BYU football: Cougars will have their hands full with SDSU

PROVO — San Diego State hasn't experienced a winning season or gone to a bowl game since 1998.

The Aztecs (3-1), who are off to their best start since 2003, are well on their way to changing that this season. SDSU can move a step closer to both goals Saturday with a victory over BYU (1-4).

Second-year head coach Brady Hoke said the feeling around the program has changed, explaining his players "carry themselves a little differently. They don't want to let each other down. There's an accountability to one another."

It's also clear that SDSU is vastly improved on both sides of the ball.

The Aztecs are explosive on offense and stingy on defense. They have a bevy of offensive weapons — junior quarterback Ryan Lindley, freshman running back Ronnie Hillman, and wide receivers Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson — and a defense led by Rocky Long, the former New Mexico head coach and mentor of BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.

"When I consider San Diego State, it looks like they're playing with more confidence," Mendenhall said. "It looks like they have a better football team. It looks like they have more belief in their systems after a year's worth of work. And as you talk about Rocky, it looks more like a Rocky Long defense this year. A lot of guys flying around, getting to the ball, being in different alignments, with kind of an air about them that I don't think was in place a year ago as he was trying to get their culture changed."

When Hoke took over the program prior to the 2009 season, he said he wanted to his players to be more physical, and Mendenhall said Long is a big part of that process.

"That's what Rocky is exceptional at — building that culture," Mendenhall said. "I've seen a difference from Year 1 to Year 2."

Mendenhall, who assumed the role of defensive coordinator after firing Jaime Hill, has been busy preparing for the Aztec offense this week. Hillman is No. 7 in the nation in rushing, averaging 133 yards per game, and has scored eight touchdowns. He takes on a Cougar team ranked last in the country in rush defense and near the bottom in almost every other statistical category.

Hoke said BYU's defensive woes are skewed because of the opponents it's faced this season. But he acknowledged the importance of SDSU's ground attack.

"As part as our fundamental philosophy, we want to run the football," he said. "We want to be able to try to control the line of scrimmage the best that we can and use our play-action game off of the run."