Among the reasons for SDSU’s poor 2024 campaign, youth and a lack of continuity stand out most.

When evaluating head coach Sean Lewis’ season, the definitive takeaway is that he could not overcome one of the truths about competition. The more experienced the squad, the more consistent they will perform. 

“We aren’t doing our jobs, and that’s been the case all season long,” Marquez Cooper explained postgame. “The coaches will tell us something, and we’ll do the opposite thing at times. That’s unfortunate cause it ain’t the coaches’ fault. It’s 100% on the players. We got to do our job.”

SDSU ranks in the top six nationally for most scholarship newcomers (6th), fewest players in the final year of eligibility who started at their current FBS school (3rd), fewest scholarship players returning (5th), and fewest returning players overall (4th). The Aztecs are the only squad with a true freshman signal caller among the less veteran teams.  

Only seven of the FBS’ top 130 in passing yards – CJ Bailey (NC State), Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), Michael Van Buren (Mississippi State), DJ Lagway ( Florida), Deshawn Purdie (Charlotte), Aiden Armenta (Louisiana-Monroe), and Danny O’Neil – are athletes competing without the benefit of at least a redshirt season. O’Neil ranks third among that group. 

While Lewis can rightly be questioned for selecting O’Neil as his starter because it added more inexperience to an already green roster, youth still explains the Aztecs’ uneven play this season. A lineup full of new players with a primary place in the game plan reveals itself on the field in two ways.

The first is an extreme vacillation between skillful and poor play. In five contests this season, SDSU’s offense has failed to score a touchdown in one of the halves. It would have been six on Saturday except for the team’s last-minute score against Utah State. The Aztecs’ defense has not shut out an FBS opponent in any half this year. 

They nearly accomplished the feat in Logan, but after holding the Aggies scoreless for the first 28:04, they gave up a pair of touchdowns after the two-minute warning in the first half. USU did not score in its first five drives to start the contest but reached the end zone six of the next seven times it got the ball.

“Because I haven’t done a good enough job teaching and instilling the idea of competitive maturity,” Lewis responded when asked why the game snowballed in Utah State’s favor. “To know and understand that this game is going to have momentum swings and that when the time come like that when we’ve got to dig in, we can’t look to someone else. We’ve got to do our piece. We got to do our job and we got to be the one that swings the momentum back on our boundary and to be that spark.”

Youth also exhibits itself with its inability to make in-game adjustments. If a squad cannot consistently accomplish what it practiced all week, it will be challenged to put into practice anything new that arises in the course of the game. When Utah State’s QB went out with an injury, SDSU could not adapt to a more mobile signal caller. After beginning the contest by moving the ball utilizing bubble screens, the Aztecs could not handle Utah State’s adjustment to attack the screen aggressively.

Lewis’ rotation of his skill position players has raised questions because athletes like Marquez Cooper and Ja’Shaun Poke have received the majority of playing time over talented players behind them. Part of the reason to lean on Cooper and Poke is because they are dependable and predictable. They can be counted upon to do their job. 

Jordan Napier, Poke’s understudy, has been the Aztecs’ most explosive athlete this year, but he struggled to get going against Utah State. Like much of the roster, he was consistently inconsistent.

The silver lining in 2024 is the Aztecs should be better and for longer stretches in 2025 without adding new athletes. SDSU’s talent level has not been its primary issue. What they could not do was sustain the glimpses of excellence present in every contest.

Nature was working against Lewis’ efforts this season. With only 15 players in their final year of eligibility, it could be working with him in 2025. 

What the loss means

Utah State (4-7), Hawai’i (4-7), Wyoming (2-8), and Air Force (4-7) have similar records to SDSU’s 3-8 mark. The Aggies started the season 1-6 but have won three out of four. The Rainbow Warriors have won a pair in their past four and nearly upset no. 23 UNLV. Wyoming defeated New Mexico three weeks ago and took Boise State to the brink on Saturday. The Falcons have won three straight. 

Unlike the above squads, where signs of progress can be seen, SDSU’s growth is hard to pinpoint. The Aztecs have not won a game since October 12. 

After giving away a game to Washington State the following week, SDSU’s defense has struggled. They have given up an average of 504 yards over the last four contests. Utah State’s 488 yards on Saturday was the second-fewest during this stretch. 

It’s guys not doing their job,” Trey White said postgame. “It hits us one time. Ok, we go back and watch the film and fix it, but when you got to go and tell a guy three or four times, I don’t know when it’s going to get through our heads. That’s been our problem all year. I feel it goes in one ear and out the other. Guys just don’t care to get it fixed.”   

Offensively, the Aztecs’ 412 yards against the Aggies was their second-best mark on the year against an FBS team. But, after scoring 13 points in the first half, the starting offense was shut out in the second. It continued a trend where SDSU’s attack was potent for only short stretches. They have yet to score more than 27 against an FBS this season. 

While the team’s overall trajectory does not show improvement, there is at least one positive to point out. Quarterback Danny O’Neil did a terrific job controlling the C gap against the Aggies. Officially, he carried the ball eight times for 37 yards, but excluding the four times he was sacked away, he had four carries for 60 yards. 

O’Neil’s potency on the ground opened up space for Cooper. The star back averaged 5.1 yards per carry. The freshman struggled with this area throughout the year, but not on Saturday.

“That just adds extra pressure to a defense,” Cooper said. “And being able to control that C Gap and then, the d-end can’t just play the running back. (O’Neil) did a fantastic job today and there was big runs to be had, and that was the case all year, so I’m glad that he’s growing and developing for the coaching staff next year and the years to come in his future. I just hope he keeps growing and developing and he also did a good job with ball security today.” 

Player of the Game: Marquez Cooper

Witnessing greatness, even in an otherwise forgettable game, is always noteworthy. A consensus two-star prospect coming out of Quince Orchard High School, Cooper became just the 23rd player in FBS history to rush for 5,000 yards in a career. With five yards against Air Force, he will be in the top 20 all-time.

“It’s a reward for the hard work I’ve been doing for a long time,” Cooper said postgame when asked about the accomplishment. “I’ve been doubted a long time. I was told that I probably would never get 1,000 yards in college. Now, I’m at five. So, I am thankful for that. I can’t be jumping with joy just because we just got whooped, but I’m thankful.”

Unsung Hero: Trey White

Like Cooper’s achievement, Trey White’s terrific 2024 has mostly been lost in the shadow of SDSU’s subpar season. Before the 41 unanswered points by Utah State, the Aztecs stopped the Aggies for most of the first half in large part its team captain’s play. White got a sack and should have had a second, but Brady Nassar caught the fumble White caused, and it was ruled an interception. 

“Them having to double-team me means it opens up other players to be able to get sacks on the other side, so we just got to take advantage of those other one-on-one opportunities and get home,” White explained. “When I do get my one-on-ones, I got to take advantage of that and get to the quarterback and make a play.”

Two Minute Drill

• As the Maverik Stadium gates opened, Utah State’s student section ran to their seats at midfield. The sprinters aimed to secure a front-row seat in a section that only had about five rows.
• About 80 minutes before kickoff, USU’s pregame festivities began with a student named Jason attempting a 15-yard field goal to win a t-shirt. Despite Jason’s exuberance, he could not excite such a sparse crowd. He made the kick, though.
• Snow was on the ground around the stadium. A layer fell overnight after the game.
• Utah State’s mascot entering on a motorcycle was a great touch. 
• Maverik Stadium is among the more unique places SDSU visited this year. Its seating capacity is 25,513, but it’s built vertically, and there is very little sideline space.
• Utah State won the toss for only the fourth time all year. SDSU has won it three times.
• The game opened as a punting exhibition. Both kickers booming the ball. Tyler Pastula’s 68-yarder was the longest by either team on the day.
• Michael Harrison filled in nicely with Jude Wolfe unable to make the trip. Harrison blocked well on a bubble screen that sprang a long third-down conversion. Still, Wolfe’s size was missed on Saturday.
• Krishna Clay continues to play well. Unlike many athletes who take extra points off, Clay exploded into Utah State’s line and blew up a blocker on one attempt.
• Postgame, Lewis blamed a lack of continuity on the offensive line for the large number of penalties. This was an interesting comment, considering the same group has started for weeks. Brayden Bryant’s injury may have prevented fluidity in the snap count from forming.
• O’Neil started the game well with 85 in the first quarter, but he still fell a yard short of 200 for the game. 
• Marquez Cooper and Trey White gave an excellent and insightful postgame press conference.
• The duo was also gracious in accepting this writer’s private apology for his disrespectful question in that press conference. Publicly, though, I apologize to them for using the word “quit” when asking about the team’s resolve on Saturday. The athletes work too hard to suggest that idea. I regret not finding a better way to ask why the contest spiraled out of control. 

Paul Garrison

My earliest sport’s memory involve tailgating at the Murph, running down the circular exit ramps, and seeing the Padres, Chargers and Aztecs play. As a second generation Aztec, I am passionate about all things SDSU. Other interests include raising my four children, being a great husband and teaching high school.