Three days at Camp Pendleton. Twelve days without rest.
If San Diego State football coach Chuck Long was interested in measuring the mettle of his team, the first two weeks of fall camp should provide some answers to what appear to be some rather thorny questions.
The Aztecs, who report for camp Monday, will spend the following two days practicing at Camp Pendleton before returning to SDSU for a nine-day stretch that includes three two-a-day workouts, or half of the two-a-day sessions scheduled for the duration of camp.
Through the first 12 days, SDSU will practice 14 times, only catching its breath following the annual Family Day scrimmage Aug. 16 at Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs open the season Aug. 30 at home against Cal Poly.
“It's really because of the way the calendar fell,” Long, whose team last year started the season a week later than every Division I team but two, said yesterday. “By NCAA rule, you get 29 practices before the first game, and if we backed it up any further we would have been starting in July.
“We're not going to have as many days off as we did (during camp) last year, so this is going to test them. We want this to be more of a mental test than a physical test. What they've done during the offseason has prepared them physically, but this will tax them mentally, and we're interested to see how they respond to that.”
Long and his staff will also have more than a passing interest in the following:
Can projected starting quarterback Ryan Lindley, a redshirt freshman, step into the sizable shoes left by Kevin O'Connell while also establishing himself as a leader?
Can Lindley operate behind an offensive line that had three redshirt freshmen emerge as No. 1 on the two-deep chart following spring drills? Entering camp, the team's projected starting tackles are redshirt freshmen Mike Matamua and Kurtis Gunther. Another redshirt freshman, projected starting center Tommie Draheim, Lindley's high school teammate, suffered a shoulder injury during offseason workouts and is likely out until October.
Can a defense that was bludgeoned for an average of 34.4 points last year put up at least a semblance of resistance against the run? SDSU allowed an average of 241.5 yards on the ground last season, second-worst among the nation's 119 Division I teams.
Long said this year's fall camp will be the most competitive since his arrival late in 2005.
“The competition will be fierce,” Long said. “Based on what our players have done during the offseason, they're the ones who have made it competitive. You have guys who are really trying to outdo each other in the weight room and on the practice field. They've become much more accountable to each other, and that's what you want.”
From the shores
SDSU's decision to stage its first three days of camp at Camp Pendleton stemmed from the positive experience the school's men's golf team had during its stay at the Marine base last year. Players and coaches will reside in barracks for three days and nights before returning to SDSU on Thursday morning. Long said he was told yesterday that there will be no use of cell phones and no television.
“We want to see how they build teamwork and leadership, and they'll also interact with us,” said Long, who will allow coaches of the base's football teams to sit in on film sessions.
The waiting game
Long said he expects junior wide receiver DeMarco Sampson, who will miss fall camp because of academic issues, to be in uniform when the Aztecs open the season.
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
