If San Diego State's three-day stay at Camp Pendleton was designed to culminate in building cohesiveness while underscoring the importance of teamwork, it also elicited a fair measure of awe.
“It was a privilege,” said quarterback Ryan Lindley, whose team returned to campus yesterday after spending the first three days of fall camp at the Marine base. “If we play a game and lose, we know we can still go home and our families are going to love us. If (Marines) make a mistake and lose, it's a matter of life and death. We look at football like it's a serious game, but it's nothing compared to the game those guys play.
“I said before we came into camp that I thought this group was really tight. But with what we've experienced the past few days, I think it's going to make that bond even tighter. I know there are guys on this team who after experiencing this are going to be pushed to a higher level.”
Though SDSU had staged scrimmages off campus before, never had it done so with its training camp sessions. With the base featuring four football teams of its own, players were able to interact with players. The base's coaches were invited to attend practices and sit in on nightly film sessions.
“There are lot of Marines who look up to athletes, and there are a lot of athletes who look up to Marines,” said Tom Fisher, who spent 21 years in the Marine Corps and now serves as the athletic director at Camp Pendleton. “Like the Marine Corps, football demands a lot of sacrifice if you want to achieve your mission. Obviously, our mission is a little different from that of a football team. But hard work wins football games and hard work wins wars.”
Senior linebacker Russell Allen, a first-team preseason All-Mountain West Conference pick, has never experienced a winning season at SDSU. Allen said the interaction during the team's stay at Pendleton was ideal for establishing a foundation for a team with several new faces.
“Just driving through the base, you saw so many examples of guys working together to get things done,” Allen said. “We heard so much about teamwork, how they rely on each other to make sure that the man on each side of them gets home alive. You find out pretty fast just how much you take for granted.
“But I think it was perfect that we came here at the beginning of camp. At night (sans cell phones and television), we had nothing to do but be around each other. I think it was a great way to bond and a great way to start.”
And perhaps a way to get a hand up in the Aztecs' attempt to climb out of college football's obscurity bin. Coach Chuck Long said the Marines have a standing invitation to attend practices at SDSU and that he intends to explore the possibility of opening camp at Pendleton in the coming years.
“We had a chance to see one of the greatest teams in the world, to see how they live, how they train and how they work,” said senior receiver Darren Mougey. “You never know what kind of an impact things like this can have. But I'm confident it's going to trickle down through camp. This is the kind of experience you never forget.”
Extra points
Defensive tackle
Neil Spencer, who is nursing a shoulder injury, had his left arm in a sling yesterday. Long said Spencer is expected to undergo an MRI.
The team is still awaiting word on incoming freshman running back Ramon Judkins, whose academic status is being reviewed by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Long said he was optimistic that Judkins will be cleared to play.
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
