Time may be running out for San Diego State to save itself from yet another disappointing season, which might cause the dismissal of head coach Tom Craft.
Since Craft arrived in San Diego, he has gone 16-26, without a winning season.
The Aztecs have always seemed to be right on the cusp of being a top Mountain West Conference team but never seem to be able to put it all together.
In 2003, Craft’s Aztecs started out 3-1, with their only loss coming to No. 6 Ohio State, 16-13. But then they lost four straight and finished 6-6.
They had a similar start in 2004, losing by just three to No. 17 Michigan, and starting with a 2-1 record. Then they lost six straight contests and settled for a losing season.
And this season seems to be heading in the same direction, except this time they weren’t even close to the ranked teams they faced at the beginning of the season: UCLA and Ohio State.
They began by losing three straight games but appeared to be back on track after pounding both San Jose State and BYU in San Diego.
But the success was short-lived, as the offense struggled last week in a 13-10 loss to lowly UNLV.
Quarterback Kevin O’Connell threw three interceptions and no touchdowns, while the rushing game added next to nothing with 34 yards on 35 carries.
The Aztecs finished the game with just 140 yards of total offense, while finishing 0-15 on third down conversions.
“Offensively, we didn’t play with the consistency that we’ve been playing and the trend toward playing better and better each week,” Craft said. “It was really puzzling how we could come out and play like that. It’s just very disappointing, and it wasn’t just in one area-it was in all areas.”
To make matters worse, the Aztecs might be without their top running back for the game against the Utes.
Lynell Hamilton, a Doak Walker Award candidate, went down in the second quarter of the UNLV game with a hamstring injury and is questionable for the game Saturday.
Aztec receiver Jeff Webb also had a down game against the Rebels, catching just three passes for 25 yards. It was night and day from his 12-catch, 129-yard effort just a week earlier in San Diego State’s thrashing of BYU.
In last years 51-28 loss to the Utes, Webb caused all sorts of problems for the Utah secondary, leading all Aztec receivers by catching nine passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Backup running back Brandon Bornes also looked solid in last year’s contest, carrying the ball 17 times for 112 yards in the loss. If Hamilton’s hamstring prevents him from suiting up, Bornes should be prepared to take on the Utes’ defensive front.
Although Utah had a heartbreaking finish at Colorado State, San Diego State also dealt with a game-ending upset. The Aztecs’ chances of an overtime opportunity were dashed as Rebels kicker Sergio Aguayo nailed a 52-yard field goal with just nine seconds remaining.
It won’t get any easier for the Aztecs; their next five games are against Utah, New Mexico, TCU, Colorado State and Wyoming-the top teams in the MWC.
“We’re at the halfway point. We’ve played well at times, and we’ve made some progress in some areas,” Craft said. “Now we need to carry that into some consistency during this stretch.”