"We have every intention of kicking off at 5:06 p.m.," said executive director Bruce Binkowski. "The stadium grounds crew will work round the clock to make sure they get in the game."
As of Wednesday, the field appeared to be under perhaps 10 inches or more of muddy water and a large portion of the parking lot was flooded as well. The parking lot is next to the San Diego River, which overflows every time it rains hard.
It rained so hard Tuesday that the two teams practiced in hotel ballrooms. SDSU held its Wednesday walkthrough on campus while Navy found a nearby high school with a turf field.
The soaking wet conditions left coaches Ken Niumatalolo of Navy and Brady Hoke of San Diego State vowing to splash through the mud, if that's what it takes. Hoke agreed, especially since the Aztecs are playing in their first bowl since 1998.
"That's part of football and part of what we've all grown up and played in that weather and had fun in that weather," Hoke said. "We plan to have fun again tomorrow night."
Navy (9-3) is coming off a 31-17 win against Army. SDSU (8-4) has enjoyed a turnaround under Hoke, the second-year coach who has instilled a sense of toughness that didn't exist under previous coaches Chuck Long and Tom Craft.
Hoke said practicing inside didn't hurt the Aztecs' preparation for Navy's triple option, which is led by quarterback Ricky Dobbs.
The Aztecs will counter with an offense led by running back Ronnie Hillman, the Mountain West Conference freshman of the year, and quarterback Ryan Lindley. Hillman set the MWC freshman single-season record with 1,304 yards, with 14 touchdowns. Lindley has thrown for 3,554 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Soggy conditions or not, this should be a good game. GO AZTECS....
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