San Diego State University’s football team opened training camp with a month to prepare for its season opener on Aug. 26 against the Ohio University Bobcats at Snapdragon Stadium.
Kick-off for the non-conference game is 4 p.m.
“We’re excited to start fall camp,” SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said. “It’s been a really good summer. We have to do a great job to finish our development. That’s one thing I think this football team has done a really good job of, is developing during. the summer and here in the spring, but we’ve got some more to do before we play Ohio University on Aug. 26.”
“As coaches, the most important things and responsibilities are fostering and developing our players. Not just as football players and individuals, but as men. We’re constantly putting the pressure on to develop our players, and our team has worked hard. We came off another bowl season, which was great, but we were disappointed with the finish of the season. Obviously, we want to win championships, and we haven’t done that since 2016, so we have a lot of work to do but I’m excited about what’s ahead of us.”
The Aztecs host the first three games of the upcoming 2023 season at Snapdragon Stadium: Aug. 26 against the Ohio Bobcats (4 p.m. start), Sept. 2 against Idaho State (7:30 p.m. start) and Sept. 9 against UCLA (4:30 p.m. start).
SDSU makes a quick road trip to Oregon State on Sept. 16 (12:30 p.m. start) before returning to Mission Valley to host Boise State (7:30 p.m. start) in its Mountain West Conference opener.
The Aztecs’ final eight games comprise the team’s MW schedule. Home games include Nevada on Oct. 21 (TBA start), Utah State on Nov. 4 (TBA start) and Fresno State on Nov. 25 (TBA start). Road games include Air Force Academy on Sept. 30 (5 p.m. PT start), Hawaii on Oct. 14 (8 p.m. PT start), Colorado State on Nov. 11 (4 p.m. PT start) and San Jose State on Nov. 18 (7:30 p.m. start).
SDSU is fourth in the conference preseason rankings behind No. 1 Boise State, No. 2 Air Force and No. 3 Fresno State. Rounding out the 12-team conference rankings are No. 5 San Jose State, No. 6 Wyoming, No. 7. Wyoming, No. 8 Utah State, No. 9 UNLV, No. 10 Hawaii, No. 11 Nevada and No. 12 New Mexico.
The Aztecs finished 7-6 last season and have put together a streak of 13 consecutive seasons without a losing campaign.
Five of SDSU’s first six games will be against teams that qualified for a bowl game last season, including four 10-win programs: Ohio (10-4), Oregon State (10-3), Boise State (10-4) and Air Force (10-3). UCLA finished 9-4.
Getting his kicks
SDSU senior specialist Jack Browning enters the 2023 season with much expectation after receiving numerous preseasons awards, including a first-team All-American at punter by Sports Info Solutions, the MW Special Teams Player of the Year by the league’s media, and a first-team all-MW pick at punter and a third-team selection by Pro Football Focus, Phil Steele Magazine and Athlon Sports at kicker.
Big things are certainly expected out of the West Hills and Grossmont College alumnus after most recently landing on a pair of national watch lists: the Ray Guy Award Watch List and the Lou Groza Award Watch List. The Ray Guy Award goes out to the best collegiate punter while the Lou Groza Award is for the top placekicker.
Browning, from Lakeside, is the only player in the country to make both lists.
Since earning the No. 1 job, Browning has handled kick-offs, place-kicking and punting as the Aztecs’ go-to man with extraordinary success.
“I feel like it was something I felt very confident in actually,” Browning said. “I’ve been competing in all three ever since my junior college career at Grossmont. It’s something I’ve had a lot of practice with handling all three duties, and I just felt very confident in working with coach Hall (SDSU strength and conditioning coach Adam Hall) and the strength staff to make sure my body felt right the whole season and it ended up being pretty successful and very confident.”
Browning said he’s also grown under the tutelage of former Chargers kicker Nick Novak, with whom he has been training since June 2020.
“He’s been one of my greatest mentors,” Browning said in regard to Novak, who played for the Chargers from 2011-14 during a playing career from 2005-20. “Not only just the mechanics of punting and kicking but also the mentality of what you need to do and the mindset you need to have when you are in those situations with a game on the line. You’ve got to be able to hone all those emotions and just channel it into one energy and do what needs to be done. So definitely a lot has come from working with Nick and I’m just truly blessed and grateful to be able to work with him.”
Browning, who is joined on the team by Grossmont College alum Xavier Hamlet, a junior cornerback, also owes quite a bit of success to Hilltop alumnus David Delgado, his holder last season.
Taking over for 2021 Ray Guy Award winner Matt Araiza, Browning had an impressive 2022 season for the Aztecs with 68 punts for 3,135 yards (46.1 average, long of 63 yards) and 20 of 25 field goal attempts made (80.0 percent, long of 52 yards). He converted all 30 point-after-touchdown kicks en route to being named a second-team Pro Football Focus All-American and an honorable-mention College Football Network All-American, both at punter.
Additionally, Browning was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches and media, SDSU’s second straight punter to win the award and fifth winner over the last eight seasons (since 2015).
Browning has exemplified pin-point accuracy on his kicks. Out of Browning’s 68 punts, 28 landed inside the 20-yard line, including 14 inside the 10 and six inside the five-year line to own a 42.3 net punt average.
He also kicked off 59 times for 3,784 yards (64.1 average) with 37 touchbacks; he had two designed rushes for 59 yards (29.5 average) on a pair of fake punts — the first going for 26 yards and the second for 33 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus, Browning had the second-best punt grade (84.4) in the country. He ranked third in SDSU single-season history in punt average (46.10), tied for third in field goals (20) and tied for seventh in field goal percentage (80.0).
Browning is one of 50 punters on the initial watch list for the Ray Guy Award and one of 30 placekickers for the Lou Groza Award. Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 9-10. Award winners will be named in December.
Guy, a first team All-American his senior season in 1972 for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, won three Super Bowls with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and was the first pure punter selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team’s success.
Groza, nicknamed “The Toe,” played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
Accomplishments will be tabulated throughout the season for the award.
Watch Lists
Browning isn’t the only Aztec on national watch lists to kick off the new season.
Offensive lineman Cade Bennett is on the Outland Trophy Watch List for top interior lineman while linebacker Cody Moon is up for the Bronko Nagurski Award as top defensive player.
Mark Redman was most recently named to the John Mackey Award List as the most outstanding tight end.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE: The Jaguars will host Grossmont College in a scrimmage on Wednesday, Aug. 23, starting at 4 p.m. at DeVore Stadium. Southwestern kicks off its season Sept. 2 at El Camino College at 6 p.m.
AZTEC FANFEST: San Diego State University will hold its annual FanFest Saturday, Aug. 12, at Snapdragon Stadium. Fans should arrive early for free Aztec posters, magnets and banners. Gates open at 5 p.m,, followed by the 6 p.m. scrimmage.
SDSU Football Schedule
(All times Pacific)
August
26: Ohio University at SDSU, 4 p.m.
September
2: Idaho State at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
9: UCLA at SDSU, 4:30 p.m.
16: SDSU at Oregon State, 12:30 p.m.
22: Boise State at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
30: SDSU at Air Force, 5 p.m.
October
14: SDSU at Hawaii, 8 p.m.
21: Nevada at SDSU, TBA
November
4: Utah State at SDSU, TBA
11: SDSU at Colorado State, 4 p.m.
18: SDSU at San Jose State, 7:30 p.m.
25: Fresno State at SDSU, TBA
Note: home games at Snapdragon Stadium
