The wait is nearly over. In less than 24 hours, SDSU kickoffs off its first game under new head coach Sean Lewis.  

Since the end of November, a new era of Aztec football has been promised. Saturday will be the first opportunity to evaluate if Lewis can fulfill the pledges. 

Texas A&M-Commerce enters Snapdragon Stadium as five-touchdown underdogs. While any win will make a poor performance more palatable, not meeting the expectations of a blowout celebration under the Mission Valley stars will raise concerns about the rest of 2024.

On Thursday, no. 24, NC State was a 30+ point favorite over Western Carolina. The Catamounts led heading into the fourth quarter before the Wolf Pack pulled away to a 38-21 victory. “Embarrassing,” “escaping,” “let down,” were predictably some of the words thrown about following the win. 

With three challenging games following Saturday’s tussle, SDSU must avoid an outcome like NC State’s. Building momentum and belief heading into clashes with Oregon State and Cal is the most desired result for the Aztecs.   

As all coaches do, Lewis hyped TAMCU all week. Whatever the truth of his proclamations that a 1-9 team in 2023 is dangerous for the Aztecs, the perception is that SDSU should roll on Saturday. Anything short of a controlling win will be met with suspicion. 

Aside from the ultimate final score, there is a plethora of questions and storylines to follow. The East Village Times has detailed most of these this offseason. Below are the top 10 things to watch on Saturday.

10. New tailgate area

Part of the intrigue of SDSU Mission Valley is how development around the stadium will change the gameday experience. For the first two years, Snapdragon has stood alone on the site. This season, the Aztecs and their fans will have full access to the River Park for the first time. 

The River Park’s 34 acres promises to provide one of the best tailgating environments anywhere in college football. In coming years, as buildings are constructed on the orange lot, more fans will be pushed to enjoy their pregame festivities there. 

The university is pulling out all the stops to engage the community long before kickoff. At noon, five hours before the coin toss, parking lots will open, and the River Park Block Party will begin. 

SDSU partnered with REVELXP to revamp Aztec Village with a DJ, live music, food trucks, and the Warrior Walk’s new format. San Diego is an event city. The Padres sell out most games, even when the product on the field has been middling because they have turned Petco Park into a party on and off the diamond. 

The university needs to get this component of the gameday experience right. Sports’ most passionate fans are those who build their communities around their tailgating experience. The completed River Park offers a unique opportunity. Saturday, the public gets to see how well the school capitalizes on it. 

9. Have San Diego fans responded?

On Friday, NevadaSportsNet.com published the number of season tickets sold by schools in the Mountain West. SDSU (9,852) ranked fifth in the conference behind UNLV (10,121), Colorado State (12,000), Fresno State (16,433), and Boise State (19,762). This total is down from the 16,000 who paid higher prices to support the team heading into Snapdragon’s opening. 

The fan base’s most vocal members promised that if the university exchanged its old-school style for an offensive forward system, San Diegans and alumni would respond in droves, returning to cheer on the Aztecs in person. 

Despite the predictions, season ticket sales suggest much of Aztec Nation is taking a wait-and-see approach to Lewis’ regime—nearly the same number partnered with the program heading into the last season of Brady Hoke’s tenure. 

While next week’s contest against Oregon State will be a fairer test (32,133 fans watched the Aztecs and Beavers at The Murph in 2013), excitement for a home opener and Lewis’ first game should generate an enthusiastic crowd. Saturday will show if the buzz of the offseason translates to butts in the seat. 

8. Twin towers on the left side of the line

The left side of SDSU’s line is worthy of a circus. It is a freak show. Starting left tackle Joe Borjon and left guard Christian Jones are listed at 6-foot-8, 330 pounds. Suiting up next to each other should be a site on Saturday.

While hulking tackles with huge reach and fast feet like Borjon are the norm in the sport, tall guards are the exception. Last year, only 20 NFL guards were 6-foot-6 or taller.  A pair of those – Andrus Peat and Marcus McKethan – reached 6-foot-7. None matched Jones’ height. 

Taller athletes usually play outside because their arm length allows them to block edge rushers in space. Inside, their height can be a disadvantage because shorter defensive tackles have an easier time getting underneath them. Without the proper pad level, opening holes by moving the opposition proves problematic. 

On the other hand, finding 5-foot-8 running back Marquez Cooper behind Borjon and Jones presents a tall task to the opposition. If SDSU’s left side performs magic by making Cooper disappear, it could lead to some big plays. 

However, things play out on the field on Saturday, so watching the unique pairing should be fun.

7. EDGE on the competition

If there is a defensive equivalent to Aztec Fast, it is the EDGE position. Since news of defensive coordinator Eric Schmidt’s hire, SDSU has teased the group’s power, production, and potential.

Except for 2021 when Cameron Thomas and Caden McDonald’s talents forced SDSU into a 4-2-5 type defense, Aztec Nation has not seen the excitement of defensive ends crashing the pocket in waves. If SDSU’s defense excels in 2024 – despite the challenges its offense presents it – the EDGEs will need to be elite.

Marlem Louis was unblockable during the Aztec Fast Showcase. He is starting as the field EDGE. All eyes should be on No. 32 the first time TAMCU drops back to pass. A team captain for Richmond in 2023, Louis came to the Aztecs with 16 career sacks. Pushing his career high of 8.5 would not be a surprise.

If fans’ attention is not turned toward Louis on the opening pass, it will likely be because rush EDGE and team captain Trey White caught their eye. A local product from Eastlake High, White deserves as much of the spotlight as Louis. Along with Tano Letuli, he has been the most talked about defensive player in fall camp.

Fans are not the only ones who will have to decide where to turn their gaze. TAMCU head coach and offensive play-caller Clint Dolezel will have the same dilemma. He will likely double-team White or Louis. If the duo is as potent as SDSU hopes, Dolezel’s offense will be stretched. 

Louis is backed up by Ryan Henderson. Since his arrival on campus, Henderson’s size and athleticism have stood out. Seeing what the sophomore does on Saturday is intriguing. Dominic Oliver is behind White. His explosion off the line is already known. Working in a defense that features his skills should unlock his potential.

Ezekiel Larry, Jared Badie, and Brady Nassar are also worth watching. Seeing how EDGE coach Rob Aurich rotates them is a storyline in itself.

6. Can Marquez Cooper join the 4,000 club?

Cooper enters Saturday’s contest with 3,861 career rushing yards. With 139 yards, he will become only the 145th Division I player (since 1956) to reach 4,000 career yards. SDSU’s offensive team captain ranks 183rd on the all-time list. 

With 100 yards Saturday, he will pass college football greats Christian McCaffrey (Stanford), Emmitt Smith (Florida), and Warrick Dunn (Florida State). Every game this season will be historic for Cooper as he rises up the rankings.

He needs 2,544 to match former Aztec Donnel Pumphrey’s 6,405 yards for the most in Division I history. If Cooper accomplished that, he would set the school record for rushing yards in a season. Rashaad Penny, the current record holder,  had 2,248 yards in 2017, the fifth most in DI history.

Like Pumphrey and Penny, Cooper is electric with the ball in his hands. He makes defenders miss and gains extra yards with elite effort. He is a playmaker. Saturday offers the first chance to see him run.  

5. The athleticism of SDSU’s secondary is at a P4 level

Watching the Aztecs’ secondary compete should be enjoyable for anyone who likes watching world-class athletes. SDSU boasts an embarrassment of riches with the back five’s physical gifts. In terms of running, jumping, and size, they can go toe-to-toe with most schools, no matter the conference. 

Among the two-deep, William Nimmo, Jr. (UCLA), JD Coffey III (Texas), and Deshawn McCuin (TCU) spent years at the Power 4 level. Eric Butler, Jelani Whitmore, and Josh Hunter are among the fastest Aztecs on the team. Bryce Phillips’ older brother plays in the NFL. Chris Johnson starred as SDSU’s Special Teams Player of the Year because of his ability as a gunner. Dalesean Staley was a three-sport athlete in high school with a personal best of 6’1.25 in the high jump and 22’3.25 in the long jump.

Except for Hunter, all of the players listed above are at least 6 feet. They are also older and physically mature. Butler, Staley, Hunter, and Johnson are the babies of the group. 2024 will be their fourth year in college. At this stage of their careers, SDSU’s physicality should match their athleticism.

Watching how the secondary is employed in the 4-2-5 is also worth watching. Seeing how the STUD and free safeties are used to cover slot receivers and help against the run is compelling. Watching the rover walk into the box to compete as a hybrid linebacker is exciting. The group has the athleticism to lead the defense. Do they have the skill level, too? 

4. Drives with multiple first downs

Spoiler Alert: Watching Lewis’ offense as a whole is the number one item on this list. 

Pinpointing a single aspect to key on for the offense is challenging. But, reductively, SDSU should be at its best after it has earned two first downs on a drive. 

Tempo is important for the Aztecs, but the chaos it creates can only crescendo when the chains are moving. At the start of a possession, pace is irrelevant. After one first down, the defense is not fully panicking. Add a second, and the rush is on. 

More than simply snapping plays before the defense can get lined up, that second first down forces the defense to compete in more plays in a shorter amount of time than they are accustomed to. SDSU has been preparing for moments like that all year. 

If SDSU is snapping the ball early in the clock, gaining one first down before punting will put a similar strain on its defense as a three-and-out. This aspect is key to every game SDSU plays this year. 

3. Stopping the run

“True hope is swift and flies with swallow’s wings,” Richmond said in Shakespeare’s Richard III. 

Belief in Lewis’ ability to build a winner at SDSU has spread quickly through the community. All of the goodwill and hope for a successful 2024 season will flee ever faster if the interior line’s play resembles how it performed at the Fan Fest scrimmage three weeks ago.

SDSU is starting a true freshman QB. That is not the biggest question hanging over Lewis’ team. If the Aztecs cannot stop the run, it is doubtful the team will win much in 2024, even if its secondary, running backs and quarterbacks exceed expectations. 

Despite their gaudy stats at Fan Fest, confidence that RB Jaylon Armstead and Lucky Sutton can excel in Lewis’ offense is still unknown because of the ease at which the offensive line carved up their defensive counterparts. Predictably, the DL depth chart was remade after that performance. 

TCU, under Gary Patterson, popularized the 4-2-5 as a base defense. When the Horned Frogs competed in the Mountain West, Patterson used to say that every year, his staff could only find one competent nose tackle because of the recruiting limitations they faced. It is unclear if the Aztecs even have one for the role.

At the end of spring, Tupu Alualu was listed at the top of the depth chart despite being undersized for the position. Alualu has since switched back to the three-technique lineman. Sam Benjamin and Teivis Tuioti have replaced Alualu at the top of the two-deep at NT. Saturday, they will likely face their weakest offensive line. If they cannot dominate, it could be a long season.

2. Danny O’Neil Era begins

A contrast in philosophy on the best approach to acquiring QB talent in the NIL era will play out through the rest of SDSU’s non-conference schedule. Oregon State gave the reins of its offense to Idaho transfer RS-JR Gevani McCoy, Texas State transfer SR Chandler Rodgers could start for Cal, and Central Michigan tabbed Iowa transfer RS-JR Joe Labas as its starter. 

Lewis decided to enter the year without an upperclassmen signal caller on the roster. Unlike the Beavers and Golden Bears, he did not reel in a veteran with proven Division I production. His choice more resembles what Chippewas did, but Labas has one more year of seasoning than AJ Duffy. He also started the 2021 Music City Bowl.

Lewis has placed his faith in O’Neil, and the true freshman can make his head coach look like a genius by performing well in games. In two scrimmages, O’Neil has yet to show he is up for this moment, but Lewis has emphasized that throughout the entire process, O’Neil has been the most consistent gunslinger. Another poor performance on Saturday will bring questions about Lewis’ decision to name O’Neil the starter and also his overall approach to filling the QB room. 

With all that is at stake, watching O’Neil play is terrific entertainment. The opportunity to see an 18-year-old compete against grown men is unprecedented at SDSU. His development throughout the year should be noticeable. O’Neil’s talent is obvious. Seeing how he responds to two subpar outings, his only public showings to date, is fascinating. 

For nine months, intrigue around SDSU’s QB position has abounded. With good play on Saturday, O’Neil can put all of that to rest. 

1. Aztec Fast in Action

For 15 years, if the Aztecs had the ball on 3rd and 15, the entire stadium knew the play call: a draw to the running back. Each game during that span hung on a few variables, with time of possession and field position playing key roles. Those days are gone. Aztec Fast is here. 

Throughout the offseason, Lewis has spoken about his growth as a game manager. Where early in his coaching career, he tried outscoring every opponent, now he understands that the path to winning is unique in every contest. The first look at Lewis’ personality as a play-caller and decision-maker will happen on Saturday.   

Will he keep his offense on the field often on fourth down? How much will he lean on Cooper and the run game? Will he want O’Neil to throw the ball 40 times against TAMCU because every live rep is gold to a true freshman QB? How many plays will the Aztecs offense run? Does the team have more than two speeds at which to play? Which wide receivers are used? When will they use two tight ends?

These questions and more will be answered on Saturday—enough with the hype and the predictions.  The season is here. 

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.