SDSU Announces 2013 Conference Schedule

Aztecs For Life: Hunter Hewitt

The Aztecs celebrate after beating Boise State on the road in 2012. They will host the Broncos in 2013. (Ernie Anderson/SDSU Media Relations)

San Diego State announced its 2013 Mountain West Conference football opponents on Tuesday, but has yet to finalize the dates.

Even with additional schools and the switch to two six-team divisions (Mountain Division and West Division), the Mountain West will maintain an eight-game conference schedule.

As a part of this schedule, each school will play the other five schools in its division on a yearly basis. Additionally, each school will play a rotation of three opponents from the other division to complete an eight-game conference schedule.

Here are SDSU’s 2013 conference opponents, along with the location of each game (home games in italics):

Boise State
Fresno State
Nevada
New Mexico
at Air Force
at Hawaii
at San Jose State
at UNLV

With the conference game dates yet to be finalized, here is SDSU’s current 2013 schedule (home games in italics):

08/31/13 – Eastern Illinois
09/07/13 – at Ohio State
09/14/13 – Open
09/21/13 – Oregon State
09/28/13 – at New Mexico State
TBA – Boise State*
TBA – Fresno State*
TBA – Nevada*
TBA – New Mexico*
TBA – at Air Force*
TBA – at Hawai’i*
TBA – at San Jose State*
TBA – at UNLV*
*Mountain West opponent, dates yet to be announced

Notes

  • The schedules were computer-generated, and each school will play every Mountain West opponent at home and on the road during a four-year cycle.
  • The Mountain West announced each school’s conference opponents through 2016. You can see those match-ups here.
  • San Diego State will not play Colorado State, Utah State or Wyoming (members of the Mountain Division) in the 2013 regular season.
  • The winner of the Mountain Division will play the winner of the West Division in the inaugural Mountain West Football Championship on Dec. 7, 2013. This game will be played at the home stadium of the school with the highest BCS ranking.
  • After playing just five regular season away games in each of the past two seasons, San Diego State will play six regular season away games in 2013.
  • Because of the “Hawaii Exemption Rule”, San Diego State will have the option of seeking out an additional out-of-conference opponent to give them 13 regular season games. This is unlikely, however, as the Aztecs would potentially play up to 15 games with a conference championship game set to be played in 2013 and a probable postseason bowl game.
  • San Diego State will host Fresno State in 2013 with hopes to regain possession of “The Old Oil Can”, a trophy that was established in 2011 to create a rivalry between the two schools. Although this rivalry was initially thought to be dead with the Aztecs leaving for the Big East, it will now be renewed. The two schools, both members of the West Dvision, will now play each other on a yearly basis.

Aztec fans, stay tuned for future posts including spring practice story lines, practice updates, a Pro Day recap, a post-spring depth chart prediction and more. 

In the mean time, be sure to check out the 2013 Season Previews to see the pre-spring position-by-position previews for next season.

Also, be sure to take a look at the 2013 Signing Day Recap to see the incoming athletes of San Diego State’s 2013 recruiting class.


LINKS:
Hunter Hewitt: WordPress – http://hunterhewitt.wordpress.com
Hunter Hewitt: Blogger – http://hunterhewitt.blogspot.com
Hunter Hewitt: LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterhewitt
Hunter Hewitt: Twitter – http://twitter.com/hunterhewitt89
Hunter Hewitt: Facebook – http://facebook.com/hunterhewittSDSU
Hunter Hewitt: About.me – http://about.me/hunterhewitt
Hunter Hewitt: BrandYourself – http://hunterhewitt.brandyourself.com/
Hunter Hewitt: GoAztecs.com Player Profile – http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hewitt_hunter00.html
Hunter Hewitt: SDSU News Team Story: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news.aspx?s=73846
Hunter Hewitt: FanBase: http://www.fanbase.com/Hunter-Hewitt


by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS

VIDEO: Aztec For Life Ronnie Hillman congratulated by Peyton Manning

Hillman runs

Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman tries to run through the arms of linebacker Ray Lewis. (AP/Charlie Riedel)

Aztec fans –

Check out this video of Denver Broncos running back and Aztec For Life Ronnie Hillman as he scores his first career touchdown and is congratulated by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

Hillman had an impressive rookie season, as he amassed 85 carries for 330 yards and one touchdown in the regular season. He also had 10 catches for 62 yards.

His most impressive performance came in the postseason against the Baltimore Ravens, when he was heavily relied on due to an injury to starting running running back Knowshon Moreno. Although the Broncos lost the game, Hillman finished the season strong with 22 carries for 83 yards and 3 catches for 20 yards against one of the league’s toughest defenses.

Keep an eye on Hillman in 2013 to track his progress as an NFL running back.


by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS

2013 SDSU Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

Dingwell scrambles

Quarterback Adam Dingwell (6) returns in 2013 and will try to lead the Aztecs in his first full season as the starter. (Ernie Anderson/SDSU Media Relations)

Who’s gone

  • QB Ryan Katz

Projected starters (2012 stats)

  • QB #6 Adam Dingwell – RS Jr., 6-foot-4, 210 pounds (83-144, 939 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, 7 interceptions ; 43 carries, 104 yards, one touchdown)

Key reserves/Players to watch

  • QB #12 Jake Bernards– RS Sr., 6-foot-5, 215 pounds – Entering his fifth season with the Aztecs, Bernards likely knows the pro-style offense better than anyone else. He has spent most of his time as the backup quarterback, but he will be in the mix during spring practices with new offensive coordinator Bob Toledo at the helm.
  • QB #11 Matt Morin – RS Fr., 6-foot-2, 220 pounds – With a powerful arm and the ability to escape pressure and scramble, Morin has the total package. Although he may have to wait until Dingwell leaves to get his chance, he will make the quarterback competition interesting for the next two years. Look for him to turn some heads in the offseason with impressive throws and nifty scrambles.
  • QB #15 Chad Jeffries – RS So., 6-foot-2, 200 pounds – Keep an eye on Jeffires throughout the offseason to see if he can make a push for the starting job. A talented three-star recruit out of high school, he has had a tough time putting the pieces together at the collegiate level, but a strong offseason could catapult him up the depth chart.

2013 Commitments
San Diego State does not have any quarterback commits in the 2013 class, but Chase Favreau, a 2012 signee, is expected to join the team in the spring after grayshirting last season. 

Analysis
Although San Diego State fans have often pointed the finger at Dingwell for the collapse against BYU, there were several factors that contributed to the loss.

Field position was arguably the difference in the game, as BYU’s punter Riley Stephenson pinned the Aztecs inside their own 5-yard line five times. Dingwell was pressured throughout the game, and although he made some mistakes, many of the painful plays were not solely his fault.

Dingwell did not play his best in the Poinsettia Bowl, but San Diego State fans should not forget the 5-game win streak that he helped orchestrate, highlighted by come-from-behind road victories against Nevada and Boise State. His performance against Nevada, coming off the bench to replace the injured Katz, proved his incredible work ethic, as he could not have played at such a high level without tireless preparation. Ending the season on a bitter note will only fuel him more in the offseason.

With a new offensive coordinator, it is likely that the staff promotes an open battle for the starting quarterback job in the offseason. Although Bernards is consistent and knowledgeable and Morin and Jeffries are skilled young players, look for Dingwell to improve his fundamentals in the offseason and retain the starting job due to his gritty demeanor, work ethic and leadership skills.

There is no substitute for experience, and this makes Dingwell the clear frontrunner. With last season under his belt, expect a new and improved Dingwell in 2013.

Prediction
Dingwell will throw for at least 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2013.


2013 Season Preview: Home
2013 Season Preview: Defensive Line
2013 Season Preview: Linebackers
2013 Season Preview: Cornerbacks
2013 Season Preview: Safeties
2013 Season Preview: Special Teams
2013 Season Preview: Wide Receivers
2013 Season Preview: Running Backs
2013 Season Preview: Tight Ends
2013 Season Preview: Offensive Line


LINKS:
Hunter Hewitt: WordPress – http://hunterhewitt.wordpress.com
Hunter Hewitt: Blogger – http://hunterhewitt.blogspot.com
Hunter Hewitt: LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterhewitt
Hunter Hewitt: Twitter – http://twitter.com/hunterhewitt89
Hunter Hewitt: Facebook – http://facebook.com/hunterhewittSDSU
Hunter Hewitt: About.me – http://about.me/hunterhewitt
Hunter Hewitt: BrandYourself – http://hunterhewitt.brandyourself.com/
Hunter Hewitt: GoAztecs.com Player Profile – http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hewitt_hunter00.html
Hunter Hewitt: SDSU News Team Story: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news.aspx?s=73846


by Hunter Hewitt

GO AZTECS