The 2019 San Diego State University football roster lists 110 players. Counted among them are 22 San Diego County high school graduates, including four from South County.
The quartet of former Metro Conference standouts include senior cornerback Luq Barcoo (Castle Park), junior transfer running back Greg Bell (Bonita Vista), junior offensive lineman Dominic Gudino (Olympian) and redshirt freshman offensive lineman William Dunkle (Eastlake).
Three of the four are active this season: Barcoo, Gudino and Dunkle. Bell, a transfer from the University of Nebraska, sustained an offseason injury and has not played a down this season.
All have made contributions to SDSU’s 5-1 start, whether on the field, in practice or providing support from the sideline.
Barcoo logged his fourth interception in two games, and fifth overall on the season, in last Saturday’s 26-22 come-from-behind win over the Wyoming Cowboys at SDCCU Stadium, a game in which the Aztecs trailed 14-3 midway through the second quarter.
The pick, which came in the dying seconds of the game, ended the last possession of the game for the Cowboys to secure the win for the hosts.
Barcoo earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week award for making three interceptions in the Aztecs’ 24-10 victory at Colorado State on Oct. 5. His five interceptions rank second among FBS teams.
Barcoo, who collected three tackles, including two unassisted tackles and one interception in last Saturday’s victory, has played in all six games to date with 27 tackles, including 20 unassisted stops, three tackles for a loss, five interceptions and six pass breakups.
He’s already surpassed last year’s totals of 20 tackles (12 solo), one interception, four pass breakups and one quarterback hurry in 11 games off the bench.
Dunkle has played in all six games at right guard, starting five games.
Both players made their first career starts for the Aztecs this season.
SDSU improved to 2-1 in Mountain West play and will next play this Saturday, Oct. 19, at San Jose State (3-3 overall, 1-2 in conference play) in a key MW West Division contest (4 p.m. kickoff).
The Aztecs, who have made nine consecutive bowl game appearances, won back-to-back conference playoff championships in 2015 and 2016.
Southern exposure
Dunkle, who stands 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 350 pounds, has put his big body to use while continuing to improve his technique on the line.
He entered the 2019 season as the projected starting right guard despite not having played in a collegiate game.
A three-year letter winner and two-time captain at Eastlake, he led the Titans to a 10-3 record in 2017 after finishing 2-9 the previous year. Eastlake finished the 2017 season as the runner-up team in the Division I championship game.
Dunkle picked up prep honors as a three-time all-league selection and an All-CIF pick.
Gudino (6-3, 300) entered the 2019 season as the backup center to two-time all-Mountain West performer Keith Ismael and has appeared in two games this season, recording one start.
The former Eagle standout worked his way into the two-deep his true freshman season in 2017 and started eight games in 2018 while battling various leg injuries.
The Aztecs have six regular season games remaining on their schedule, needing one more win to become bowl eligible.
Game on
Redshirt freshman Matt Araiza (Rancho Bernardo) kicked a pair of field goals in the first half to supply SDSU’s offensive output before the Aztecs put their game in high gear in the second half in front of 28,758 fans on Aztec Hall of Fame Weekend.
Senior running back Juwan Washington scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter — the first on a 15-yard pass from starting senior quarterback Ryan Agnew to trim the Wyoming lead to 14-13 and the second on a 10-yard run to put SDSU in front 19-14.
With his team trailing 22-19, Agnew completed a 12-yard pass in the end zone to sophomore tight end Daniel Bellinger with 2:09 to play in the game to stand up as the game-winning touchdown. Agnew (209 passing yards in the game) scrambled to his left and threw back across his body to Bellinger, who caught the ball while sliding to the turf.
Washington finished the game with 84 net rushing yards and 28 receiving yards.
Saturday’s game in San Jose will be streamed on Facebook.
San Jose State has the best turnover margin among FBS teams at +2 per game. SDSU ranks in a tie with Notre Dame for second at +1.67.
The Spartans have 18 takeaways and six giveaways; the Aztecs have 13 takeaways and three giveaways.
SDSU is 49-5 under head coach Rocky Long when making few turnovers than its opponent in a game.
Defense has definitely proven of good benefit, particularly in last Saturday’s game.
SDSU ranks fourth in the FBS in allowing fewest rushing yards per game (64.0).
The Aztecs held the Cowboys to just 11 first downs and allowed only 92 total yards in the second half, including just 28 yards on the ground.
SDSU football squad gets eastern exposure
This year’s SDSU football team includes four prep products from East County. Perhaps not surprisingly, three of the four East County Aztecs hail from Helix High School.
They include redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Baker, sophomore safety Rashad Scott and freshman linebacker Michael Shawcroft.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jesse Matthews, a Christian High School alum, rounds out the talented quartet.
All have made contributions to SDSU’s 5-1 start to the season.
Scott and Matthews both entered their names on the stat sheet in last Saturday’s 26-22 come-from-behind win over the Wyoming Cowboys at SDCCU Stadium, a game in which the Aztecs trailed 14-3 midway through the second quarter.
Matthews made a career-high six receptions for 73 yards, including one catch for 25 yards. He caught five passes for 65 yards in the second half as SDSU out-scored Wyoming 20-8.
Scott made his first career fumble recovery.
Moving up
Matthews, who earned two letters at Christian High School, has worked his way up from the No. 4 Z-receiver on the SDSU depth chart to earn a start in last Saturday’s game at one of the two wide-out positions.
A walk-on coming off a strong spring campaign, Matthews has appeared in all six Aztec games this season after earning accolades as the team’s offensive scout player of the year during his 2018 redshirt year.
On the season, Matthews has 21 receptions for 224 yards. He showed his versatility with one catch for 20 yards, one carry for seven yards and one punt return for 13 yards in SDSU’s 23-17 loss to visiting Utah State on Sept. 21.
A first-team all-league selection in 2017, Matthews helped Patriots to an 8-3 record as a senior in 2017 with 57 catches for 888 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also completed two passes for 102 yards and a pair of scores while making 35 tackles on defense with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Scott, who ranks second on the team’s depth chart at the safety position, helped the Scotties to a 39-7 (.829 winning percentage) during his prep career.
A three-time varsity letter-winner and two-time All-CIF first team selection, he helped Helix to an appearance in the 2017 CIF Division 1-AA state championship game (along with Baker and Shawcroft), posting eight interceptions and 11 pass deflections as a senior.
Scott played in the final 11 games of the 2018 season for SDSU as a true freshman on special teams with one tackle.
Shawcroft, the 2018 San Diego Section Defensive Player of the Year, appears to have a bright future on Montezuma Mesa.
He played three seasons at Helix, scoring seven touchdowns during his career on offense while helping the Highlanders post five defensive shutouts in 2017.
He’s appeared in all six games this season for the Aztecs, making one tackle in SDSU’s 6-0 season opening win over visiting Weber State on Aug. 31.
A team captain for two seasons and two-time All-CIF pick and two-time league offensive player of the year while at Helix, Baker is listed second on the SDSU depth chart at quarterback but has yet to see any on-field action this year.
However, he did participate in the Aztecs’ annual spring game, passing for 96 yards and one touchdown, and the team’s preseason scrimmage at SDCCU Stadium on Aug. 17, completing six of 12 passes for 46 yards with one interception.
Baker used his redshirt season in 2018 but appeared on the travel squad for three games.
During his three years at Helix, Baker logged some outworldly numbers. He passed for 5,544 yards in his prep career, completing 67.3 percent of his passes, while throwing 62 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He also rushed for 590 yards and scored seven touchdowns.
During his senior year he completed 33 touchdown passes against just three interceptions
He is valued by the Aztecs for his accurate arm and potential and is clearly a top prospect for the future.
Aztec Football Blog
SDSU’s Barcoo named a Jim Thorpe award semifinalist
Senior cornerback ranks second in the nation with five interceptions
San Diego State University senior Luq Barcoo has been named a semifinalist for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame has announced. Barcoo is one of 10 semifinalists for the award, which goes out to the best defensive back in college football.
Barcoo has five interceptions on the season, which is tied for the second most in FBS. Barcoo is also tied for second in interceptions per game (0.71) and passes defended per game (INT + PBU) (2.00). Besides the five interceptions, Barcoo has 29 tackles (22 solo), three tackles for loss and nine pass breakups.
Barcoo’s best game came at Colorado State on Oct. 5 when he had three interceptions on consecutive snaps, the first time that has happened in FBS since at least 2012 (and likely much longer).
Barcoo became the first San Diego State player with three interceptions in a game since current Atlanta Falcon Damontae Kazee on Sept. 5, 2015, and the first FBS player with an interception in three straight drives since Nevada’s Dameon Baber did so on Nov. 5, 2015. The three interceptions are tied for the most in an FBS game this season.
For his career, Barcoo has six interceptions and is tied for sixth among the active FBS players in interceptions per game (0.33).
Semifinalists for the award, which is based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character, are selected by a screening committee.
The 2019 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner is selected from the three finalists released at a later date and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards presented by Gildan, which will be broadcast on ESPN on Dec. 12. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award commemorative banquet will be held in Oklahoma City on Feb. 4, 2020.
The award was established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
The only FBS team unbeaten on the road with at least four road wins, San Diego State (6-1, 3-1 MW) travels to UNLV (2-5, 0-3 MW) for a Saturday night game (Oct. 25) at 7:30 p.m. PT.
The Aztecs defeated host San Jose State, 27-17, on Oct. 19 to improve to 3-1 in conference play, 6-1 overall. SDSU opened the game on a 95-yard kickoff return by Kaegun Williams and later added a pair of field goals by Matt Araiza to take a 13-7 halftime lead.
Juwan Washington scored on a one-yard run and teammate Chase Jasmin ripped off a 50-yard scoring run to boost the SDSU lead to 27-10 in the third quarter.
The Aztecs racked up 348 total offense yards, including 260 rushing yards.
With six wins, SDSU becomes bowl eligible for the 10th consecutive season.
Mountain West Conference Standings
(Through Oct. 29)
West Division
San Diego State 3-1, 6-1
Fresno State 1-1, 3-3
Nevada 1-2, 4-3
Hawaii 1-2, 4-3
San Jose State 1-3, 3-4
East Division
Boise State 3-0, 6-1
Utah State 3-0, 4-2
Air Force 3-1, 5-2
Wyoming 2-1, 5-2
Colorado State 1-2, 2-5
New Mexico 0-3, 2-5
