• movielover
    485
    Breaking

    A chicken pox outbreak has hit the San Diego State Aztec football team, and their coach is worried he could potentially lose more players.

    Right now it has hit a starting offensive lineman (Pope), and two reserve LBs.

    The players are on medication. The worry is that with the close contact, it could affect a lot more players. Coach Long has wondered if he could lose 10 more players ...
  • 69aggie
    370
    Well, wont we be in "close contact" with them in about two weeks. As most parents know, chicken pox is insanely contagious. But maybe the only way can win this game is with the help of a virus. New meaning for "body bag" game?
  • movielover
    485
    I've also seen where they have several receivers with hamstring injuries.

    They also apparently have had a number of foot injuries they attribute to new, thinner shoes with less support, and the turfs that allow quicker cuts.
  • CA Forever
    550
    I'll take anything that helps us out. No mercy.
  • DrMike
    649
    they seem very high on the running back, Perry, who gained over 1000 yards last year as a BACKUP to Donnel Pumphrey who in the NCAA career yardage leader. so, i'm kind of expecting them to run the ball often. those power running teams (like Stanford a couple years back) really wear down the defense.
  • Zander
    180
    To elaborate on SDSU a bit...

    Penny is a beast. Even last year we knew that he might eclipse Pumphrey as an NFL prospect, and that was largely through kick returns and getting carries in between Pumphrey's turns. However calling him a backup, while technically true, doesn't really capture how many carries he got with the first string.

    SDSU runs a successful version of what Gould wanted the Aggie offense to be. Chapman (QB) is a game manager who only needs to throw 8-15 passes a game and can scramble when he has to. He has some decent targets who might provide matchup trouble for FCS CBs but really they're mostly there to keep the defense honest. Last year, FCS New Hampshire actually actually had one of the best defensive performances against our run game but that was because they were stacking the box. Eventually a frustrated Long ditched the original game plan and started airing it out to just press the FBS speed advantage.

    The good news is that that State won't be looking or even able to run up the score necessarily and a stop every other drive might be enough to keep the game close in the first half, depending on how Hawk's new offense performs. The Ags have to sustain drives though because otherwise SDSU will chew the clock like crazy. The other good news is that a lot of the Gould recruits have a ton of practice with a similar offense so the practice squad is probably on point.

    Sucks to hear about the pox; I hope those guys have a speedy recovery. I've been told chicken pox is worse as an adult than as a kid when most people used to get it.

    I panicked when I first read the news because I'm starting work as an SDSU Athletics tutor in two weeks, but then remembered that vaccines exist. I wonder how many of the players haven't been vaccinated; and if it's that common to not be these days.
  • movielover
    485
    I thought I read their O line is green, and their most experienced lineman is out right now with CP.
  • Zander
    180
    True to an extent I think, though it hasn't seemed to concern coaches or pundits much.

    I'm not sure if it's because they're confident in the unit's depth, planning to lean more on Chapman to make plays happen under pressure, or just hiding weaknesses though.
  • movielover
    485
    UPDATE: SDSU cancels Monday night practice as 2 more players are confirmed infected with the virus. The two new players infected have not been identified.

    The program is also disinfecting the weight room, etc., to try to slow the spread.
  • Zander
    180
    I see it now: half the team gets infected, we lose to Davis, ASU, and Stanford, then recover and win out the rest of the schedule but miss NY6 and playoffs, and ESPN makes a 30-for-30 out of it.
  • aggie6thman
    158
    "What if I told you a football season was derailed by the chicken pox..."
  • Zander
    180
    I'm seriously wondering if the CFP committee will take disease into account now.

    I would not blame the coaching staff at all if they cancelled practices up until the home opener. Even if not it's hard to imagine SDSU at full strength Week 1 and that may roll over to the next game vs ASU.
  • movielover
    485
    I believe they said they'll have to see how well the drugs work. It sounds like these guys will be back, and the coach said it would have been much worse if the infections came a seek before the game.
  • Zander
    180
    That makes sense. From my reading on the disease it seems that these 5 guys will easily be at full health and no longer contagious by the game. But another issue is that the incubation period can be up to 3 weeks, so if anybody else caught it over the weekend then we might not see another wave of cases pop up until game week.
  • movielover
    485
    Which is why the wipe down and precaution... imagine if their QB or other key people had to sit out gameday.
  • 69aggie
    370
    But according to wiki CP as a virus is air or touch borne only (why most gyms turn off fans during flu season) so precautions good- wiping down useless. BTW I want these players healthy on game day else all we will hear from the commentators is how bad the CP is effecting the game.
  • movielover
    485
    And what is our risk of contamination during the game?
  • 69aggie
    370
    I would say that the down linemen face to face within inches- yes, very much so if the SDSU guy next to them is a carrier. So what do we do? Call the game. Is there a vaccine for CP? This is getting too weird. Heck, now they pull a player for any blood shown no matter what, just for the possible HIV threat.
  • Zander
    180
    Daily Aztec is now reporting that 15 players caught it, though Athletics denied it. Supposedly players and staff have a gag order.

    http://thedailyaztec.com/83295/sports/source-preseason-pox-outbreak-larger-than-reported/

    We're still at the point where anybody catching it now wouldn't be contagious by season start. And presumably nobody showing symptoms on Game Week will be allowed or able to play, so UCD might only be at risk in the first place if any SDSU players started showing symptoms one or two days after the game. Although Hawk should perhaps consider taking players on a field trip to the vaccination clinic at the Health and Wellness Center after practice one morning. I assume expenses for medical issues incurred or at risk in games are covered by ICA for athletes?
  • Zander
    180
    There's a vaccine and booster, but it was introduced from 1995-2000 so current college-aged adults are right on the edge of maybe having both, or one, or none. Even if they had it (especially just one I think) it's prone to wear off at around 20 years.

    UC currently requires both doses of the chicken pox vaccine (CSU does not), though that rule was only introduced in like 2016 so the upperclassmen Aggies could possibly not have had it.
  • movielover
    485
    Too risky. I'd say vaccinate the whole team unless they have ironclad proof of current shots. With a med school, we blow this and we look baaaaad. Blue should be all over this.
  • Zander
    180
    Per Twitter, all but 3 SDSU players had vaccines according to parents. Same guy said elsewhere that confirmed case count is still at 5 but 3 more players are having cultures done.

    So if this is true then that means some players who got vaccinated caught it. Though if UCD players got shots this week it might be a bit better protection than shots 17-20 years ago if it's true that it weakens over time.
  • movielover
    485
    San Diego News Daily one hour ago posted an update. Claimed no new cases, but 10 players sitting out who had gloves and surgical masks on, away from the field. They have 110 players, 90 at practice. That gets to that 15 number. People can get a booster shot.
  • movielover
    485
    Apparently the very successful Aztec team lost a lot of players, 7 in NFL camps right now. Lost almost their whole offensive line? Coach Long referred to "inexperienced depth".

    Will this game be televised?

    I know we had maybe the whole team here this summer. Does anyone know if the players held organized 7 on 7 or 11 on 11s?
  • Zander
    180
    To my knowledge the game isn't televised. Normally ooc games for MWC teams have been streamed online on MW Network or Twitter but this wasn't one of the events SDSU announced for streaming.
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