fake punt. At ninth-ranked Ohio State, the Aztec defense played outstanding, allowing just 375 yards despite being on the field for 82 snaps and 38:14. The Buckeyes scored three touchdowns on just 53 yards of total offense (drives of 20, 32 and one-yard). The Aztecs forced two turnovers, including one when the Buckeyes had first-and-goal on the one-yard-line. The young defense clearly played its best game of the season and limited Ohio State to two plays of 22 yards or more.

8 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 8 The L-Train SDSU Career Rushing Yards Name Yards 1. Marshall Faulk 4, Larry Ned 3, Jonas Lewis 2, George Jones 2, Norm Nygaard 2, Wayne Pittman 2, Chris Hardy 2, David Turner 2, Paul Hewitt 2, Ken Carson 1, Lynell Hamilton 1, Michael Franklin 1, Brandon Bornes 624 SDSU Career 200- Yard Rushing Games Name Games 1. Marshall Faulk 7 2. George Jones 4 Larry Ned 4 4. Lynell Hamilton 2 Chris Hardy 2 Paul Hewitt 2 David Turner tied with 1 Hamilton Game-By- Game Rushing 2003 No Yds TD Avg. EWU at OSU at UTEP Samford at UCLA BYU at Utah UNM Wyo at UNLV at CSU DNP-Injured AFA DNP-Injured 2005 No Yds TD Avg. UCLA at AFA at OSU Come on Ride The Train Sophomore running back Lynell Hamilton is back. After breaking his ankle in the 10th game of his 2003 freshman season, the Stockton, Calif., product is back after more than a full year off to recover from a broken right ankle and right fibula suffered in the game at UNLV on Nov. 8, Hamilton rushed for 1,087 yards on 234 carries in 2003, he averaged yards per game and had four rushing touchdowns. This season he is one of 47 candidates and one of only 10 sophomores up for the Doak Walker Award. Hamilton proved he is back following the injury by getting 29 touches in the opening game. He carried 24 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns and added five receptions for 35 yards versus UCLA. He followed that up with a solid performance against Air Force, carrying 15 times for 65 yards and one touchdown. Despite an injury cutting his season short, Hamilton earned first-team freshman All-America honors by The Sporting News and Rivals.com in He was the only freshman offensive player that season named to a conference first team and he became just the second player in Mountain West Conference history to earn first-team all-league accolades as a freshman. A look at some of the more impressive numbers Hamilton has compiled in just 12 career games: The Aztecs are 4-0 when he reaches 100 yards rushing, averaging 28.8 points in those games. In games in which Hamilton has played, SDSU is 5-0 when he rushes for 94 or more yards and 0-7 when he is held below 94 yards rushing. Hamilton has enjoyed his playing time at Qualcomm Stadium. In six career games in the Q, the sophomore has three 100-yard games and two 200-yard contests. In all, he has averaged yards rushing per game on 4.8 yards per carry, with all six career touchdowns coming at home. Of the 46 quarters in which he has recorded a rush, he has seven quarters with at least 50 rushing yards, including a remarkable 108 yards in the first quarter of the game against Samford. Despite playing only 10 games as a freshman, his 1,087 yards rushing is the 11th highest total in school history and the second best total by a freshman trailing only Marshall Faulk (1,630). Hamiton has gotten the tough yards this season, with eight of his carries and three of his receptions picking up first downs. His numbers this season are somewhat misleading because the Aztecs have played from behind the majority of both games (the Aztecs have been ahead 10:28 of a possible 120 minutes this season). In the first quarter of the first three games this season, Hamilton has 89 yards rushing, in the rest of the game combined he has 68 yards. O Connell Takes the Reigns Sophomore Kevin O Connell, who started the final five games of 2004 season, emerged from a quarterback duel with freshman Darren Mougey and was named the Aztecs starting quarterback on Sunday, Aug. 21, following the second scrimmage. O Connell played in nine games as a redshirt freshman, and started the final five games of the campaign. For the season, he passed for 1,328 yards and the dual-threat quarterback added 347 rushing yards. The learning curve was quick for O Connell who produced veteran type numbers in the final two games last season and his first three game this season. In the last five games, he is 88-of-139 (63.3 percent) with 997 yards, six touchdowns and four interception. Other impressive tidbits from his first season. O Connell had a streak of 53 passes without an interception broken in the second quarter of the UCLA game (currently has a streak of 17 consecutive pass attempts without an interception). After throwing nine picks in his first 189 attempts (one interception every 21.0 attempts), he has three interceptions in his last 139 attempts (one interception every 46.3 attempts). Has a touchdown pass in nine consecutive games. In his career, he has a touchdown pass in every game when he has at least 14 attempts. In his last five starts, O Connell has completed 88-of-139 passes, for a completion percentage of 63.3 percent. Hamilton By Quarter Lynell Hamilton s career rushing yardage by quarter Tot. EWU at OSU at UTEP Samford nc at UCLA BYU at Utah nc - 49 UNM Wyo at UNLV at CSU - injured AFA - injured Tot. UCLA at AFA at OSU nc - 10 nc - no carries that quarter. Hamilton Home at the Q Hamilton s career number broken down by home and away games G Att. Yds. TD Avg. Home Away Rushing yards per game - Home 127.2, Away Coming of Age It didn t take long for Kevin O Connell to get acclimated to college football. As a freshman, he showed dramatic improvements from his first four games (all in a relief performance), to his first three starts and his four most recent games. A-C-I Yds. TD First 4 gms First 3 starts Last 5 starts Totals Pct. QB Rat. First 4 gms First 3 starts Last 5 starts Totals Rushed for 101 yards against Brigham Young last season to become just the third quarterback in SDSU history to rush for 100 yards (joined Matt Kofler 102 vs. New Mexico on and Joe Turpin 116 vs. Cal Poly SLO on ). In that game against Brigham Young, he became the first player in SDSU history to pass for 200 yards and rush

9 SDSU Game Notes vs San Jose State - Page 9 O Connell Current NCAA Rankings Category Rank No. Pass. Eff. 52nd Total Offense 54th O Connell Game-By- Game Passing 2004 A-C-I Yds TD Idaho St at Mich. DNP Nevada DNP at UCLA at Wyo CSU at UNM Utah at BYU at AFA UNLV A-C-I Yds TD UCLA at AFA at OSU O Connell Game-By- Game Rushing 2003 No Yds TD Avg. Idaho St at Mich. DNP Nevada DNP at UCLA at Wyo CSU at UNM Utah at BYU ,7 at AFA UNLV No Yds TD Avg. UCLA at AFA at OSU for 100 yards in the same game. His quarterback rating of last season ranked fifth among all freshmen nationally, trailing only Oklahoma State s Donovan Woods, Michigan s Chad Henne, Iowa State s Brett Meyer and Washington State s Alex Brink. Of the four freshmen in front of O Connell last season, three went to bowl games. How well did O Connell play in the final two starts? His quarterback rating would have ranked 45th nationally and second in the Mountain West (behind Alex Smith) for the season. Harvey Going for Hardware San Diego State senior center Jasper Harvey is one of 39 players who have been named to the Rimington Trophy watch list. This is the second consecutive season that Harvey has been named to the national list. Harvey is one of 30 seniors on the list and is one of six Mountain West Conference centers to be considered for the award. The six-year old trophy, named after former two-time Nebraska All-American and Cincinnati Bengals center Dave Rimington, is awarded annually to college football's top center in the country. The Rimington Trophy recipient is determined by a consensus of The Walter Camp Football Foundation, America Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America and The Sporting News. This is the third time in four seasons that a SDSU player has been named to the Rimington Trophy watch list as former Aztec Johnathan Ingram was recognized in Webb Climber Jeff Webb continues to climb the San Diego State career receiving charts. With four catches at Ohio State, Webb moved into sixth place on the school s all-time reception list with 159. He is 19 catches away from jumping up another spot, as Darnay Scott is fifth all-time with 178 receptions. He also needs just 39 yards to become just the 11th player in Aztec history to log 2,000 or more career receiving yards. In addition, the Pontiac, Mich., native would be just the seventh player to record more than 150 receptions and 2,000 receiving yards, joining the likes of former standouts Will Blackwell ( ), Tim Delaney ( ), Monty Gilbreath ( ), Patrick Rowe ( , 90-91), Scott ( ) and J.R. Tolver ( ). Webb also needs 142 yards to enter the Aztec top 10 for career receiving yards, trailing Haven Moses' two-year total in of 2,103 yards. So far in 2005, Webb has caught a team-best 17 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown in the opener against UCLA. He currently ranks 38th nationally in catches per game (5.67) and 93rd in receiving yards per outing (60.00). Another Year, Another League-Leading Linebacker Freddy Keiaho is having a breakout year in his final season on Montezuma Mesa. The senior linebacker who was originally recruited as a running back has made the switch to the defensive side of the ball look easy. His tackles per game (20 solo, 19 assisted, 39 total) ranks eighth in the country and he is the only Mountain West Conference player listed in the top 50. Keiaho is also tied for 23rd nationally in solo tackles per game with The Ventura, Calif., native is coming off consecutive games in which he has recorded double-digit tackles. Two weeks ago at Air Force he made a then career-best 13 tackles and last week at Ohio State, he set a new career high with 18. The 18 tackles against the ninth-ranked Buckeyes is the third most by a player in the Tom Craft era and is 11th most in San Diego State history. Last season, his linebacker teammates Kirk Morrison and Heath Farwell each made 19 tackles at Air Force (Nov. 13, 2004). Keiaho s performance is also the second best in school history against a ranked opponent. Alan Dale made 21 tackles versus 12th-ranked Iowa State back in Total Tackles Pl. Player Tackles 1. Alan Dale vs. (12) Iowa State, Oct. 10, Ty Youngs vs. Iowa State, Nov. 27, Lee Brannon vs. Hawaii*, Oct. 15, Whip Walton vs. Tulsa, Oct. 29, ^Heath Farwell at Air Force*, Nov. 12, ^Kirk Morrison at Air Force*, Nov. 12, Lyndon Earley at Utah*, Oct. 29, Jack Eaton at Utah*, Sept. 17, Scott Carter at Miami, Nov. 18, Scott Carter at Texas-El Paso, Sept. 23, ^Freddy Keiaho at (9) Ohio State, Sept. 18, SDSU on the Rimington Award Watch List 2002 Johnathan Ingram 2003 Jasper Harvey 2004 Jasper Harvey NCAA Tackle Leaders Rk. Player TPG. 1. Jackson, Maryland Cottrell, NMSU Snyder, Idaho Muncy, Ohio Keyes, Marshall Caldwell, Navy Richardson, E. Mich Keiaho, SDSU Reid, Kansas Sessler, Kent St * Indicates conference game ^ Indicates event occurred during the Tom Craft era