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After a tough loss to start the season last week at Stanford the Aztecs have their home opener this Saturday vs Sacramento State.
Sac State so far this season:
Last week the Hornets opened up the season with a 48 point win over an NAIA school. Their QB Kevin Thomson went 11/12 for 224 yards and a pair of scores with his 11 passes going to nine different receivers. The tempo and spread style they play with will test an Aztec secondary that had a less than impressive outing in the first game of the year. On defense they registered two sacks but I do not think that there will be much of an issue for the offensive live to deal with during the game.
At his press conference this week SDSU head coach Rocky Long had this to say about the Hornets “They’re a very talented, explosive football team that last year and the first game this year show they can play the game really, really well,” Long said.
What to expect from SDSU:
The Aztecs are the marquee name on Sacramento State’s schedule this season so this should be an opportunity for a reversal of roles from last week. Look for a heavy dosage of the run game early on as Juwan Washington will be used as the battering ram to break open the defense and control the clock early in the game. Once the run game forces Sac State to crowd the box on defense there should be an opportunity for Christian Chapman to get some really favorable matchups in the passing game.
On defense this should open up as a game of heavy pressure up front to help generate turnovers. Only one sack and one turnover last week was a deep decline from the numbers that fans grew accustom to last season so heavy blitzes and pressure early should be expected. The secondary will have to be on full alert with Sac State being inclined to spread the ball around so much but defense should be capable of handling the task.
Prediction:
While there is always room for a trap game upset worst case scenario type result this should be a convincing win for SDSU.
49 - 10 San Diego State