Aztecs Don’t Look Nearly So Easy Now

Nebraska began the week as the NCAA’s Division I-A leader in team defense, giving up an average of 208 total yards a game, and Oklahoma was third on the defensive charts, yielding an average of 248.25.

Sandwiched between the 15th-ranked Cornhuskers and top-ranked Sooners, and looking about as out of place as Duane Kuiper batting between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, was San Diego State, which had the nation’s second-ranked defense and will put it up against UCLA’s sputtering offense tonight in the Rose Bowl.

A closer look at the Aztecs’ 3-1 record reveals victories over two Division I-AA opponents, Eastern Washington and Samford, and a 34-0 pasting of winless and hapless Texas El Paso, which has also lost this season to lowly Arizona, 42-7; to Division I-AA Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 34-13, and to Louisville, 43-14.

But the Aztecs also went toe to toe with defending national champion Ohio State, limiting the second-ranked Buckeyes to 196 yards in a 16-13 loss on Sept. 6, and those overall defensive numbers, though they might not tell the whole truth, don’t lie much.

For a UCLA team looking for any reason to take the Aztecs seriously, to not overlook a team the Bruins have a 17-0-1 record against -- and whipped, 43-7, last season -- there is no better number than the skimpy 229.50 average total yards the Aztecs have given up this season.

“It is what it is, that’s saying something,” UCLA running back Manuel White said of San Diego State’s defensive ranking. “We’re going to have to bring our A game against them. We’ll approach them just like we approached Oklahoma last week.”

This was supposed to be the gimme on the Bruins’ tough nonconference schedule, the easy victory that would provide a final tuneup going into Pacific 10 Conference play, but it is looming as a potential albatross.

The Bruins (1-2) are 10 1/2-point favorites, and their defense could overwhelm an Aztec offense that has a fine running threat in freshman Lynell Hamilton but lost highly regarded quarterback Adam Hall to an ankle injury in the second quarter of the first game and will start inconsistent sophomore Matt Dlugolecki tonight.

But as much as UCLA has struggled on offense -- both in executing plays and getting the right plays and formations sent in from the sidelines -- and as much as San Diego State appears to have improved defensively, there’s a good chance the game could be low scoring and close.

And the longer San Diego State remains within striking distance, the more confident the Aztecs will become. They almost beat Ohio State, so who’s to say they couldn’t pull off the upset of UCLA, a victory that would intensify the heat on first-year Coach Karl Dorrell and his staff.

“They’re playing lights-out on defense,” Dorrell said of the Aztecs. “They have guys who can cover on the back side, they have an active front, they do a good job of disrupting schemes in the running game, and they get after the quarterback. This is not the typical San Diego State team of the past. This is a very good football team.”

The Aztecs certainly have the Bruins’ attention. UCLA used big plays on offense and special teams to take a 33-7 halftime lead en route to the easy victory over San Diego State last year, but no one is expecting a repeat tonight.

“With our coaching staff, I don’t think we’ll ever take anyone too lightly,” Bruin quarterback Drew Olson said. “We haven’t been superior by any means in any phase of any of the three games we’ve played, so there’s no reason we should go into any game thinking it’s going to be an easier game. They’re a real good opponent. It will be a good challenge for us.”

The Aztecs have two strong cornerbacks in Jacob Elimimian, a sophomore from Crenshaw High, and senior Jeff Shoate, who have combined for 17 pass breakups and three interceptions in four games.

They have two highly regarded linebackers in Kirk Morrison, a junior All-American candidate who leads the team with 36 tackles, 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss, and Matt McCoy, a sophomore from Tustin High who ranks second on the team with 31 tackles.

“We might be a little better on defense because we have so many returning starters,” Coach Tom Craft said, an obvious understatement, considering the Aztecs gave up an average of 31 points and 411 yards a game in 2002. “Our experience makes us better.”

Probably not better than UCLA, though. Although the Bruins’ mistake-prone offense has struggled to move the ball consistently and score, the UCLA defense ranks 25th nationally, giving up an average of 294 yards, and 19th in rushing (88.7 yards a game), having held its own against the potent offenses of Colorado and Oklahoma.

Linebacker Brandon Chillar leads the Bruins with 40 tackles, 19 of them solo; end Dave Ball has a team-leading four sacks and four tackles for loss, and UCLA has intercepted five passes in the last two games.

“We were pretty enamored with Ohio State’s defense, the front, the linebackers, the secondary, but I think UCLA’s defense might be better,” Craft said. “They react and cover very well, their linebackers are better, and they’re every bit as athletic and rangier in the secondary. They really limited us last year, and they have a lot of guys back.”