June 4, 2015
SAN DIEGO - The Sporting News college football preview magazine has picked San Diego State to win the West Division of the Mountain West. Three Aztecs - junior running back Donnel Pumphrey (Las Vegas, Nev.), junior cornerback Damontae Kazee (San Bernardino, Calif.) and senior kicker Donny Hageman (Covina, Calif.) - also were chosen as preseason all-MW picks by the magazine.
The magazine has SDSU winning the west and going to the Las Vegas bowl to play Arizona State. Following San Diego State was Fresno State (Poinsettia Bowl), Nevada (New Orleans Bowl), San Jose State, Hawai`i and UNLV. Boise State was the publication's MW favorite and was projected to beat the Aztecs in the MW Championship game.
Unlike Phil Steele's College Football Magazine 2015 Preseason Mountain West Team, which had four separate teams (first, second, third and fourth), the 2015 College Football Sporting News magazine listed only one team.
Pumphrey, who was also named a first-team pick by Phil Steele, earned first-team honors with Sporting News. Last year, Pumphrey set a San Diego State single-season record with 1,867 yards and 20 touchdowns on 276 carries, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt. He also caught 23 passes for 260 yards (12.3 avg.) en route to being named a first-team all-MW performer.
Pumphrey also was deemed the league's "Biggest Overachiever," with the magazine saying ,"For a guy that's just 5-9, he gets a lot done. Averaged 143.6 yards a game last year and scored 20 TDs."
Kazee was the only Aztec on the defensive team, despite SDSU retuning eight starters from a squad that finished 2014 with national ranks of 10th in passing (178.5), 13th in scoring (19.8), 16th in total (332.5) and 19th in pass efficiency (112.10). A second-team all-MW selection as a sophomore last year and also a preseason second-team pick by Phil Steele this year, Kazee totaled 58 tackles (40 solo), four tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and a team-high 13 pass breakups.
Hageman picked up his second first-team honor of the preseason after finishing 20-for-25 on field goal attempts and a perfect 37-for-37 in PAT's last year as a junior. The 20 field goals ended up setting a San Diego State school record, while the field goal percentage (80.0) ranked fifth all-time.
Hageman also was listed as the conference's "Best Under Pressure" with the remarks of, "Made 80 percent of his field goal tries and all 37 PATs. He delivers when he's asked to come through."
The Aztecs, one of 27 schools to play in a bowl game each of the last five seasons and one of just three from the "Group of 5" conferences, finished 2014 with a 7-6 record and 5-3 in MW action.
SDSU kicks off the season Sept. 5 vs. San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium.
Deposits for new season tickets are currently underway and can be secured by calling the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-7378 or online at GoAztecs.com.
2015 College Football Sporting News
2015 Preseason Mountain West Team
(SDSU athletes listed only)
First Team (only team)
RB - Donnel Pumphrey, Jr.
CB - Damontae Kazee, Jr.
K - Donny Hageman, Sr.
Biggest Overachiever
RB - Donnel Pumphrey, Jr.
Best Under Pressure
K - Donny Hageman, Sr.