Nov. 22, 1999

Ted Tollner doesn't mind the national ranking. He's proud of it. So is his football team. But when San Diego State's coaches sat down and discussed defensive goals for this season, proving to be the best among Mountain West Conference teams ranked first.

Proving to be one of the best among everyone else is always, well, relative to whom you're playing.

"Being the best in our conference is really what we've been after defensively," said Tollner. "I think we can build on the other stuff."

SDSU today ranks No. 8 nationally in total defense, allowing just 292.6 yards per game. The top seven: Mississippi State, Nebraska, Kansas State, Virginia Tech, Marshall, Texas and Arkansas.

The Aztecs (4-6 overall, 2-4 MWC) host Wyoming (7-3, 4-2) on Saturday in what is SDSU's season finale and the last game in a 40-year coaching career for defensive coordinator Claude Gilbert. A defense that has consistently started nine seniors, that has redefined how this program is perceived, takes the field a final time.

Good defense is a combination of many things, specifically yards and points allowed. The Aztecs surrender 21.9 points per game, which ranks fourth in the league.

"Stopping people and not allowing a lot of points is what it all comes back to," said Tollner. "The fact we're in the Top 10 overall is a significant improvement. It's like when we were ranked that high offensively. Were we really that good? Would we have been ranked that high playing in the SEC? I don't know. Whether we're the eighth-best defense in the country . . . we were just hoping to be up there in the conference."

No speeches here
Twenty-eight seniors. Gilbert's final game. A chance to knock Wyoming out of the MWC championship picture. An ESPN audience.

Yes, there is ample motivation for SDSU in preparing this week.

"The main emphasis should be Wyoming has beaten (BYU and Utah), which have already clinched a share of the title, and we beat Colorado State, which also has a chance to be in it," said Tollner. "I hope that and all the other stuff is enough for us to play hard. I believe it will be. There's no reason not to think that."