Aztecs Will Use Medic-Aid in an Effort to Stop Hawaii

SAN DIEGO —  The collection of playing wounded on the San Diego State defense almost is reaching the point that if a player doesn’t have a cast, a bandage or some other form of protective padding, he isn’t a part of the team.

The trend started a month ago with nose tackle Brad Burton wearing a heavily padded cast to protect a compound dislocation of his right index finger.

Since then, the list of injured players has grow long and troublesome. For a unit that was having enough problems being competitive even with its best players on the field, the latest news is not encouraging.

The Aztecs enter tonight’s Western Athletic Conference game against Hawaii at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium with the prospect of having at least eight of their top players either playing with injuries or starting the game on the bench.

The group includes inside linebacker Lee Brannon (sprained knee), inside linebacker Tracey Mao (sprained ankle), outside linebacker Kevin Maultsby (partially separated shoulder), cornerback Mario Mitchell (sprained ankle), cornerback Clark Moses (sprained ankle), inside linebacker Sai Niu (bruised thigh), end Milt Wilson (sprained ankle) and Burton.

Add the loss of end Todd Coomes, out of the season after breaking his ankle 2 weeks ago, and there is plenty of reason for concern about the task the Aztecs face tonight at 7 in their homecoming game.

Hawaii (4-1, 2-1 in WAC) won its first four games, including a season-opening 27-24 victory over Iowa. The Rainbow Warriors lost, 42-25, to Texas El Paso last Saturday, but the 4-1 start is their best since 1982. They also have road victories over Colorado State and Utah, and a victory against the Aztecs would give them a sweep of their three conference road games for the first time in 4 seasons.

“We’re certainly happy,” said Bob Wagner, Hawaii’s coach. “It’s extremely tough to be in this position, yet we’re disappointed this week. After winning our first four games, it was our time for some disappointment.”

Much of Hawaii’s success comes from one of the more balanced offenses in the conference. The Rainbow Warriors are averaging 244.6 yards rushing, 195.6 yards passing and 33.4 points per game.

Their option offense is run by quarterback Warren Jones and running back Heikoti Fakava.

Jones has completed 57.8% (63 of 109) of his passes for 978 yards and had not thrown an interception until he threw 3 against UTEP. He also is second on the team in rushing behind Fakava with 264 yards on 78 carries.

Fakava, who led the country is scoring for much of last season until SDSU’s Paul Hewitt took over, has scored 9 touchdowns and rushed for 495 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

The Rainbow Warriors run behind a line that averages 289 pounds and features guard Mark Nua, who is listed at 6 feet 7 inches and 381 pounds.

“These guys want to run the ball,” said Ed Schmidt, SDSU’s defensive coordinator.

Unfortunately for the Aztecs (1-4, 1-1), stopping the run is something they do as poorly as any team in the country. SDSU is 102nd out 104 NCAA Division I-A teams in rushing defense, allowing an average of 303.6 yards per game. Opponents are averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

About the best news for the Aztecs in this regard is that Hawaii will be without Dane McArthur, its left slotback and third leading rusher. McArthur is out for about 3 weeks with strained knee ligaments.

But one serious Hawaii injury cannot begin to balance the Aztecs’ troubles.

Schmidt said he is unsure how much he can expect from several of his injured players. He said he does not anticipate that either Mitchell or Moses will start at the cornerbacks, leaving Gary Triplett and Randy Peterson to begin the game. Triplett has been a reserve free safety for most of the season, and Peterson will be making his first start since being converted from wide receiver in the spring.

Brannon missed last Saturday’s 55-27 loss to Wyoming and will have to play with a large brace around his injured left knee. Mao and Wilson tried to play last week, but they were far from their best.

For all their troubles, the Aztecs point out they still are not out of the WAC race. Only Wyoming is unbeaten, and the Aztecs and Warrior Rainbows are among four teams with one conference loss. But a loss to Hawaii likely would knock the Aztecs out; no team in the WAC’s 26-year history has won the title with two losses.

Complicating the Aztecs’ job is that after tonight they must play four of their last five games on the road. Their only remaining home game will be Nov. 5 against Brigham Young.

To make a true title run, the Aztecs figure they must avoid the kind of first quarter that haunted them in losing their past three games. The Aztecs were outscored, 56-3, in the first quarter of those games and have been outscored, 77-10, in the first quarter this season.

“Our defense is pretty good if we can get them back on the field,” SDSU Coach Denny Stolz said. “We do not have any depth whatsoever. Our defense played well in parts of those ballgames, but as soon as we lose some regulars, we’re in trouble.”

The slow starts defensively have made it more difficult for an offense that is trying to find its pace with new quarterback Brad Platt. Behind early, the Aztecs have found themselves under a strong pass rush.

Aztec Notes

San Diego State is 29-15-2 in homecoming games. The Aztecs are unbeaten in their past three games against Hawaii. The teams tied, 10-10, in 1985, and the Aztecs won in 1986 (35-5) and 1987 (29-21). . . . Right guard Nick Subis is bothered by a bruised shoulder and will be replaced by senior Mike Vincent, Coach Denny Stolz said. Split end Alfred Jackson is out with a compound dislocation of the middle finger on his right hand and will be replaced by Monty Gilbreath. . . . Scouts from the Holiday Bowl will be at four games today. They will attend Syracuse at Penn State, Oklahoma State at Nebraska, Washington State at Arizona and Washington at USC. The Holiday Bowl, to be played Dec. 30.