San Diego State Football: Aztecs surge back to top of MWC in 2018

Defense

The 3-3-5 defense employed by the Aztecs has been a key part of the team’s success in recent years. And even though defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales left to take the same position at Arizona State, things will not change much in San Diego. This defense has the imprint of Rocky Long all over it, and that will remain after the promotion of linebackers coach Zach Arnett.

Defense was at the heart of San Diego State’s conference titles in 2015 and 2016 even more than offensive productivity. In 2015, the unit ranked seventh in the country in scoring defense by giving up just 16.4 points per game. That went up slightly in 2016, as they Aztecs conceded 20.2 points on average. In 2017, they maintained that mark and remained a top-25 unit in points allowed.

That stinginess is what fueled upsets of Stanford and Arizona State in 2017. The midseason swoon against Boise State and Fresno State was due to a lack of scoring, as the Aztecs offense failed to sustain drives and overworked the defense. If the offense can offer more consistent support, a developing unit could return to elite status.

Focusing on the secondary

In many metrics, there was little drop in defense last year. Where San Diego State collapsed, though, was in terms of its ballhawking secondary. In its back-to-back championship seasons, the Aztecs were a top-two unit nationally in interceptions. The 2015 team finished second in the FBS with 23, while the 2016 group led the country with 26 picks.

That productivity dropped by nearly half in 2017. Youth throughout the two-deep forced the coaching staff to play more conservatively in the backfield than they had in the past. But now the group has gained a year of collegiate experience, and Long and new defensive coordinator Arnett are likely to open things back up on the back end.

The group was disruptive but not destructive as they have been in the past. Tariq Thompson could be a breakout star after leading the team with five interceptions as a freshman, and a more experienced group should return the Aztecs secondary to an elite level in 2018.