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2021 San Diego State Football Preview: Season 2 of Hoke’s Return Shows Opportunity

gavinireGavin Ireland
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It’s been 265 days since San Diego State football took the field and a season game. And that event on December 12th, 2020, the Aztecs played BYU in Provo Utah, losing the game 14 to 28. It was the last contest in the most bizarre college football seasons anyone alive has ever seen. In an eight-game season, San Diego State finished 4-4 overall, with a 4-2 Conference record. 

It was a season with injuries, the third season in a row without a consistent starting quarterback, strange scheduling outcomes, no fans in the seats, a season opener so late in the year, fans were shopping for Halloween candy as they prepared to see the football team for the first time, and the first season led by former head coach Brady Hoke in 10 years. 

Oh, and let’s not forget about the doormat of the conference taking the Western Division title to face Boise State for the Mountain West Conference Championship. And that doormat pulled the rug from underneath the Broncos in a 34-20 victory in Las Vegas.

2021 hopes to be the end of the strange occurrences that have taken place over the past several seasons. Some of which, San Diego State has benefited from and came out on top. In fact, the last time San Diego State faced Air Force (their 7th opponent of the season), there was a delay in the football game due to lightning strikes close to the stadium. 

In San Diego. In mid-October. 

The season prior in 2017, San Diego State was facing Air Force in a Colorado Springs torrential downpour that included (you guessed it if you didn’t observe the game) a delay from lightning strikes too close to the stadium. 

Hopefully, that’s all behind us. As the second season of college football prepares to begin for the Aztecs, there are several more elements in place to be optimistic for a full 12-game season, as covid-19 protocols appeared to be in better shape than they were last season. 

2021 starts at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson against New Mexico state. The following weekend, San Diego State will face a PAC-12 opponent on the road against the University of Arizona in Tucson. In game three, San Diego State returns to Carson to face the University of Utah for the first time since they left the Mountain West Conference. The non-conference season wraps up in Carson when San Diego State plays Towson in game 4. 

The conference season offers four games at home, and four games on the road. To start the season, Rocky Long will face San Diego State for the first time since retiring as head coach and becoming defensive coordinator at the University of New Mexico. The conference season concludes with a game up in Carson against the Mountain West Conference team to beat, Boise State. 

Just as any other year, anything can happen this season. 

2021 will see senior Jordan Brookshire as the starting quarterback for the offense. Senior running back Greg Bell returns from injury which took place after a strong showing in the first quarter of the 2020 season. There appears to be an indication of this year’s offense to utilize the running back position in a more universal way, which should include more short passing situations.

Seniors BJ Busbee, Kobe Smith, and Elijah Kothe, as well as junior Jessie Matthews will be the main targets at the receiver position. 

Coach Hoke was quoted in the press conference on Tuesday and expressing his optimism in the development of the offensive line and tight end positions. A lot will rely, as it always does, on the efficiency of the offensive line this year.

On the defense, nine starters return. The biggest vacancies took place at the secondary, but the next men up look to be reliable enough to give the offense plenty of opportunity to keep this team in every single game in 2021.

Veterans Cameron Thomas (Junior), Jonah Tavai (Senior), and Keshawn Banks (Senior) will be the leaders up in the 3-man front. All three started in their positions in the 2020 season.

The linebacker positions continue with the titles, “Sam”, “Mike”, and “Will” as the second line of three in the 3-3-5 defense. Caden McDonald (Senior) will be the leader of the defense this year in the “Sam” Linebacker position. Andrew Aleki and Seyddrick Lakalaka (both Seniors) will fill out the “Mike” Linebacker position. Michael Shawcroft (Junior) and Segun Olubi (Senior) will be running the “Will” Linebacker position.

There’s also additional title to the Cornerback positions, with the two spots taking one “Field” and “Boundary” position. The Aztec position remains a one-man position, and two Warriors. These titles were adopted back in 2019 during Rocky Long’s last season.

Dallas Branch (Junior) and Taylor Hawkins (Senior) will be starting at Cornerback, with Hawkins having some veterancy as a starter. Trenton Thompson (Senior) and Cerdarious Barfield (Junior) will be the leaders for the Warrior positions. And for the Aztec position this year, Patrick McMorris (Junior) will be replacing graduate Dwayne Johnson, Jr., who left as a pivotal man in the secondary. However, McMorris was Johnson’s #2 last year at the Aztec position, so the passing of the torch is as smooth of a circumstance as it can possibly be.

This is a very capable team that has just as much of a chance to win the division and conference championship titles in 2021. There’s more than enough talent, and having the ball bounce in the way of the red and black makes a tremendous difference in this sport. It bounced properly in so many ways in 2015 and 2016. Special teams played a tremendous “X” factor in both those years that won the Mountain West Conference titles, back-to-back.

The journey to Win 22 starts tomorrow. May the uncertainties be washed away by the time the 4th quarter clock hits all zeros.

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