GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, September 28
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Kickoff: 12:30 PM PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760

As Willie Nelson’s famous song On the Road Again says, Sean Lewis will lead the Aztecs on their second straight trip away from Snapdragon Stadium. SDU will head to the University of Central Michigan looking to get to 2-2 before conference play.

The Aztecs are coming off their bye week. They have spent the extra time making necessary adjustments and preparing for their next opponent.

“Eager to get back into game week,” Lewis excitedly said in his opening statement at today’s press conference. “There was great energy in the building all during the bye week. The kids put in great work last week and enjoyed some downtime on Friday and Saturday…now looking forward to getting into our normal routine here as we prepare for a good trip up to Mount Pleasent.”

The Chippewas are 2-2. They started the season with a 66-10 thrashing of Central Connecticut State but then lost two straight. CMU found itself on the wrong end of a 52-16 blowout loss to Florida International. They failed to rebound the following week against Illinois, losing 30-9. Last Saturday, they found a way to win in the game’s final moments against Ball State 37-34.

Quarterback Joe Labas (Transfer from Iowa) started the season hot in the blowout win, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns. He has slipped in most categories since the first game, just like the team overall. Completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns all had decreased week by week before the Ball State contest.

The team got back on track with a win over Ball State. Labas was back to form, throwing for 185 yards and the game-winning touchdown. The rushing attack was also successful. The Chippewas rushed for 335 yards. Runningback B.J. Harris led the team with 151 yards.

CMU has a balanced attack on offense. Through four games, they have passed the ball 122 times for 927 yards and rushed 130 times for 846 yards.

Creating turnovers is where they lack most on the defensive side of the football. They have only one turnover through four games, an interception in the first cn.

The Aztec defense will need to make the necessary adjustments to slow down the run against a team that will rush early and often. If they can continue the momentum of the hard-hitting physical play before the bye, they can continue to set up the offense.

Lewis and his highly touted offense must capitalize on this first game back from the bye. With Danny O’Neil or Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson, Aztec Fast this week will set the tone for the remainder of the season.

“It all starts up front with their guys,” Lewis explained as what he has seen on film about this opponent. “They’ve returned three out of their five starters from last year, and they’ve really settled in nicely as a unit. They’re a physically imposing group upfront. And Joey Labas, he’s the straw that really stirs the drink for them; a lot of their run game has RPO concepts that are built into it, and he’s a good decision-maker who has put them in a good position to be successful.”

Players to Watch: Central Michigan’s Running Backs

CMU has a talented running back group. Four different players have gotten significant carries so far. Marion Lukes  (141 yards) leads the way in attempts with 30 rushes, followed by B.J. Harris (247 yards) and Myles Bailey (171 yards), who both have 24 attempts apiece. Nahree Biggins is the fourth tailback. He has 19 carries for 141 yards

The Aztec’s defense has struggled against the run recently. In the last two games, both losses, they surrendered over 200 yards rushing each contest. The Chippewas’ balanced offense with a four-player rushing attack will be a big test for the defense coming out of the bye week.

Since Eric Schmidt first came to Mesa, the EDGE position has been emphasized. That key position is the one that opponents have been able to attack and find success running against.

With an extra week to prepare and make any changes to counter what teams have been able to do successfully to his defense, Schmidt will be challenged early to prove his EDGE position is still a strength of the defense.

The Aztec defense has kept them in games so far this season by forcing turnovers and making key stops to give the offense a chance.

“For them, it’s all about the opportunities that they have created,” Lewis described of the defense’s ability to perform this season. “They’ve done a really good job keeping teams off schedule, and they do a good job no matter what situation they’re put in, they respond, and they say so what now what, we’re going to show up and perform”

On the defense, Trey White has led by example for the EDGE position in Schmidt’s defense. He has 15 total tackles, 12 of which are solo, three sacks, and a forced fumble against TAMCU that led to a Tano Letuli touchdown.

“Have a really good knockback, play with really good fundamentals, make sure we are setting the edge so that the ball doesn’t break our leverage and contain,” Lewis replied when asked how the defense can slow down the run using the EDGE position. “And make sure we’re gap sound play in and play out with all of that.”

Key to the game: Consistent scoring drives

The Aztec Fast offense has three different performances so far this season. The second-half resurgence in the first game where they scored four touchdowns. The following week, they were shut out by Oregon State. Lastly, Tupou’ata-Johnson took the reigns for the first road game against Cal as the team fell 31-10.

The season has been plagued with pre-snap penalties. The offense has yet to find any rhythm or consistency.

This week, the quarterback play is still up for debate between O’Neil and Tupou-Johnson. Whoever leads the offense in Michigan will have to ensure it runs smoothly.

Aside from penalties, some other areas of concern are time of possession, third-down conversion, and the ability to put points on the boards.

The offense has struggled with time of possession, especially when it is behind. The defense has done a good job of giving the offense opportunities, but the fast-paced offense has sometimes been too fast. SDSU has lost time of possession in its three games. CMU has only had the ball more than its opposition once.

Third-down conversions have also been a letdown so far. The Red and Black are 13-43 on third downs on the year. Extending drives is crucial to traversing downfield and scoring points. If the offense can execute on third downs to keep drives alive, the time of possession could become less of a problem.

The most important and noticeable aspect is the lack of points on the board. The offense lit up the scoreboard in the first game but has only scored one touchdown in the next eight quarters. Lewis brought a lot of hype with his new offense, and it has failed to live up to that so far.

With a bye week to evaluate key areas of need, such as the O-line, quarterback, and mental mistakes, the offense could run more efficiently and smoothly going forward. If the coaching staff and players fail to address those needs, the remainder of the season could be long.

“Have relentless focus, have relentless effort, do a great job communicating, and play with elite fundamentals,” Lewis said. “Don’t get bored with the basics. That’s why anyone that has had any significant amount of success for an extended period of time consistently they do the basic things really, really well.”

Fun Facts

• Saturday will mark the second meeting on the gridiron between San Diego State and Central Michigan. The Aztecs beat the Chippewas 48-11 in the 2019 New Mexico Bowl.
• After playing five consecutive contests in the state of California dating back to last season, the Aztecs are playing a game in the Eastern time zone for the first time since Sept. 26, 2015, at Penn State.
• San Diego State is 57-2 the last 59 times it has rushed for over 200 yards.
• SDSU is 29-6 since 2011 when having at least 36 minutes of time of possession.
• This season, the Aztecs have 14 points off turnovers, while their opponents have scored seven points off three turnovers.

Johnny Olivieri

Johnny is born and raised in San Diego and a diehard fan of all his hometown teams. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia that help paint a picture of the history of sports in San Diego. He spends a lot of his time attending sports games across San Diego county and enjoys studying the history and spreading knowledge of San Diego’s diverse sports.