SDSU ADDS COUGARS TO END OF SCHEDULE
San Diego State didn’t take long to locate a nonconference opponent to fill out its 2020 schedule, agreeing to play a team Aztecs fans love to hate — BYU.
SDSU will travel to Provo, Utah, for the Dec. 12 game against a team they met on an annual basis as members of the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference.
“I think it’s great playing them,” SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said. “They’re an old conference member and that rivalry and the opportunity to play them, we’re excited about it.
“Playing them at the end of the year in Provo, it will be a great atmosphere and great opportunity.”
On Thursday, the Mountain West announced the eight-game 2020 schedule. SDSU was listed with seven games — starting with UNLV on Oct. 24 at Carson’s Dignity Health Sports Park — and TBA for its eighth contest.
The opening was created because Air Force could not play on that date, reportedly because the Falcons have finals that week and could not be made available. With the MW’s other teams matched up Dec. 12, it left the Aztecs looking for a game.
This worked out nicely since BYU had already been on SDSU’s original schedule and the Cougars also still were looking for games to fill out their schedule.
This is the completion of a home-and-home series. SDSU defeated BYU 13-3 last season at SDCCU Stadium in what turns out is the last game the Aztecs will ever play at the stadium.
SDSU quarterback Carson Baker made his collegiate debut in the game. The Helix High graduate, a redshirt sophomore who is competing this season to be SDSU’s starter, stepped in for an injured Ryan Agnew and completed 19-of-24 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.
BYU (2-0) opened the season with a 55-3 win over Navy and defeated Troy 48-7 last week. The Cougars played Louisiana Tech on Friday night.
“I watched a little bit of the Navy game, and that got out of hand, but I really haven’t seen them,” Hoke said. “It’s not a team that we anticipated we’d play (after the season was postponed in August), so we haven’t done much work, film study and breakdown yet.
“Their roster pretty much changes every year. Their roster management with guys going on missions, guys coming back for them, we don’t know the team real well.”
Getting closer to full contact
With its season opener just more than three weeks away, the San Diego State football team appears on the verge of being able to conduct the 11-on-11, full-contact practice drills essential for progressing to play a game.
In order to be properly prepared, the Aztecs have to be able to block and tackle and run plays with a full complement of players on the field.
State health officials released a 37-page document Wednesday with updated guidelines for institutions of higher education.
The state’s seven college football teams — SDSU, Fresno State and San Jose State in the Mountain West and Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC in the Pac-12 — took particular interest in Page 34.
That’s where practice guidelines were revised to allow up to 75 people on the field at one time, with 25 cohorts allowed.
Spectators remain prohibited from attending practices or games.
Previously, cohorts were limited to 12 players, which, obviously, prevented 11-on-11 drills.
The Aztecs are working with San Diego County and campus officials as they progress to full-contact practices.
“The county is evaluating all the time and our people on campus are evaluating all the time,” Hoke said. “We’re getting real close to being where we want to be. Right now we’ve still got two groups, as of (Thursday and Friday), that (went) out on the field.
“We’re getting a little more contact in, social distancing some of the day and then being able to line up a little bit and a little more football as well.”
Asked if 11-on-11 drills could be done within the next 3-4 practices, Hoke said, “I would think so.”
One important condition of the new guidelines is that antigen testing be conducted daily on players, coaches and staff.
When the Mountain West announced last week it was restoring the fall season, it said antigen testing would be required three times a week.
The conference said it would bear 100 percent of the cost of testing. A MW spokesman said Thursday that remains the case and that any change in that policy would require approval from the Mountain West Board of Directors.
According to the state guidelines, games can be played only if COVID-19 tests and results can be provided within 48 hours of the game.