From staff reports
The San Diego State football team named seniors Jesse Matthews (Christian High School), Patrick McMorris (Santa Ana), Jonah Tavai (Manhattan Beach) and Alama Uluave (Laie, Hawaii) as its captains for the 2022 season. The quartet was chosen in a team vote.
The Aztecs are scheduled to formally christen the team’s new 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3, when they host the University of Arizona Wildcats. Kick-off is 12:30 p.m. The game will be telecast by CBS Sports.
A former walk-on, Matthews led the Aztecs last season in catches (57), receiving yards (642) and receiving touchdowns (nine), the most by an Aztec since Vincent Brown had 10 in 2010.
Matthews particularly shined down the stretch, recording 37 catches for 465 yards and seven touchdowns over his final four games, including 11 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns against the University of Texas-San Antonio in the Frisco Bowl en route to earning offensive MVP honors.
Matthews has been named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List, and a preseason first-team all-Mountain West selection by the league media, Phil Steele Magazine and Athlon Sports.
McMorris, who last month was named the MW preseason co-defensive player of the year, started all 14 games for the Aztecs last year at safety. The 2021
MW first-team selection had a team-high 90 tackles (53 solo), including 2.5 tackles for loss, a team-best four interceptions for 61 yards, nine pass breakups and a 15-yard fumble recovery in 2021.
McMorris has landed on three preseason watch lists, including the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List (college defensive player of the year), the Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List (most outstanding defensive player) and the Senior Bowl Watch List, and is a preseason first-team all-league selection by four publications.
A two-time honorable-mention all-MW pick (2020-21), Tavai had 47 tackles (23 solo) last year, including 14 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hurries in 14 starts. Tavai ranked sixth in the MW in sacks and seventh in tackles for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked second in the league in quarterback pressures (sacks/hits/hurries) (61, tied-7th in FBS) and hurries (40, tied-8th in FBS), and tied for fifth in hits (11, tied-21st in FBS).
Tavai has also been named to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List, and a preseason first-team all-league pick by the MW media, Phil Steele Magazine and Athlon Sports.
Uluave started all 22 games the past two seasons for the Aztecs at center. Uluave was an honorable mention all-league pick in 2021 after allowing just six pressures (two hits, two hurries and two sacks) in 409 passing chances, according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, Uluave played the most snaps on the team (953). So far this preseason, Uluave has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List for the nation’s top center, the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List, and a preseason first-team all-MW pick by the league media, Phil Steele Magazine and Athlon Sports.
SDSU home games also include Idaho State (Sept. 10), Toledo (Sept. 24), Hawaii (Oct. 8), UNLV (Nov. 5 for homecoming), San Jose State (Nov. 12) and Air Force Academy (Nov. 26).
The Aztecs enter their 100th season of football, 54th at the Division I level and fifth under the direction of the 2011 National Coach of the Year Brady Hoke.
SDSU (12-2) finished with a school-record 12 victories last season while Arizona will be looking to bounce back from a 1- 11 season in 2021.
The Aztecs finished the 2021 season ranked 25th in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. Depth chart SDSU returns 13 starters off the 2021 squad (three on offense, seven no defense, three on special teams).
In all, 13 starters are gone from the 2021 squad, including the MW Defensive Player of the Year and the MW Special Teams
Player of the Year.
The Aztecs had four players picked in the 2022 NFL Draft, including defensive end Cameron Thomas in the third round by Arizona and tight end Daniel Bellinger in the fourth round by the New York Giants. The four draft selections matched the Aztecs’ most since the NFL went to seven rounds in 1994.
Among the two deep for the Aztecs for Saturday’s season opener are a quartet of East County prep alumni: redshirt freshman Josh Simmons (No. 1 at right guard), Matthews (No. 1 at wide receiver and No. 2 on punt returns), senior Michael Shawcroft (No. 1 at linebacker) and junior Jack Browning (No. 1 at punter and place-kicker and No. 2 at holder).
Senior transfer Braxton Burmeister (La Jolla Country Day) earned the No. 1 spot at quarterback with redshirt freshman Will Haskell as the backup.
