Aztecs' new returner supplies a real kick
By: MICHAEL KLITZING - Staff Writer | ∞
SAN DIEGO -- Mekell Wesley followed his blockers perfectly, skipped out of three tackles and turned on the afterburner. Just like that he was gone, giving a player who always seems to be smiling even more reason to beam.
For the San Diego State football team's sophomore wide receiver, that part of his game-changing kick return for a touchdown in Saturday night's 38-30 win against Nevada-Las Vegas was what came naturally; the part the Aztecs coaching staff never doubted he could provide.
The 5-foot-10 speedster'sÝhands, in the opinion of head coach Chuck Long, were another matter. Wesley had been given a look as a kick returner before the season, but end-over-end kicks kept ending up on the turf.
"It's a different style; you take a wide receiver and you think it would be an easy catch, but it's not." said Long, whose team plays at Air Force on Saturday. "But he got better, and he got more confident. We took a chance and said, 'Hey, let's give him a shot at this thing.' "
The Aztecs first took the chance two weeks ago against Wyoming. Wesley replaced true freshman receiver Vincent Brown, whom the coaches didn't want to wear out on special teams as his role in the passing game increased.
"I saw it as a big opportunity just to make plays and to earn my spot on the field," Wesley said. "Everybody's got to work, and all I did was just work for a spot, and the coaches finally gave me a shot at it -- and I'm doing pretty good on it."
So far, Wesley has returned 12 kicks without so much as a juggle. His touchdown against UNLV was the first kickoff brought back for a score by an Aztec since 1997.
Aztecs notes
WR Chaz Schilens saidÝthe stress fracture in his foot which caused him to miss most of five games is no longer bothering him, short of some residual soreness. He needed pain-killers to get through his first game back (Oct. 20 against New Mexico), but not since. The senior has caught touchdowns in two straight games. ... DE Nick Osborn was held out of practice on Wednesday as a precaution afterÝsuffering a concussionÝSaturday at Nevada-Las Vegas. He expects to return today.
-- Contact staff writer Michael Klitzing at mrklitzing@gmail.com.
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GFN wrote on Nov 15, 2007 6:46 AM:Thanks Mekell, it has been many years since the Aztecs had a threat at this position...Patrick Rowe???
San Clemente wrote on Nov 15, 2007 12:47 PM:It is good to read about the progress that the team has made in different areas. I think it is important for this team to finsh strong though. But overall, I am positive about the future because of guys like Wesley, Vincent Brown, and Brandon Sullivan on offense and Luke Laolagi, BJ Williams, and Andrew Preston on defense.
nc wrote on Nov 15, 2007 11:16 PM:With Craft recruits departing, O'Connell, Swain, Dombrowski, Kravetz, Robinson, Schmidt, Bornes, Schilens,Hamilton just to name a few the Aztecs are in big trouble in 2008 look for them to win one game. The coaching is the worst staff in SDSU history. Yes, they have won four games this year, Portland State, Wyoming, UNLV, CSU! Three very bad Div. I teams and Portland State. Look for the Aztecs to get lucky a win one game in 2008!
LB wrote on Nov 16, 2007 12:29 AM:nc - who ran over your cat? Yes, we are losing some good seniors, but you need to look at the players that Long has brought in. There is a lot of young talent that knows how to win. Look at the WYO and UNLV wins and you'll see that it was either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen making some of the key plays. The worst staff in SDSU history??? Hardly. I don't know why you have this apparent allegiance to Tom Craft and his staff, but your bitterness is clouding your judgement. The Aztec program was in bad shape, but appears to be turning the corner. Yes, we're losing some senior talent - but there will still be a lot of talent left over. I'll bet you $100 donation to the AAF that the Aztecs will have more wins next year than this year. For now, I'll leave you go back to the corner and kicking your cat.
nc wrote on Nov 16, 2007 6:05 PM:Wow LB, $100 donation to the AAF, that is big money. Long hasn't recruited well and you will see his recruits starting next year. As I said one win for the Aztecs in 2008. Go talk with the players, the LB coach does not have a clue and the OC and DC are average at best the doesn't mix well with first time HC. ...
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