By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Injury-ridden Aztecs 'hungry' to upset Arizona
For those who think that San Diego State is the 2000 incarnation of Middle Tennessee State, think again.
The Aztecs (0-2) may be winless in two games, but that doesn't make SDSU any less dangerous, according to UA head coach Dick Tomey.
"San Diego State is comparable to Utah, Fresno State, and those kind of teams," he said. "They're hungry for a win - just like we are."
In the teams' last meeting, San Diego State had statistical advantages in first downs, rushing yards and passing yards. The Wildcats, were clearly out-muscled in the second half but prevailed 35-16.
"In 1998, they beat the dickens out of us in the second half," Tomey said.
The Wildcats and Aztecs have seemingly been bitten by injuries going into this week of practice.
Arizona has lost left guard Steven Grace and wide receiver Brad Brennan for the game, while SDSU has learned that defensive lineman Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and All-Mountain West Conference tight end Gray McNeil are both lost for the season following injuries.
"You've just got to get the next guy ready to play," Tollner said. "We were young to begin with."
Despite losing the last two meetings between the two schools, San Diego State has the firepower to threaten the Wildcats on both sides of the ball.
Of the players left standing following last weekend's 49-13 loss to No. 19 Illinois, quarterback Jack Hawley and running back Larry Ned may pose the biggest problems to the Wildcats.
Hawley, a senior from El Segundo, Calif., had 1,942 passing yards last season - the most for a first-year Aztec quarterback since 1993.
The senior's physical play was not lost on Tomey.
"Hawley's a very good-looking quarterback," Tomey said. "He's got a very live arm and is a tremendous athlete."
Hawley is recovering from a neck injury suffered while tackling a defensive back that had intercepted a pass in last weekend's game against the Illini.
"It's sad when the quarterback gets the big hit in a game," Tollner said. "Jack's a very aggressive, physical type of quarterback."
Hawley's aggressiveness impresses sophomore linebacker Lance Briggs, who leads the Pacific 10 Conference in tackles.
"Hawley likes contact - I like that," Briggs said. "He's a real take-you-on kind of guy. We're going to have to stop them every down."
Ned, a preseason Doak Walker Award candidate, has been a thorn in UA's side ever since 1998, when the senior rushed for 146 yards on 36 carries as the Wildcats defeated SDSU, 28-3, at Qualcomm Stadium.
Despite missing the first two games of the season following knee surgery, Ned is expected to be SDSU's primary offensive threat this weekend.
"We still haven't tackled Larry Ned," Tomey said. "He's big and strong. A couple of years ago, he was the best big back we played against."
Briggs agreed.
"Ned's real tough," the sophomore said. "He gave it to our defense a few times."
Defensively, the Aztecs are led by senior defensive tackle Jerome Haywood.
Just 5-foot-9, Haywood was named one of the nation's best "little men" by Sports Illustrated in 1999.
"When I was a senior in high school, I was getting letters from schools like Texas and Wisconsin," Haywood said. "When I sent my profiles in, people saw that I was 5-(foot)-9 and they threw it in the trash. I was upset."
While Haywood's size turned off some schools, Tomey believes the senior's stature works to his advantage.
"He was a great wrestler in high school," Tomey said. "He's so compact and athletic, he's hard to block. Some guys are tall with a lot of surface to get pads on. With him, there's not a lot to block. He's quick and tenacious."
Arizona, plagued by injuries and offensive problems, can't afford to take any team for granted - much less San Diego State.
"This game will bring out the hunger in everybody," Haywood said. "Any win we get out of conference will get everybody excited - our fans, our people and our supporters. We've got to test our manhood."
Even UCLA, who defeated No. 3 Alabama on Sept. 2, was threatened by Fresno State in last weekend's 24-21 win.
"It's Division I football, as UCLA would attest," Tomey said. " There's not as much of a difference between Alabama and Fresno State as people would like to think."
Ryan Finley can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.
