My San Diego State team came back and beat #1 Alabama in a great game. The Aztecs played their best game of the year. Just so exciting as they advance to the Elite Eight, maybe to the Final Four!! Go Aztecs!!!!
My Aztecs pull off a major upset beating #1 Alabama
- Thread starter WestCoastWildcat
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The Aztecs are very deep and experienced. They play great defense and really put the hammer down on Bama’s offense. Bama was beatable in games where they were held to low 60’s or below. The other difference was the Aztecs had (for them) an outstanding offensive effort that kept the game within range. Their deep bench maybe wore down Bama too. They kept the pressure on the Bama offense thruout the game. Just a fantastic overall effort for the Aztecs which should reinforce the program’s national reputation that started when Steve Fisher came in as hc.
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Adding to the Cats credibility this year: Boise State beat San Diego State this year. That was a solid NCAA win.
I’m picking it now, since the 1’s are all gone, San Diego State is going to win it all.
On the CBS Sports talk show tonight much was being made about the San Diego State players being much older and the majority transferring into their program. Kind of a reverse of what schools like Duke are confronted with where their best players are younger and come as the best from high school programs but end up exiting the program for the NBA as soon as they can.
Anyway, nice to see some fresh faces heading to the Elite Eight.
Anyway, nice to see some fresh faces heading to the Elite Eight.
Silence!! I have Texas winning it all in my work pool, and the field has cleared for them (the winner of Gonzaga/UConn may be my dark horse). I’m pulling for the Burnt Orange the rest of the way. If I win the top prize (400 smackaroos), I may even make a tax deductible donation to TrueNU to keep Boo & Chase.
Heck of a win for the Aztecs. I had them losing early… as many did… yuge mistake. Alabama looked as powerful as any team could entering the tournament, but if you live by the 3 then you might die by it too.
Alabama’s Brandon Miller went 1 for 10 from the 3, and played poorly all tournament. I wonder if his draft position will take a hit… either from this or the tragic capital murder case that he’s sadly involved in.
It’d be pretty cool if the final four ends up being Texas, Gonzaga, Florida Atlantic, and San Diego State.
Bit of a relief that we don't have to worry about an alleged accessory to murder raising the championship trophy.
The only way that kid's draft position falls is if he is in jail - and even then I wouldn't bet on it. No opinion one way or the other on the circumstances, just hope justice prevails.
So great to see all these mid major teams making hay in the tournament. It’s great for the game. There will always be the blue bloods to lure top recruits (for a year or two), but well coached teams of overlooked athletes can always win.
I think SDSU is a prime example the impact the portal is having on recruiting and the success of programs. Even the the Mountain West’s quality of competition has been questioned I think the Aztecs have emerged as a quality program akin to Gonzaga. I don’t hear much similar derogation of the West Coast Conference which I feel is not overall even on par with the Mountain West, even though other WCC teams like St. Mary’s and BYU are solid. Contrary to some negative observations about SDSD and the MW I think SDSU has emerged as a perennial power, the win over #1 solidifies that theirs is an excellent program. I hope NU’s magical season is a harbinger that the Wildcats program can perform at a similar high level year after year.
WCW, is it just me or does Dutcher never get consideration for a "bigger" (for lack of a better term) gig? I know you don't want him to leave, and I don't blame you. He's a hell of a coach.
Could he be dragged away? He's one of those guys I always wondered about for NU if the stars (and Brinks trucks) were aligned. But I understand that's a lofty idea.
But a blue blood? Maybe too long in the tooth.
Anyhow, good for your Aztecs!
Could he be dragged away? He's one of those guys I always wondered about for NU if the stars (and Brinks trucks) were aligned. But I understand that's a lofty idea.
But a blue blood? Maybe too long in the tooth.
Anyhow, good for your Aztecs!
Dutcher had long term ties with Steve Fisher. I remember when the SDSU Viejas Arena was built, it was one of the top venues on the West Coast but the basketball program’s hc at the time was the high school coach of one of Bill Walton’s kids. The program was in the doldrums until Fisher took over in 1999 and Dutcher came with him as associate ac/heir apparent until Dutch became hc in 2017. I think his star will continue to rise but at this point I feel he will continue to coach at SDSU and don’t feel he is interested in any other program. In spite of his past association with Michigan and the BigTen he is embedded with the Aztecs. Their success with basketball will only further make them a target for membership by other conferences. The football program is also solid esp with the new college stadium in Mission Valley (though I’m not a big fan of Brady Hoke) and that program has been successful in producing NFL players. It will be interesting to see what programs may court Dutcher after the tournament. I don’t feel he would be a good fit at NU. He has a lot more freedom to recruit at SDSU. Bottom line, I think Dutch is an Aztec hc for life.
A bit of SDSU trivia.
An attorney I closely worked with on a number of cases had played football for the Aztecs when he was an undergraduate at San Diego State. I always thought that was pretty cool since I used to frequent the campus on occasion and even dated a girl I met there when I was a law student in San Diego.
When it came to academic pursuits though it was UCSD up north that I would visit and spent many an hour studying in UCSD's (University of California San Diego) upside down library. (If I recall correctly you are presently somehow affiliated with UCSD.)
Not to leave out the other San Diego named university, during my first year in San Diego I lived just down the hill from the Catholic college, University of San Diego, so spent some time on that campus as well. Years later my oldest daughter attended a high school year book conference on the USD campus so it was fun taking her there and seeing the school again.
The most fun return to San Diego though was the Holiday Bowl and being present for the third quarter improbable turnaround that led to a Wildcats win. I still recall running into a dejected DrillCat at halftime and trying to cheer him up by commenting, "Don't worry, we are a great third quarter team."
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Great pics and a great memory for me to watching the Cats play (and win!) in San Diego. A dream come true for me rivaling the 2000 UM victory I witnessed in-person with my brother. I also attended the Cats game in Vega$ years ago, rolling my win streak on slots into a bet on the Cats (my first and only ever sports bet- it was the first year you could bet on UNLV home games.) Towards the end of the game with the Cats way ahead, there was no doubt about the win but our section was nervous as UNLV was launching long passes for td’s to narrow the spread.
I visit the Geisel (upside down) Library often. It is a campus landmark for UCSD. Alaska would not recognize the UCSD campus now- mostly tall buildings and an undergrad pop of 45k+!!
Yes Alaska-I have had a long “association” with UCSD, a student, instructor (but not faculty), 30 yr employee and now in retirement an active member of our Emirati/Retirement Assn. thru which I mentor students and also with our Urban Studies & Planning Dept. (in another life I might of been an urban planner).
I served on our campus intercollegiate athletics and recreation facilities committee for many years and still attend Triton athletics events. I also served on our campus planning committee before this latest construction boom.
For those of you who are retired you might check out to see if you have an Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning similar to the one I belong
at UCSD Extension. Having just turned 70 I’ve found it more important than ever to stay physically active and mentally engaged with a range of interests. That’s why I’ve stayed connected with campus groups and activities and find that I’m busier now than when I was working!
I visit the Geisel (upside down) Library often. It is a campus landmark for UCSD. Alaska would not recognize the UCSD campus now- mostly tall buildings and an undergrad pop of 45k+!!
Yes Alaska-I have had a long “association” with UCSD, a student, instructor (but not faculty), 30 yr employee and now in retirement an active member of our Emirati/Retirement Assn. thru which I mentor students and also with our Urban Studies & Planning Dept. (in another life I might of been an urban planner).
I served on our campus intercollegiate athletics and recreation facilities committee for many years and still attend Triton athletics events. I also served on our campus planning committee before this latest construction boom.
For those of you who are retired you might check out to see if you have an Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning similar to the one I belong
at UCSD Extension. Having just turned 70 I’ve found it more important than ever to stay physically active and mentally engaged with a range of interests. That’s why I’ve stayed connected with campus groups and activities and find that I’m busier now than when I was working!
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WestCoast - that is pretty impressive and good advice.
I see that I posted the wrong newspaper article although ironically it is from the same newspaper in San Diego that had the story of the Holiday Bowl win. I see I was also back to San Diego when we won the Music City Bowl.
Here is the correct(ed) newspaper photo heralding our Holiday Bowl win.
I see that I posted the wrong newspaper article although ironically it is from the same newspaper in San Diego that had the story of the Holiday Bowl win. I see I was also back to San Diego when we won the Music City Bowl.
Here is the correct(ed) newspaper photo heralding our Holiday Bowl win.
For good measure here are some on the field photos from that memorable San Diego Holiday Bowl victory:
And we can't forget the third quarter defensive play of the day with the full field run recovered fumble - as captioned and posted by GoUPurple on his Northwestern Fan Website, "HailtoPurple.com."
STAND UP!
And so it begins.
The Catch, part one.
...and part two.
Anatomy of a defensive masterpiece, #1: as Utah tries to hand off,
its offensive line has already broken down.
#2: Wildcats swarm and devour the ball carrier.
#3: If you love something, set it free.
#4: Scoop...
#5: ...and score!
Superbacks, the most unexpectedly graceful and flight-worthy
of all feline species.
Thorson prepares to deliver one of his last strikes as a 'Cat.
The hits keep on coming.
One more score, tying a Holiday Bowl record.
The third quarter is in the books, one of the greatest 15-minute sets
in NU football history.
| Photo Gallery: The 2018 Holiday Bowl-- The Third Quarter as seen by Alaskanwildcat Below are selected photos taken by Alaskanwildcat of the amazing third quarter of the Holiday Bowl. As always, many thanks to Alaska for his great photos! |
STAND UP!
And so it begins.
The Catch, part one.
...and part two.
Anatomy of a defensive masterpiece, #1: as Utah tries to hand off,
its offensive line has already broken down.
#2: Wildcats swarm and devour the ball carrier.
#3: If you love something, set it free.
#4: Scoop...
#5: ...and score!
Superbacks, the most unexpectedly graceful and flight-worthy
of all feline species.
Thorson prepares to deliver one of his last strikes as a 'Cat.
The hits keep on coming.
One more score, tying a Holiday Bowl record.
The third quarter is in the books, one of the greatest 15-minute sets
in NU football history.
San Diego's Balboa Park is pretty special too. Pictured is the Park's Japanese Garden and the historic Spreckles Organ Pavilion that was built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and houses the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. The personal connection is that it was upon its stage that I received my law degree. Aesthetically an upgrade from the Northwestern Campus venue, McGaw Memorial Hall, where I was handed my undergraduate diploma. 
Also of note, the land upon which Balboa Park was built was set apart by regional authorities for public recreation purposes in 1835 making it one of the oldest places in the United States dedicated to public recreational usage. Its dedication predated the nation's first National Park, Yellowstone, in 1872.
The below sunshine lit photos were taken the day after our Holiday Bowl Win - hard to believe given the rainstorm that the Wildcats played through the evening before.
Also of note, the land upon which Balboa Park was built was set apart by regional authorities for public recreation purposes in 1835 making it one of the oldest places in the United States dedicated to public recreational usage. Its dedication predated the nation's first National Park, Yellowstone, in 1872.
The below sunshine lit photos were taken the day after our Holiday Bowl Win - hard to believe given the rainstorm that the Wildcats played through the evening before.
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