San Diego State football is facing a nightmare scenario, with a staggering 17 players listed as either ‘doubtful’ or ‘out’ for their game against Texas State tonight. Ten of those sidelined players are starters, thanks to a brutal mumps outbreak and other injuries ripping through the team for the third straight week.
Mumps Mayhem: A Viral Blitz Hits the Aztecs Hard
This isn’t a couple of guys feeling under the weather, folks. The U.S. Centers for Disease and Control tells us mumps is a seriously contagious disease, causing pain and swelling in those salivary glands near your ears and jaw. As of September 10th, there were 157 outbreak cases across 31 states, and 25 of those were right there in California. The university first confirmed three cases and two additional possible cases all connected to the football team on September 18th. What’s worse? This is the third consecutive week San Diego State’s program has had multiple players out with this viral infection. The San Diego Tribune-Union reported nearly three dozen players were on the team’s availability report just Wednesday night. While not all are mumps related, ESPN confirmed 17 players are indeed ‘doubtful’ or ‘out’ due to the virus and other injuries, and get this, 10 of them are starters. That’s a huge hit to any squad.
Coach Lewis on the ‘Nice Storm’ Facing a 1-3 Team
It’s no wonder their coach, Sean Lewis, told reporters on Wednesday, “The football gods have not really favored us with the injury luck.” You can feel the frustration, right? His team, the San Diego State Aztecs, is sitting at a rough 1-3 overall record going into this matchup. They’re about to square off against the Texas State Bobcats, who are holding their own at a .500 record of 2-2. Lewis isn’t backing down though, telling his guys, “Guys have got to be ready to step into the light when the time comes. … We’ve been given a nice storm here. But this too shall pass, and we’ve got to be able to see our way through it.” That’s the kind of leadership you need when your roster is being decimated.
So, with 10 starters out and a huge chunk of their team sidelined, how are the Aztecs going to rally to face Texas State? It’s all going down tonight, October 3rd, at 7:30 p.m. PT at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. Can the remaining players really “step into the light” and pull off a win when the deck is so stacked against them? We’ll be watching to see how they navigate this absolute gauntlet.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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