3 Thoughts from Aztecs’ scrimmage: ‘touch’ football, hard work pays off, sparse crowd

Three thoughts after San Diego State’s scrimmage Thursday night at Snapdragon Stadium.

1. Touch football

SDSU coach Sean Lewis said the loss of senior transfer offensive lineman Dallas Fincher (hip) and senior cornerback Jelani Whitmore (knee) to season-ending injuries at practice in recent days played a role in making the scrimmage a no-tackling event.

“Those were two guys that were going to be very, very crucial contributors for us,” Lewis said after the scrimmage. “That all led into, obviously, the decision to do what we did tonight and make sure that we’re doing right by the team.”

Added Lewis: “Sometimes as the head coach you’ve got to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do what’s best’ and keep the long-term focus in mind as well.”

That’s understandable.

So is the disappointment some fans experienced when they showed up at Snapdragon Stadium to see some hard-hitting football and instead saw what amounted to a game of touch.

Fans weren’t out for blood. They simply wanted an opportunity to assess the Aztecs in game-like conditions.

They wanted to see how starting quarterback Jayden Denegal or backup Bert Emanuel Jr. extended plays with their legs or which running backs picked up additional yards on second or third effort with a couple of would-be tacklers hanging onto them.

Dan Moody, an SDSU offensive lineman for the 1977-78 teams, left at the end of the first quarter.

“What an insult to fans,” Moody said. “If you’re not going to have a real scrimmage, tell the fans. No tackling?  Really?  It has nothing to do with injuries. All teams have to scrimmage live to evaluate players and their teams, as well as to make improvements. This is true in the spring and in preseason camp. It’s where players make their mark, earn playing time and where the offense and defense work on their schemes and plays. …

“For Coach Lewis to deny fans twice — in the spring and now — is pure horse manure.”

SDSU’s “spring game” this year was a variety of skills tests and games rather than the traditional game and was criticized the several longtime fans.

While Lewis is looking out for the team’s long-term success, Moody made a valid point: Fans could have been told in advance that there would be no tackling.

2. Scholarship earned

Perhaps the event’s best moment came when Lewis gathered the team at midfield afterwards and brought junior walk-on wide receiver Mikey Welsh up to the front.

Lewis complimented Welsh’s hard work and then pointed to the south video board, which posted a graphic with Welsh’s picture and the words “SCHOLARSHIP EARNED.”

That elicited a huge roar from Welsh’s Aztecs teammates, who congratulated him from midfield to the north end zone.

Similar congratulations were extended on the SDSU practice field two weeks ago, when senior cornerback Xavier Hamlett earned a scholarship.

“Mikey’s one of the most deserving guys I’ve ever seen,” wide receiver Myles Kitt-Denton said.

Added free safety Deshawn McCuin: “Mikey was one of the first guys I met when I got to San Diego State. He’s my best friend. When I saw his face on that big screen, I could cry for him.”

Welsh, who is from the Anaheim area, played in eight games on special teams in 2023 after redshirting the previous season as a freshman. He played in the season opener last year, then was sidelined the remainder of the season with a foot injury.

“He’s a relentless worker,” Lewis said. “He’s constantly improved his craft. He went through some adversity last year and stayed the course with the surgery that he had to have and came back with a boulder on his shoulder and a willingness to earn it and prove it.

“He’s one of the most technical route runners that we have, but most importantly he’s one of those glue guys that really make a program go. … He’s just a tremendous teammate. He’s a guy that shows up each and every single day. We’re going to take care of our own in the building first and foremost.”

3. Disappointing turnout

The Aztecs have been holding a public scrimmage two weeks before the season opener for decades.

The event has never been particularly well attended, typically drawing somewhat more than 1,000 fans.

Last year, there were perhaps 2,000 fans in attendance.

An estimated 500 people showed up on Thursday night.

Maybe attendance was poor because the event wasn’t very well publicized. It wasn’t even listed on the Snapdragon marquee adjacent to Friars Road, though upcoming events for San Diego FC, San Diego Wave and SDSU men’s and women’s soccer were promoted, along with Snapdragon Stadium tours ($30 for adults/$12 for children).

The marquee did advertise SDSU season tickets, which are expected to be something north of 7,000. That’s less than half of what they were (15,973) when Snapdragon opened in 2022.

Maybe scrimmage attendance was down because it was a Thursday night. Maybe it was because the buzz created by Lewis’ hiring wore off after SDSU went 3-9 in his first season.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t a good sign.

One fan on an Aztecs chat board said he will view SDSU football with an attitude similar to Missourians who have the reputation as “tough-minded demanders of proof.”

“Show me,” he said.