New Orleans Saints RB follows Faulk's footsteps

Marshall Faulk of the NFL Network won’t be the only former San Diego State University running back at this week’s Super Bowl.

Lynell Hamilton of the New Orleans Saints could see a few snaps at running back as long as an ankle injury doesn’t prevent him from playing.

Do you remember Hamilton?

He came to SDSU as the most highly-touted running back since Faulk … and he started out like he might be the next great Aztec runner.

Then, a serious Joe Theismann-type knee injury his freshman year slowed him down for the rest of his SDSU career. Even so, Hamilton still finished with 1,087 rushing yards as a freshman and became the 10th Aztec ever to rush for more than 2,000 career yards.

While primarily a blocking back with the Saints, Hamilton did score a rushing touchdown in the Divisional round playoff game vs. the Arizona Cardinals and is the team’s third-leading rusher in the playoffs.

All told, Hamilton rushed 35 times for 125 yards and two TDs during the regular season. The second-year running back had his best career game with 10 carries for 48 yards and one TD in the regular-season finale vs. the Carolina Panthers.

When you think of the New Orleans offense, certainly players such as Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey come to mind.

But don’t forget Lynell Hamilton: He could become the first SDSU running back since Marshall Faulk to possess a Super Bowl championship ring.

Brady Hoke needs to produce within three years

Brady Hoke is the first tough-talking football coach at San Diego State since Al Luginbill in the late 1980s and early ‘90s.

On the field, Hoke will need to have tougher teams than Luginbill.

Despite having Marshall Faulk and Darnay Scott in back-to-back seasons, Luginbill’s teams only finished .500 both of those years.

Hoke needs to get the Aztecs to .500 or better within three years, or the football team may fold when SDSU selects its next president after Stephen Weber retires in 2 ½ years. (Weber has made it clear the team will continue to exist on his watch.)

It took Hoke five years into his six-year tenure at Ball State to turn that team around.

He had four straight losing records before finally finishing above .500. Then this year’s team was a remarkable 12-1.

However, starting with four (or even three) consecutive losing seasons at SDSU could mean the end of Aztec football.

Under Weber’s watch, the athletics program keeps begging and borrowing from other campus entities, boosters, etc. to keep going. In a down economy, this can’t go on forever.

Brady Hoke basically has three years to get things going. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if Weber’s successor will be charged with the task of pulling the plug on Aztec football.