SDSU looking to avoid upset

By rbrown
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Updated: August 31, 2016

Kirk Kenney
San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego State head coach Rocky Long was asked on Tuesday at his weekly press conference about the possibility of SDSU looking past New Hampshire, its opponent in Saturday’s season opener.

The Wildcats are an FCS team that is a substantial underdog against an SDSU squad ranked among the Top 25 teams in the nation in some preseason polls.

Long need only go back to the 2013 season opener to make the point that the Aztecs shouldn’t be looking ahead to Cal, their Week 2 opponent, or anyone else on the schedule.

The Aztecs were 14-point favorites in their opener three years ago against another FCS team, Eastern Illinois, and were soundly defeated 40-19 at Qualcomm Stadium.

“There’s only one class left that remembers Eastern Illinois,” Long said. “Our senior class remembers Eastern Illinois, who came out here. We should have won. They had to travel a long way. We were playing at home. We were a better football team, and they beat us. …

“Young people of this age believe what they want to believe. If they don’t have the right attitude about it, we’re going to be in trouble. Obviously, as a coach and people in charge you throw all those out there. You give them the reasons why they should be ready to go and they should be this and they should be that. But if they want to believe that this game is going to be easy, we’re in trouble.”

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