Here is a great article that ran in the San Diego Union Tribune this week about Nik having started 45 games!!
Aztecs' runner Walter Kazee follows his blockers. #68 is Nik Embernate — Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Pre
Offensive linemen rarely get credit or make headlines, and unfortunately, no one keeps stats for how many blocks a guy makes over the course of a season.
But aside from highlight tape of pancake moves against opposing defenders, Aztecs’ senior offensive guard Nik Embernate will leave SDSU with the distinction of being the most hardy starter in this year’s senior class.
The big 6-foot-4, 300-pound right guard has amassed 44 career starts in his four years at SDSU.
The only missed start in his career came against Colorado State last year, when Embernate was held out of action after suffering a concussion the week before.
Sitting out that game ended Embernate’s string of 29 consecutive starts – a number that dated back to his freshman year.
| Player/Position | Year | Career Starts | Consecutive Starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nik Embernate, OG | SR | 44 | 15 |
| Leon McFadden, CB | SR | 43 | 37 |
| Alec Johnson, C | SR | 40 | 37 |
| Nat Berhe, S | JR | 26 | 25 |
| Jake Fely, LB | SO | 24 | 24 |
A look at some of the most durable Aztecs currently active
The lineman clearly remembers his surprise at being pressed into action during his rookie season in 2009.
It’s pretty unusual for linemen to start as freshmen because of how big and physical the guys in the trenches are. For instance, SDSU coach Rocky Long noted earlier this season that defensive lineman Dan Kottman (6-foot-1, 245-pounds) was getting some playing time because of his quickness, but that it was difficult for him to get by the bigger offensive linemen because he has yet to develop the strength and power it takes to succeed on the line of scrimmage at the college level.
Thus, Embernate never expected to start in his first year.
“I thought I was going to come in and redshirt like everybody else, and just go from there,” he said.
But four games into the season, the coaches called his number.
“It was against New Mexico State. I was not playing before that. They had a guy ahead of me, and they decided to throw me in,” Embernate said. “It was kind of surreal. I was still a little nervous and stuff.
Strength and power differential aside, he held his own well enough to earn the start for the rest of the season and earn the team’s Outstanding Freshman Award.
“I was the same height and about the same weight as I am now,” Embernate said. “Probably almost 290 pounds. But it was a little bit more sloppy weight. I wasn’t as strong as I am now.
“Now, I’ve cut down most of the fat.”
That’s what four offseasons-worth of strength and conditioning (he enrolled early at SDSU, in time for the 2009 spring semester) and fall camps will do for you.
He locked down that starting right guard spot in his first game against New Mexico in 2009, and hasn’t look back since.
This season, he and starting center Alec Johnson – who’s third on the team with 40 career starts – have been the anchors on a retooled offensive line that Rocky Long said has developed faster than he expected.
It helps to have mainstays such as Johnson and Embernate in the trenches to build consistency from year to year.
“But even when the young guys came in (this year) we all just kind of jelled off the bat,” Embernate said. “We fed off the energy from last year and built on the success.”
It’s been a long four years for Embernate, who has seen the team go from a 4-8 team that finished seventh in the Mountain West his freshman year, to a team that’s 8-3 and contending for the league championship.
“This is where I’ve imagined us every year since I’ve been here,” Embernate said. “But we’ve got to finish it out.”
Wyoming awaits in Laramie this weekend – start No. 45 for the Aztecs’ durable right guard who’s dying to go out with a championship trophy.
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