Aztecs had 20 players miss Mountain West championship game due to COVID-19 protocols

San Diego State’s top three tight ends — senior Daniel Bellinger, sophomore Jay Rudolph and redshirt freshman Aaron Greene — and two of its receivers — juniors Tyrell Shavers and TJ Sullivan — were among a reported 20 players who missed Saturday’s Mountain West championship game against Utah State while under COVID-19 protocol.

Several sources this week said the team’s tight ends were in COVID protocol, though specific players were not mentioned. Television and radio broadcasters were informed shortly before kickoff that 20 players were out, either because they had COVID or were unvaccinated and in contact with someone who had it.

“It’s one of those things,” John David Wicker, SDSU’s director of athletics, said before the Aztecs’ 46-13 loss. “We haven’t had very many issues whatsoever until we got into this week. ... We’re following our COVID protocols, doing what we’re supposed to do.

“It’s just like if a guy blows his knee out last week, or tweaks his knee. Whatever, you just assess who you have and who can play and you move forward.”

True freshman quarterback Will Haskell and holder Jack Browning missed last week’s game against Boise State but were back on the field during warmups. Multiple sources speaking on condition of anonymity said both players were under COVID protocols.

SDSU’s policy during the pandemic has been not to speak to specific COVID cases.

“You go back and say, ‘What can I do differently?’ ” Wicker said. “Across the country people have become a little more lax. All of it you kind of get comfortable because you haven’t had a whole lot of issues with it. You’re vaccinated, you’re testing, so maybe we weren’t as dialed in as we were last year.

“That’s not saying anybody did anything wrong, but you weren’t in the same position you were last year.”

The tight end position is used extensively for blocking in SDSU’s run game, although Bellinger (29 catches, 344 yards, 3 TDs) is a significant part of the passing game, ranking second on the team in receptions and TDs.

Senior Connor McBride and freshman Gus McGee were the only tight ends at the game. McBride had appeared in three games this season. McGee had played in one.

The Aztecs at times used two linemen — Dominic Gudino and Joey Capra — in tight end blocking situations.

“Practice was a little different because you don’t have all the bodies out there,” SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said. “That probably as much as anything is something that sets you back a little bit. ... But that’s the way football goes. We’ve got to do better.”

Hoke said he had was surprised to have an issue with coronavirus at this particular time.

“I really was,” Hoke said. “Our guys had done a great job for 18 months. I was really surprised.”

Notes

• Junior punter Matt Araiza had three punts (averaging 49 yards, with a long of 57) in the game. Only three that were credited to him, anyway. Two punts were blocked and categorized as “team” punts. A partially blocked punt in the second quarter went 27 yards. A block in the third quarter went backwards into the end zone for a safety.

Araiza’s season punt average is now 51.37 yards, which is narrowly higher than the single-season NCAA record (Texas A&M’s Braden Mann, 50.98 yards in 2018).

• Running back Greg Bell rushed 11 times for 50 yards, giving him 990 yards for the season.

• SDSU was 6-2 this season at Dignity Health Sports Park and 9-3 overall at its temporary home the past two seasons.