Mike Bobo explains why facing Rocky Long will be a unique challenge

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The 2019 season has been a struggle for Colorado State football (1-4) and the path does not get any easier from here.

Starting with San Diego State (3-1) on Saturday, every team that CSU will face from here is at least .500, except for UNLV (1-3). And while the Ram faithful will not want to hear it, the Aztecs are as dangerous as any team in the Mountain West.

Since Rocky Long took the head coaching position in 2011, SDSU has pretty much been the definition of consistency — the Aztecs haven’t had a losing season since 2009 and they’ve averaged roughly nine wins per season over the last decade.

Following a relatively quiet season for their standards, Long, unsurprisingly, seems to have his squad poised to make another championship run.

As Mike Bobo explained earlier this week, the Aztecs are extremely stout on defense — in fact, they might even be the best unit in the league. Through four games, SDSU is allowing only 11.8 points per game. That figure is currently eighth-best in the nation.

“I know they were a little down last year, but defensively they’re as strong as ever,” Bobo said.

“I think they’re back to where they’ve been in the past. I think they’re number one in the conference in total defense — probably every category — I’m sure, just watching them play.”

The Aztecs use a formation which features a three-man front and five defensive backs. Leading the way for SDSU, according to Bobo, is Dwayne Johnson Jr., a veteran safety in his fourth year with the program. In four games, Johnson Jr. has recorded 31 total tackles and has both forced and recovered a fumble.

“I think he’s an exceptional football player and an exceptional tackler,” Bobo said. “I think he makes them better defensively but they’ve got veteran guys in the secondary. It’s going to be a big, big challenge for us.”

The secondary isn’t the only thing that concerns Bobo about Long’s defense either. The Aztecs use movement from their defensive front to confuse opposing offensive lines and create confusion. If the Rams don’t communicate well or identify their assignments, Bobo knows it may be a long night for his offense.

“Going against him, it’s a lot about being able to have proper footwork and doing the right things offensively,” Bobo said. “Because if you don’t, you’ll get exposed and have lost yardage plays. That’s what they live on.”

When the Aztecs last came to Fort Collins in 2015, SDSU rolled the Rams, 41-17. In that matchup, SDSU basically played a perfect game. The offense moved the football at will, gashing the Rams for 456 total yards (276 rushing). Defensively, SDSU was just as impressive, forcing four turnovers and scoring a touchdown of their own.

On that day, Bobo simply could not figure out Long — he admitted as much at his weekly press conference on Monday. The 2016 matchup was a different story, though. One year after being embarrassed at Hughes Stadium, the Rams went into SDCCU Stadium and handed an 11-win team a 32-point beatdown. The 63-31 win is the second-largest margin of defeat over a league opponent in the Bobo era.

After a two-year gap, Bobo is looking forward to the challenge of facing another Long-led team but knows it will be no easy draw. Although he did admit that he wishes the teams played every year so his teams could get a better feel for Long’s unconventional defensive schemes.

More important than any of the calls, Bobo believes, the key to SDSU’s defensive success stems from how hard they play.

“They run to the ball, they strike, they’re physical — that’s what’s impressive to me when I turn on the tape,” Bobo said.

Obviously, they have good athletes as well — which Bobo explained. Their defensive lineman may be somewhat undersized but they have great twitch. More importantly, though, Bobo feels their success stems from their aggressive style of play.

“It’s how they play,” Bobo said. “(Long) does some different stuff but then they run to the ball and then they’ll strike you. That’s impressive. That tells you right there that they believe in what they’re doing. They believe that they’re a good defense. They don’t expect to give up many explosive plays because of the effort they give defensively.”

The key to CSU’s success against Long’s defense will be keeping quarterback Patrick O’Brien out of third and long situations. Against Utah State last week, the Rams really struggled to move the football on first and second down and it put their offense in a bad position.

If the Rams do the same thing against SDSU on Saturday, it’s going to allow SDSU to pressure early and then force O’Brien to make throws in tight zones on third down. The best way to protect their inexperienced QB is avoiding these situations, getting the football out of his hands quickly and relying on the ground game when possible.

The other key for CSU will be getting the ball in the hands of their playmakers and valuing their possessions. In the 2016 win, Dalyn Dawkins (103) and Izzy Matthews (104) each went over the century mark on the ground. Marvin Kinsey added 14 carries for 61 yards and one touchdown to boot. QB Nick Stevens did a tremendous job of protecting the football and WR Michael Gallup went off with seven receptions for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

“We said we’re going to run some plays, get it to our playmakers and try to match their physicality,” Bobo said of his approach for the 2016 victory.

At this point in time, Bobo doesn’t think his team has consistently played physical enough but they’ll have seven more opportunities in 2019. As Bobo calmly explained, nobody is going to give his team a game — they have to go out and execute enough to win. Their next chance will be at Canvas Stadium on Saturday.

“Them boys will be ready to fight,” Bobo said. “They’ll be ready to go. It’s Homecoming and we’re back home — celebrating 150 years of this university. We know that we play for a lot more than us.”