Aug. 23, 2014
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head football coach Rocky Long has announced that seniors Sam Meredith, Terry Poole, Ezell Ruffin and J.J. Whittaker have been named captains for the upcoming 2014 season. The quartet was selected in a vote by their teammates on Friday.
Meredith, a defensive end from La Mesa, Calif., had 16 tackles, two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, a sack, a pass breakup and a blocked kick last year, while batting injuries throughout the season. Meredith, who started six times and played in eight of the team's 13 games, was an honorable-mention all-Mountain West pick and the team's defensive player of the year in 2012 as a true sophomore. Over his career, Meredith has 56 tackles, 8.5 TFL, three fumble recoveries, two sacks and two PBUs across 33 games and 19 starts. He is a preseason second-team selection by Athlon Sports.
Poole, an offensive tackle from Monterey, Calif., started all 12 games he appeared in last year as a junior, his first as an Aztec. He became one of just two SDSU players to be named to both the 2013 all-Mountain West team (honorable mention) and to the MW Fall All-Academic Team. Poole, who will move to left tackle after playing right tackle last year, allowed just two sacks in 492 dropbacks (0.4 percent) in 2013. He has already racked up the preseason accolades, including first-team recognition from Sporting News, and second-team honors from Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports and Phil Steele's College Football Preview magazine.
Ruffin, a wide receiver from Long Beach, Calif., led San Diego State last year with 68 catches and 1,136 yards to go along with three touchdowns. The 1,136 yards were the most by an Aztec non-senior in the history of the MW (since 1999) and are the 10th most among in the nation among the returning FBS players. Ruffin went onto be named a MW honorable-mention selection and the team's co-offensive player of the year. Ruffin, who has 85 career receptions, 1,455 yards and three touchdowns, is on the 2014 Biletnikoff Award Watch List (top collegiate wide receiver), and has been named a preseason all-MW second-team pick by Lindy's Sports and Phil Steele, and a third-team honoree by Athlon Sports.
Whittaker, a cornerback from Oceanside, Calif., racked up 32 tackles (24 solos), 11 pass breakups, three interceptions, a forced fumble and two tackles for loss in his first 13 career starts and appearances. An honorable-mention all-MW selection, he ranked fifth in the league with 1.08 passes defended (PBUs + INTs) per game (14 total). Whittaker was named the MW Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25, 2013 after recording two interceptions against Boise State on Nov. 23, including one for a touchdown. He also had five PBUs against Nevada on Oct. 4, which was tied for the second most in a game in the country last year and the second most in a game in program history. Whittaker, who is on the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List (best defensive back), has been named a preseason all-conference selection by the MW media, and is a first-team pick by Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports, Phil Steele and Sporting News.
SDSU returns 12 starters and 35 letterwinners from a team that finished 8-5 overall and 6-2 in Mountain West play a year ago, culminating with a 49-24 victory over Buffalo in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. San Diego State became one of only 29 teams in the nation, and one of just five non-BCS schools, to play in a bowl game in each of the past four seasons.
The Aztecs kick off the 2014 season on Aug. 30 at 4 p.m. PT, when they welcome Northern Arizona (No. 25 in the FCS preseason poll) to Qualcomm Stadium. SDSU has been picked to finish second in the West Division of the MW with 172 points, just two points behind back-to-back champion Fresno State (174). Both teams had 15 first-place votes apiece.
Season tickets and all individual home football game tickets are currently on sale through GoAztecs.com, the SDSU athletic ticket office (619) 283-SDSU or Qualcomm Stadium, Window E (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).