The San Diego State football program will host Aztec Fan Fest, formerly known as Aztec Family Day, on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Qualcomm Stadium. The event features an Aztec apparel sale, an intra-squad scrimmage and an autograph session with select players.
Gates will open at noon and admission is free. There will be food trucks and inflatable activities for kids, as well as appearances from other Aztec athletic teams, the band and the dance team.
The apparel sale will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. and will include Nike Aztec football jerseys, Dri-FIT gear, T-shirts and jackets among other items.
The Fan Fest scrimmage is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., leading up to the meet-the-team autograph session beginning at 3 p.m. This will be fans’ first glimpse of the SDSU football team since the Aztecs defeated Buffalo, 49-24, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Dec. 21.
Fans will also be able to purchase season tickets and view available seats during the event.
Season tickets, a mini-plan and all individual home football game tickets are currently on sale at GoAztecs.com, the SDSU athletic ticket office at (619) 283-7378 or in person at Qualcomm Stadium window E (Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
The Aztecs kick off the 2014 season on Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. when they welcome Northern Arizona University to Qualcomm Stadium.
SDSU returns 12 starters and 35 letter-winners from a squad that posted an 8-5 overall record and a 6-2 conference mark in 2013. With its bowl game appearance, the Aztecs became one of only 29 teams in the nation, and one of just five non-BCS schools, to compete in a bowl game in four consecutive seasons.
Preseason honors
San Diego State is picked to finish second in the West Division of the Mountain West in the 2014 preseason poll, while senior defensive back J.J. Whittaker and sophomore running Donnel Pumphrey were both named preseason all-MW selections.
The Aztecs garnered 172 points, just two shy of two-time defending champion Fresno State’s 174, in the annual media poll. Both the Aztecs and the Bulldogs picked up 15 first-place votes apiece, while Nevada had the other three and had 130 points for third in the West Division. UNLV (95), San Jose State (87) and Hawaii (35) rounded out the West Division poll.
Boise State paced the Mountain Division with 183 points, including 20 first-place votes. Utah State came in second with 176 and 12 first-place votes and Colorado State was third with 135 and the other first-place vote. Wyoming (90), New Mexico (56) and Air Force (53) were picked fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Mountain Division.
Pumphrey, who earlier this summer was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List (top running back), is the lone underclassman on the preseason all-MW team (offense, defense or special teams) and the first SDSU sophomore named to the team since back-to-back 1,500-yard rusher Ronnie Hillman in 2011.
As a true freshman in 2013, Pumphrey rushed for 752 yards and eight rushing touchdowns on 125 carries (6.0 average), while adding 22 catches for 234 yards (10.6 average) and another two scores. He was one of just two freshmen in the country (and the only freshman in program history) and 19 players overall to record at least 750 rushing yards and 230 receiving yards.
Whittaker, named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List (best defensive back), is one of seven seniors on the defensive side of the ball on the preseason all-conference team.
Last season, Whittaker had 32 tackles (24 solo) along with 11 pass breakups, three interceptions, a forced fumble and two tackles for loss en route to all-MW honorable mention accolades. Whittaker missed the first three years (2010-12) of his collegiate career with various injuries.
Locals only
South County products currently listed on the SDSU fall football roster include redshirt sophomore wide receiver Kene Anigbogu (Southwestern College), junior running back Paul Sierra (Castle Park) and sophomore lineman Nico Siragusa (Mater Dei Catholic).
Former East County prep standouts include freshman defensive back Davaughn Murray (Mt. Miguel), sophomore linebacker Micah Seau (Bishop’s), senior punter Joel Alesi (Christian), sophomore defensive lineman Malcolm Jackson (Mt. Miguel), junior tight end Robert Craighead (El Capitan) and senior defensive lineman Sam Meredith (Helix).
Other San Diego County products include freshman quarterback Christian Chapman (Carlsbad), freshman wide receiver Jabril Clewis (Patrick Henry), redshirt freshman defensive back Trey Lomax (Mira Mesa), senior defensive back David Lamar (Madison), junior kicker/punter Seamus McMorrow (St. Augustine), freshman linebacker Donavin Buck (Brawley), junior linebacker Jake Fely (Oceanside), junior defensive back Kevin Campano (Baker University), redshirt freshman linebacker Fred Melifonwu (Lincoln), freshman linebacker Zach Brown (Patrick Henry), sophomore long snapper Hunter Christensen (La Costa Canyon), redshirt freshman offensive lineman Devin Tomlinson (Madison), sophomore offensive lineman Kwayde Miller (Ramona), sophomore wide receiver Eric Judge (San Diego), freshman wide receiver Mikah Holder (Oceanside), sophomore tight end Daniel Brunskill (Valley Center) and junior defensive linemen Christian Heywood (USC) and Kenny Galea’i (Oceanside).
