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Miller’s first season as college starter ends on high note

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Ramona High School graduate Kwayde Miller said his first season as a starter on the San Diego State University football team is everything he expected.

In his first year as a college starter the Aztecs won the Mountain West Conference championship and concluded their season by defeating Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl.

“It was a huge learning experience, that’s for sure,” Miller said.

Miller was a starting offensive lineman on Ramona High School’s football team before he graduated in 2012. In February of that year he signed a letter of intent to play football at San Diego State University.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association allows players to participate in competition for four years during a five-year period from when they enroll full time in college. In many cases a player will use his redshirt year, when he does not play in a game, as a true freshman.

That is usually the case with linemen, so during the 2012 season Miller was on the Aztecs’ scout team, which emulates the formations and strategies of upcoming opponents during practice against the first-string players.

Miller had back surgery in 2013 and did not play that season. He participated in three games as a left tackle in 2014, when the starter was senior Terry Poole.

Poole is now on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster, and Miller took over the starting left tackle position.

The Aztecs won their final 10 games of 2015, and Miller attributes that to the team finding success in the running game.

“That kind of moved everything forward,” Miller said. “When you’re blocking for those guys, it makes your job a whole lot easier.”

Running backs Donnel Pumphrey and Chase Price each exceeded 1,000 yards on the ground. The Aztecs’ 265 rushing attempts (including 37 quarterback sacks which are counted as rushing attempts and reduced the Aztecs’ net rushing gain by 244 yards) produced 3,266 yards, 260 first downs, and 32 touchdowns. San Diego State gained 5,254 yards of total offense; pass completions accounted for 1,988 yards, 85 first downs, and 17 touchdowns.

A 31-14 home win over Nevada on Nov. 28 gave the Aztecs an 8-0 Mountain West Conference record and their first undefeated season in conference play since 1974. The Aztecs, who are in the West Division of the MWC, then hosted Mountain Division champion Air Force in the Dec. 5 conference championship and won the conference championship with a 27-24 victory over the Falcons.

“The hard work paid off,” Miller said of the MWC championship.

The Mountain West Conference did not have separate divisions in 2012 when San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State all posted 7-1 records to share the conference championship.

“It’s really nice to be outright champions of the conference,” Miller said.

Miller contributed to that 2012 tri-championship as a scout team member rather than as a game-day player, so the 2015 championship was Miller’s first while on the field.

“Being a starting player, it’s really rewarding and exciting,” he said.

The Hawaii Bowl took place Dec. 24. The team activities included a trip to Pearl Harbor, luaus and travel around the island.

“It was my first time actually experiencing Hawaii,” Miller said.

Miller had been in Hawaii for an Aztecs’ regular-season road game against the University of Hawaii, but the focus was on practice and the game, and the Aztecs did not tour the island.

“The Hawaii Bowl was a rewarding experience,” Miller said. “To play in the bowl game was even more fun, especially beating up on Cincinnati.”

San Diego State defeated the Bearcats by a 42-7 score to finalize the Aztecs’ 2015 record at 11-3. The 11-win season was the third in Aztec history and the first since San Diego State College became San Diego State University. The 1966 season was the team’s final year in Aztec Bowl and 1969 was the school’s initial season in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.

“It’s amazing to be a part of that team,” Miller said of the 2015 Aztecs.

Only two of the Aztecs’ five starting offensive linemen in 2015 are seniors.

“We’re looking good again next year,” Miller said.

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