5 Things to Watch: Aztecs zero in on new season, welcome Stony Brook to ‘Danger Zone’

Preparations for San Diego State’s 2025 season began 221 days ago, when winter strength and conditioning began. Hundreds of workouts, practices, meetings and other get togethers — “time on task,” coach Sean Lewis calls it — have followed.

“Finally, we get to go play a game,” Lewis said. “It’s not like any other sport, to where we get 12 days that count. Every single thing that we’ve done since we’ve been back on Jan. 20, 2025, up until this Thursday, have mattered. True. But there’s only 12 days that count.”

The first day that counts is Thursday’s season opener against Stony Brook, which is No. 25 in a preseason ranking of FCS teams. The Seawolves had the nation’s biggest turnaround, posting an 8-4 record last year after going winless in 2023.

SDSU is coming off a 3-9 season, the Aztecs’ worst record since a 2-10 finish in 2008. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under for victories this season at 4.5.

SDSU center Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli this week guaranteed at least the six wins required for a bowl berth: “This team is for sure going to make a bowl. … and having more than just six wins to be bowl-eligible.”

The Aztecs are 18½-point favorites coming into the game at Snapdragon Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. for a game that will be broadcast on KUSI.

Here are five things to watch:

1. Playmakers

Lewis emphasized that getting the ball in the hands of playmakers would be a priority. Most of this year’s playmakers are new.

There is Michigan junior transfer Jayden Denegal, who earned the starting job at quarterback after competing with Central Michigan junior transfer Bert Emanuel Jr.

“I’m not too nervous,” said Denegal, a 6-foot-6 junior from Apple Valley. “Obviously, it’s my first start. I’m going to do what I do in practice. I’ve prepared. … I’m going to go out there and do what I do.”

Running back Lucky Sutton (Cathedral Catholic High School) earned the start over two other local backs who will get carries, Byron Cardwell (St. Augustine High School) and Christian Washington (Helix High School).

“There’s some nerves there, but I’m just going to dial into the details and do my job,” said Sutton, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior. “I’m confident in the team and just trusting my teammates.”

Jordan Napier had a breakout season last year as a true freshman, catching 44 passes for 438 yards and four touchdowns. Senior transfer Myles Kitt-Denton (Northwestern State) and junior transfer Donovan Brown (Monroe University) are speedy and athletic receivers who join Napier in the starting lineup.

Napier, Washington and Brown also will be featured in the return game.

SDSU’s defense is led by junior edge Trey White (Eastlake High School), the preseason Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year who had 12½ sacks last season.

Junior linebacker Tano Letuli (Cathedral Catholic High School) had a team-high 70 tackles last season. Senior cornerback Chris Johnson led the Aztecs with four pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He leads a secondary that returns all five starters.

Kicker Gabe Plascencia made 13 of 14 field goal attempts last season and enters the season with a streak of 12 makes in a row. Transfer Hunter Green (Northern Colorado) is intent on continuing the line of punters who flip the field.

2. Fast start

SDSU started slowly in last year’s opener against Texas A&M-Commerce, scoring only three first-half points before rolling in the second half of a 45-14 win. After the opener, the offense never produced more than 27 points the remainder of the season.

SDSU went nearly the entire season without scoring on its first possession — something that had not happened in at least 25 years — before getting a touchdown on its opening drive in the season finale against Air Force.

Lewis and the Aztecs want to start fast on Thursday.

3. Penalties

One reason for the slow starts was SDSU’s penchant for penalties.

The Aztecs were penalized 16 times in their opener. They finished the season averaging 9.08 penalties a game. Only New Mexico (9.33) averaged more penalties among 133 FBS teams.

And this year?

“It’s been a major point of emphasis since Day 1,” Lewis said. “When we talk about AztecFAST, everyone assumes that’s just about our style of play. It’s tied to that, but it’s also an acronym for who we are, what we’re about and how we want our brand of football to be.

“Last year we talked about the F in FAST being Fun.”

It has been replaced this season with the word Focused.

“Winning is fun,” Lewis said. “Let’s obsess about what winning requires. What winning requires is a focused individual and a focused team.”

4. Stony Brook QBs

Stony Brook lost starting quarterback Tyler Knoop, who led the offense to 29.7 points a game last season. The Aztecs should have a good sense, however, of what the two players trying to replace Knoop can do on the field.

The 6-6 Casey Case (1,715 yards, 10 TDs/10 INTs) started nine games for the Seawolves in 2023. He did not play last season after getting injured.

Chris Zellous, a 6-3 graduate transfer from Hampton, passed for more than 2,500 yards and 20 TDs (with 23 INTs) and rushed for nearly 900 yards and 15 TDs the past two years.

Zellous’ dual-threat capabilities make him more of a challenge.

5. Danger Zone

The Aztecs are branding the fourth quarter as the “Danger Zone” this season, playing Kenny Loggins’ theme song from “Top Gun” while players and coaches — and, they hope, fans — raise a fist during the changeover from the third to fourth quarter at home games.

“The Danger Zone comes from thinking from the staff, how do we do something that is unique and ties the community and fanbase into the importance of the fourth quarter,” Lewis said.

Last season would have been drastically different had the Aztecs finished strong in the fourth quarter. Five of their losses were one-score games entering the fourth quarter. Two of the losses, against Washington State and New Mexico, came with the Aztecs leading on their home field entering the final period.

Said Lewis: “(Our goal) is to have everyone on The Mesa and everyone down in Mission Valley to know that it’s the fourth quarter and it’s the Danger Zone, and the Aztecs are going to win it.”

Season opener: San Diego State vs. Stony Brook

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Snapdragon Stadium

TV: KUSI

Radio: 760-AM