Aztecs in the NFL: Week 11

November 19, 2012February 10, 2013 / Hunter O. Hewitt / 3 Comments

Former SDSU wide receiver Chaz Schilens brings in a 25-yard touchdown catch for the Jets on Sunday (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee)

LB Russell Allen – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
In an offensive showdown that saw nearly 1,100 yards of total offense, the Jaguars lost to the Texans in overtime, 43-37. Allen was all over the field on defense, recording 15 total tackles. He now ranks fifth in the league with 67 solo tackles and is tied for eighth with 85 total tackles.

LB Antwan Applewhite – Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Panthers fell to the Buccaneers, 27-21. Applewhite was inactive for the fourth straight week after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 7. His status for Week 12 is uncertain.

LS Aaron Brewer – Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers
The Broncos continued their strong play and won their fifth straight game as they defeated the Chargers, 30-23. Brewer remained solid with his snapping duties, helping the special teams unit make three field goals and punt five times for an average of 50.4 yards per punt.

WR Vincent Brown – San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
Brown remains out with an ankle injury suffered in the preseason. It was reported last week that he was running once again and is making progress, but there is no clear timetable on his return.

LB Miles Burris – Oakland Raiders vs. New Orleans Saints
Without star running back Darren McFadden for the second straight week, the injury-depleted Raiders could not handle the high-powered offense of the Saints, and lost 38-17. Burris, however, had an impressive outing on the defensive side of the ball with eight total tackles.

OT/OG Brandyn Dombrowski – San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
Dombrowski returned to practice two weeks ago after sitting out with a foot injury, but it is still uncertain if he will see any game action this season.

LB Heath Farwell – Seattle Seahawks, BYE

RB Ronnie Hillman – Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers
After an injury to starting running back Willis McGahee, Hillman came in and helped the Broncos take down the struggling Chargers. He had 12 carries for 43 yards and two catches for 16 yards. He will likely start at running back next week, as McGahee is expected to be out 6-8 weeks.

QB Ryan Lindley – Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons
After a shaky start by John Skelton, Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt gave Lindley a chance to take over under center. Lindley, who had to battle back from a questionable fumble call that resulted in a Falcons touchdown, was 9-20 for 64 yards in his first-ever NFL action. In a game that went down to the final minutes, the Cardinals lost to the Falcons, 23-19. It has not yet been decided who will start at quarterback next week, but it seems likely that Lindley is now the guy in Arizona.

OG Lance Louis – Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
In the battle of backup quarterbacks, Jason Campbell and the Bears lost to Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers on Monday night, 32-7. Louis and his offensive lineman had their hands full with the 49ers’ pass rushers, and the Bears’ record dropped to 7-3.

LB Kirk Morrison – Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
The Bills defeated the Dolphins, 19-14, but Morrison was inactive once again. He has yet to see any game action this season.

WR Kassim Osgood – Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
In a heated division battle, the Lions fell to the Packers, 24-20. Osgood continues to play on special teams but did not record any tackles in the game.

WR Chaz Schilens – New York Jets vs. St. Louis Rams
The Jets beat the Rams on Sunday, 27-13, and Schilens had a solid game. He hauled in four catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. It was his second touchdown of the season and ninth of his career.

Did you miss the “Aztecs in the NFL: Week 10″ post? Check it out here!

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by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS

College football Saturday and bye week blog updates

November 17, 2012March 5, 2013 / Hunter O. Hewitt / 24 Comments

The Aztecs celebrate after their most recent victory over Air Force (Ernie Anderson/SDSU Media Relations)

Aztec fans –

Hope you all have had a great week. The bye week has been nice for us to get our bodies back and also get caught up in the classroom.

I apologize for the lack of stories this week, but be sure to keep an eye out next week for a handful of new posts. Most notably, there will be a special Feature Friday post with a video on tight end Gavin Escobar and one of his unique off-the-field hobbies.

College football Saturday

The bye week also meant that we had plenty of time on Saturday to catch up on college football across the country. For the first time in awhile, I was able to watch football all day.

Here are a few notable games from today’s action:

Wyoming – 28
UNLV – 23
Wyoming, SDSU’s final regular season opponent, won its third straight game and improved to 4-7. They will face the Aztecs on Nov. 24.

Tulsa – 23
UCF – 21
Tulsa and UCF are two schools who received more votes than SDSU in last week’s AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll. With UCF losing, the Aztecs could potentially jump them in the rankings.

Rutgers – 10
Cincinnati – 3
Like Tulsa and UCF, Cincinnati received more votes than SDSU in both polls last week. Their loss could also help the Aztecs move up.

Air Force – 21
Hawaii – 7
This game was on Friday, but it was Air Force’s sixth win of the season, making them bowl-eligible. They have already accepted an invitation to play in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Dec. 29.

Game to keep an eye on: BYU vs. San Jose State, 10:30 p.m est

by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS

Aztec Stat of the Week: Pass Break-Ups – Leon McFadden

November 13, 2012April 26, 2013 / Hunter O. Hewitt / 2 Comments

Leon McFadden breaks up a pass vs. North Dakota, one of his 10 pass break-ups this season (Ernie Anderson/SDSU Media Relations)

When San Diego State defeated Boise State on Nov. 3, Aztec cornerback Leon McFadden recorded four tackles and a pass break-up in the game. The numbers weren’t eye-popping, likely because teams often shy away from throwing to McFadden’s side, but one statistic inched him closer to leaving his mark in the SDSU record books.

With the pass break-up against Boise State, McFadden improved his season total to 10, good for most on the team. He now has a total of 37 pass break-ups in his career, which ties a school record. He has matched former SDSU defensive back Eric Lewis, who also broke up 37 passes from 1995-1998.

What is most impressive about the statistic is that McFadden has managed to tie the record with a limited number of opportunities. Tabbed as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference before the season began, he has developed a reputation as a shutdown cornerback.

Opposing offenses often focus on the side of the field where McFadden isn’t, taking away chances for the senior cornerback to make plays. Despite the reduced opportunities, he has still managed 56 total tackles and three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, in his final season at SDSU.

With two games remaining and only one pass break-up needed, McFadden has a great chance to break the record and solidify himself as one of the best defensive backs to ever play at SDSU.

*UPDATE (12/21/12)

Leon McFadden recorded two pass break-ups in the final game vs. BYU. He now holds the record for most pass break-ups in San Diego State history with 39.

Did you miss last week’s “Stat of the Week” post about kickoff return yardage? Check it out here!

by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS

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Aztecs in the NFL: Week 11

College football Saturday and bye week blog updates

Aztec Stat of the Week: Pass Break-Ups – Leon McFadden