Quarterback is usually the most glamorous position on the football field. Key word, usually.
If one watched any of last year’s San Diego State football games, the quarterback play wasn’t glamorous.
SDSU hasn’t had a strong signal caller since Ryan Lindley in 2008-11.
He ultimately broke several school passing records on his way to a journeyman career in the NFL that now has him on the New England Patriots’ roster.
Even if the Aztecs have a good quarterback, which they won’t know until they name a starter, SDSU still needs the wide receivers to step up.
Receiving was a point of emphasis at last week’s press conference when Rocky Long berated the group for not being physical and aggressive last year.
Enter, Hunkie Cooper, the new wide receivers coach.
While most people wonder who the next starting quarterback will be, Cooper is focused on changing the culture within the wide receivers group. And it’s apparently working.
“I mean, we’re responding. Right when he got here, he was full go,” sophomore wideout Chase Favreau said.
For Favreau, wide receiver is still a new gig. He entered 2014 fall camp as a quarterback, then was switched to wide receiver when the regular season started.
Now, Favreau is listed as the starting Z receiver on the depth chart.
Cooper thinks Favreau’s career as a quarterback helps him “100 percent.”
“You know the defenses, what they’re giving, what they’re taking,” Cooper said. “Now that he has a wide receiver mental attitude and approach to the game, I think that’s why he’s having so much success.”
Favreau isn’t the only one responding to Cooper. All the receivers are.
Cooper specifically mentioned Eric Judge, the junior from San Diego High who caught 23 balls for 439 yards and two touchdowns a season ago.
Judge has been rapidly improving as far back as spring practice when Cooper was hired.
Sophomore Oceanside High graduate Mikah Holder has also seen improvements and is contending for the starting X receiver spot.
Quarterbacks improve, no word on who will start
Even though it’s unknown who will be SDSU’s starting quarterback this season, the three players competing for that spot look more competent every day of practice.
Junior transfer Jake Rodrigues started off fall camp shaky. His throws were wobbly, off-target and didn’t have as much zip on them. And this was all after not impressing at all in the spring.
He split most of the reps on Wednesday morning, the first session of the team’s two-a-day practice, and it wasn’t hard to see why.
Rodrigues showed confidence and accuracy, his passes leading the receivers and only once throwing a bad ball.
Rodrigues originally went to Whitney High in Rocklin, California, and was recruited by SDSU, but chose University of Oregon instead. He played in two games in 2013, throwing for just 67 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Graduate transfer Maxwell Smith continued to display accuracy and touch on his throws downfield. Smith commonly puts the ball where only the receivers can get to it.
At University of Kentucky, Smith threw for over 3,000 yards in three years. While that may not be the most impressive statistic, he did limit turnovers in a very defense-heavy SEC.
He tossed 21 touchdowns against just nine interceptions and also completed just over 60 percent of his passes.
Redshirt freshman Christian Chapman didn’t see much action Wednesday morning. The Carlsbad High product has been touted as the “other” quarterback competing for the starting job.
Chapman has impressed in different ways. He’s more mobile than Smith and throws better than Rodrigues.
At Carlsbad High, Chapman was an all-Avocado League choice his senior year, when he threw 23 touchdowns.
For now, not a lot more will be known about the quarterbacks. They’re still prohibited from speaking with the media until next week at the very least.
Injury Report
Junior wide receiver Lloyd Mills has a hamstring injury and has been limited in practice. His injury is the same light strain that’s also limited Jemond Hazely this week.
Mills is listed at No. 2 on the depth chart at the Z receiver spot. He featured prominently last year on punt returns, returning 17 punts for 205 yards with a touchdown. He also caught 22 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown.
