There was significant grumbling in certain sections of the San Diego State football fan base when the Aztecs started the 2015 season with a 1-3 record.
And a headline in the Union-Tribune got right to the point: “Long not the guy to lead Aztecs to a higher level,” with a columnist calling for coach Rocky Long’s firing.
The Aztecs, led by Long, plugged along.
What followed was the greatest turnaround in program history. The Aztecs won 10 straight games. They went undefeated in Mountain West play, beat Air Force for the conference championship and capped it off with a lopsided victory over Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl.
“We were a very talented team that didn’t hit our stride right away,” Long said by phone this week. “When we figured out how to play the game, we were pretty good.”
Long, 75, has “retired” to Durango, Colo., where he is the first-year defensive coordinator for the Durango High School Demons. He took a few minutes to reflect while making the 3 1/2-hour road trip from Durango for a Thursday afternoon game at Palisade High School.
Long returns to town for Saturday night’s game against Cal. He will serve with former running back DJ Pumphrey as Honor Warriors for the game, leading the Aztecs into Snapdragon Stadium and onto the field against the Golden Bears. Dozens and dozens of former players from the 2015 team are expected to be in attendance to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that championship season.
“I consider myself lucky to be a part of one of the most special teams in SDSU history,” wide receiver Mikah Holder, an Oceanside High School graduate, said this week. “Being on a winning team is a feat in itself, but being on a championship team is a rare accomplishment that I love to look back on.
“Our toughness, resilience and determination set us apart from other teams that may have had an edge on us with talent or size, but we always carried that dog mentality that kept us in the fight no matter the opponent.”
The 2015 Aztecs tied the school record with 11 victories. They won all eight of their regular-season MW games by double digits, with a 19.9-point average margin of victory.
They set a school rushing record (3,266 yards), with running backs DJ Pumphrey (1,653 yards) and Chase Price (1,008 yards) giving the Aztecs a pair of 1,000-yard backs for the first time in school history.
The SDSU defense ranked among the top 10 in the nation in yards allowed (287.3, fifth), scoring defense (16.4, seventh), rushing yards allowed (108.7, seventh) and passing yards allowed (178.6, 10th).
SDSU safety Trey Lomax called it “one of the most memorable teams I’ve ever been a part of.”
“I think we had an amazing senior class and great leadership on both sides of the ball,” Lomax, a Mira Mesa High School graduate, said this week. “And all of it being spearheaded by Coach Long. I think our camaraderie on and off the field is what led to our success. We were all very close to each other.”
Not many people could have forecast such success after such a slow start.
SDSU opened the season with a 37-3 victory over the University of San Diego that included two interceptions returned for touchdowns by linebacker Calvin Munson. The lopsided score was to be expected against a nonscholarship FCS program,
Losses to Cal (35-7), South Alabama (34-27 in overtime) and Penn State (37-21) followed.
Cal, which featured Jared Goff at quarterback, was the only lopsided defeat of the bunch. South Alabama was the game that got away.
Penn State, which featured Saquon Barkley in the backfield, was one they may have won as well.
Three lost fumbles derailed SDSU against the Nittany Lions. SDSU trailed 27-21 in the third quarter and was driving for a go-ahead touchdown when Aztecs quarterback Maxwell Smith lost the ball on a sack and Penn State scored on a 71-yard fumble return.
The grief from outside observers grew with each defeat.
“You always have the naysayers when things don’t go right,” Long said. “That team was pretty talented, but we were not as veteran a team as some people think and it took us a while to figure out how to use the players that were successful.”
The pieces fell into place when SDSU opened conference play against Fresno State, which was limited to 89 yards in total offense in the Aztecs’ 21-7 victory. Pumphrey began a stretch of eight straight 100-yard rushing games against the Bulldogs.
The wins started piling up from there, at Hawaii (28-14), then at home against San Jose State (30-7) and Utah State (48-14), then at Colorado State (41-17), where SDSU’s defense forced four turnovers for the second straight game.
A win against Wyoming (38-3) all but clinched the West Division title before closing out the regular season with victories at UNLV (52-14) and at home against Nevada (31-14).
The win over the Wolf Pack gave SDSU its first undefeated conference season in 41 years, but it came at a cost. Smith suffered a torn ACL and was replaced at quarterback by redshirt freshman Christian Chapman. The Carlsbad High School made his first collegiate start in the conference championship game against Air Force.
“All I did was study,” Chapman said this week. “I felt more prepared for that game than maybe than any game of my career. Just ready for that team because I didn’t want to let any of my boys down.
“I knew when I went in there it was just protect the ball, don’t do anything stupid and get out of there with a win.”
They did — barely. SDSU kicker Donny Hageman’s 46-yard field goal with three minutes remaining made the difference in the Aztecs’ 27-24 victory.
SDSU had a much easier time of it against Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl, beating the Bearcats 42-7.
Rashaad Penny opened the game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and SDSU was off and running.
The scoring included a 14-yard touchdown pass from Chapman to Holder, two touchdowns by fullback Dakota Gordon, the first on a 16-yard option pass from Pumphrey, and a 43-yard interception return by defensive lineman Alex Barrett.
The defensive effort included cornerback Damontae Kazee’s eighth interception of the season.
“By the end of the year, that’s as good a football team as I’ve ever been associated with,” Long said. “What I really believe is that team could have played anybody anytime. You let us play Penn State at the end of the year and that game is different, too. I’m talking about the big boys. We could have played with any of the name schools.”
The Aztecs nearly swept the postseason all-conference awards. Long was selected Coach of the Year, with Pumphrey, Kazee and Penny, the top offensive, defensive and special teams player, respectively.
All three players repeated the honors in 2016. And so did the Aztecs. They went 11-3 again, beat Wyoming in the Mountain West title game and then topped Houston in the Las Vegas Bowl.
San Diego State (1-1) vs. Cal (3-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium
TV: CBS Sports Network