Mailbag on the Mesa
Editor's note: Every Friday ASR Publisher Edward Lewis will answer some questions from fans about the Aztecs in this weekly mailbag. Send questions to edwardflewis@yahoo.com, @EdwardLewisASR on Twitter, post questions on the message board or put questions on ASR's Facebook page.
Ian: From what you have seen after week one in the conference, give me your predicted record for San Diego state. Who do we beat and who do we lose to in your opinion?
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I don't usually like answering these record-prediction questions, but I really feel like I should go on the record now so I don't get accused of bandwagon hopping in a few weeks.
I can honestly foresee this team going on a 2011 SDSU men's basketball-like run this season. I can see the Aztecs beating lesser opponents in Cal Poly, Army and Washington State and then upsetting Michigan in Ann Arbor. I really feel like that game could do to SDSU what the Gonzaga game in Washington did for the basketball Aztecs last year. Beating a ranked or close-to-ranked team on the road would give SDSU huge momentum, just like it did for D.J. Gay's squad on the court last season, and I could see it just opening a Pandora's Box of delight for Aztec fans.
With that said, if SDSU can beat Michigan and move to 4-0, I'm saying it finishes the season with a 10-2 or 11-1 record, losing barely to Boise State at home and dropping another game somewhere along the MW schedule. If the Aztecs lose to Michigan, however, I see them being around 9-3 or 8-4. Either way, the Aztecs should have no problem making a bowl, the real question is can this Aztec squad be an unforgettable one?
Daniel: So SDSU picked up another 2012 commitment in Skylar Spencer this week. Who should we root for for the Aztecs to pick up with these last two scholarships?
Click Here to view this Link.For me, I say forget all the "position needs" stuff. Yes, SDSU would love to find a point guard for the 2012 class, but it shouldn't deny talented forwards scholarships. The Aztecs love Winston ShepardClick Here to view this Link., Cleanthony EarlyClick Here to view this Link. and Matt WillmsClick Here to view this Link., and if any two of those three commit, SDSU fans should be ecstatic. So I would say that's who you should be "rooting for" in these next few months.
After those guys, Tyrone Wallace, Joe Rahon and Justin Seymour should be the next three you would want. All three should have a good shot at playing the point for the Aztecs if they chose to come to Montezuma Mesa. But if SDSU can get commitments from two of the big three forwards (Shepard, Willms and Early), I say take them first. We will see how it all goes, though.
Eric: You've seen SDSU play one game now, so in your opinion, who's going to have a breakout year?
It's hard not to say Colin Lockett here. The guy is a gamer. On that deep ball that he caught from Ryan Lindley in the first quarter last weekend, I saw him drop that same pass at least four times in practices this summer. But when it mattered, he hauled that thing in like he was a three-year starting veteran receiver. And after that, he looked more than comfortable catching Lindley's passes. Now he was a bit off on some of his routes, but when he cleans those up later this season, he might have an all-conference season.
As for a less obvious breakout guy, I'll say defensive back Nat Berhe. I can remember a few years ago when he was a true freshman, then-head coach Brady Hoke told me he really liked Berhe, and now I'm starting to see why. He's big and physical and he always seems to be in the right spots. In fact, last Sunday, head coach Rocky Long singled out Berhe as one of SDSU's best players on Saturday night.
Tyler: Do you have a prediction for Saturday's game against Army?
I answered this same question in our analysts feature earlier this week, but I'll answer it here again. I think in past years, this would have been a much tougher game for SDSU. The flight from San Diego to West Point is no joke and then having a 9 a.m. PT kickoff is even worse. But this Aztec team is very veteran at the right spots and it's talented at just about every position, so I say SDSU walks away 2-0 with a 34-17 victory.