Jan. 8, 2009

SAN DIEGO - Aztec Football garnered a vote of confidence from Graham Watson of ESPN.com. Watson predicts that 2009 will be the breakout season for the SDSU football program.

"With Brady Hoke, Al Borges and Rocky Long manning the ship, the rest of the Mountain West better be weary of the Aztecs," Watson said in the article posted on her blog from ESPN.com.

Hoke was named SDSU football's 17th head coach on Dec. 16, 2008. Hoke comes to Montezuma Mesa after guiding Ball State to its best season in program history during his sixth year as head coach of the Cardinals.

Not long after his appointment Hoke named Al Borges and Rocky Long as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Borges most recently was part of the Auburn coaching staff that lead their team to a 42-9 record and four bowl game appearances from 2004-07. Long comes off to Montezuma Mesa from an 11-year head coaching stint with New Mexico, where he was the winningest head coach in Mountain West Conference history.

Although Watson calls her prediction "bold," she says that with these changes the Aztecs will be "far more competitive."

For the complete article, visit http://myespn.go.com/blogs/ncfnation?tag=predictions%200905