Rocky Long raises bar at San Diego State

San Diego State’s Rocky Long, the winningest coach in Mountain West history, left New Mexico in 2008 after transforming his alma mater into a perennial bowl team because he said he wasn’t the right man to lead the Lobos to the next level.

“I thought we had a good program. I thought we were moving in the right direction. I thought we were very, very competitive,” he said. “But the sentiment at the time was we were supposed to be a top 10 team, and the resources we had at the time, I didn’t think we could be.”

Long, 66, has proven to be the right man to take San Diego State to the next level. He has guided the Aztecs to two consecutive conference titles — their only outright ones since 1969 — and is one of only four coaches in Mountain West history to claim back-to-back outright league crowns, joining Urban Meyer, Bronco Mendenhall and Gary Patterson.

Long, who also led San Diego State to a share of the conference title in 2012, has guided the Aztecs to a bowl game in each of his six seasons as coach. On Saturday, San Diego State (10-3) can match its school record for wins in a season for the second straight year — after last winning 11 games in 1969 — with a victory over Houston (9-3) in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

“He’s a tough, hard-nosed, old-school coach,” Aztecs offensive coordinator Jeff Horton said. “He’s brutally honest, which I think as a coach or player you really like. You know exactly where you stand.

“Our niche is being more physical and tougher than the opponent, and he preaches old-school values. Our kids love him, and they play hard for him, and it’s been great coaching with him.”

Getting his players to buy into his blue-collar brand of football has been a big key to Long’s success.

“It’s just the players believing in what you’re selling and what you believe in. They believe it, too, and things work out,” he said. “Over the last couple of years, we’re getting more talented players, too. And talented players make you a better coach.”

Long, the 1971 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a quarterback for New Mexico, has long confounded opponents as a defensive-minded coach. He joined San Diego State as its defensive coordinator in 2009 and has continued to run the Aztecs’ defense since succeeding Brady Hoke as head coach in 2011.

“His teams were always a handful to play against, because they play hard, they’re physical and the defense is certainly problematic,” said San Diego State special teams coordinator Bobby Hauck, who faced Long as UNLV’s head coach from 2010 to 2014. “It’s like playing an option offense when you only see it once a year. They’re always a hard prep in any given week.”

While the Cougars will be focused on preventing San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey from gaining the 108 yards he needs to break Ron Dayne’s NCAA career rushing record, the Aztecs will be tasked with stopping Houston’s dual-threat quarterback, Greg Ward Jr.

“He’s the best one we’ve played against all year long,” Long said. “The biggest challenge is to keep him in the pocket and throw it. And then he throws for 300 yards a game, so I don’t know if that’s right or not. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Long guided New Mexico to bowls in five of his final seven seasons at the school, which had gone to only six bowls in its previous 64 seasons. After he left, the Lobos went 1-11 in each of the next three seasons and didn’t post another winning record until 2015 under Bob Davie, who has the program back on track.

San Diego State broke into The Associated Press Top 25 poll this season for the first time since 1995, and Long said the next level for the Aztecs is to be consistently ranked in the Top 25.

“And since we’re not a Power Five institution, maybe you can get into a New Year’s (Six) bowl once in a while. That’s the next level,” he said. “I hope we can get there. I don’t know if we have the resources to get there or not, but that’s what we’re trying to do. And as long as you’re trying to do that, I guess you’re moving in the right direction.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.