Aztecs notebook: Sean Lewis didn’t wait to address issues in Thursday’s opener

San Diego State was leading by four touchdowns through three quarters last week and on its way to a shutout of Stony Brook when coach Sean Lewis was moved to call an impromptu team meeting.

“That’s the first time ever as a head coach I’ve called a team up in the middle of a game like that,” Lewis said. “I felt it was important in that moment. … There was a general intensity in that moment that I don’t (show) too often.”

It wasn’t because there had been a pair of three-and-outs by the offense in the third quarter or that the defense had allowed Stony Brook to complete a couple passes.

Lewis said it was something “where I want to be better in real time if there’s something that’s not to our standards. … I’m not going to wait until Sunday to address that. We’re going to capture this in the moment, right now, and nip it in the bud.”

Lewis was asked if something in particular was cause for pause.

“Yeah, but that’s family business,” he said. “It’s been addressed. There were a couple small things, I’m like, hmmm, that can wait until Sunday. But then there was something else that, this isn’t going to wait. And we’re going to stop this right now.”

Pressed on the matter, Lewis repeated: “Family matters.”

He framed it as a lack of focus.

“That’s what I was probably most disappointed in,” Lewis said. “That’s why I called the team up. There were some things happening in the third (quarter) that was not who we’re going to be.”

Lewis’ real-time response was likely due to a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties called against the Aztecs in the final two minutes of the third quarter.

Senior Brady Anderson spiked the ball after scoring on a two-point conversion to put the Aztecs ahead 28-0 with 1:33 remaining in the period. While legal in the NFL, spiking the ball is a 15-yard penalty in college. Stony Brook began the next drive on its 38-yard line, its best starting position of the game.

Three plays later, junior safety Josiah Cox was called for another unsportsmanlike that put the Seawolves a first down away from field goal range.

Avoiding penalties, especially self-inflicted ones, has been a point of focus for an Aztecs team that opened the 2024 season against Texas A&M-Commerce with 16 penalties for 149 yards and averaged the second-most penalties in the nation by the end of the year.

SDSU had seven penalties against Stony Brook for 65 yards. It would have been five for 35 yards without the unsportsmanlike conduct calls.

Did Lewis’ intensity resonate with the players? Apparently so.

Said junior safety Dalesean Staley: “He just wants to keep the team focused on us and the main thing and the main goal. That’s what that was about.”

“I think that was more getting everybody focused and realigned,” junior transfer wide receiver Jacob Bostick said. “Anytime the head man is in front of you, everybody locks in really well. So that was just really just to finish strong. Not let anything loose. … He definitely jumped on us a little bit and put everybody in check, like remember, we’ve got a game to finish. Regardless of what the situation is, we’ve got to handle our business.”

Lewis on Denegal

Lewis judged SDSU starting quarterback Jayden Denegal’s performance “great throughout” against Stony Brook.

While there are a couple of throws Denegal would like to have back — the Seawolves could have/should have had a couple of interceptions — his 13-for-25, 208-yard, one-TD performance was judged favorably by his coach.

“I thought the way that he was seeing it, you know, his competitive style and competitive nature of play, he did a really good job of knowing when to take a hit, when not to take a hit,” Lewis said. “Good decision-making. He was even keel through it all. I mean, whether it was a 13-play, 15-play scoring drive, or whether it was one of the three-and-outs that we had, he came to the (sideline) and his response, the look in his eye, was the same. And that’s what you want to have.”

Concluded Lewis: “You don’t want a guy who’s too high or too low. You want a guy who you know is really steady as he goes, and I thought he was that Thursday night.”

QB or not QB

Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers didn’t name his starting quarterback for Saturday night’s game against Idaho until moments before kickoff.

It was redshirt sophomore Jaxon Potter (24-for-31, 209 yards, TD) who got the nod, though redshirt freshman Julian Dugger, a Pitt transfer, came in for a couple of series.

Rogers doesn’t appear too intent on tipping his hand this week. A depth chart against SDSU had not been presented on Monday.

Lewis noted how Potter led an early touchdown drive and a game-winning drive in the final minutes of the Cougars’ 13-10 win. He also acknowledged Dugger’s dual-threat skill set.

“We are prepared for both,” Lewis said. “We’ll see and we’ll be ready. Even the young man (senior Zevi Eckhaus) who was up there before, he’s got a ton of collegiate snaps.”

Eckhaus was viewed as the leading candidate to win the job in fall camp. He passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns last December against Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl, so it was something of a surprise to see him relegated to third-string status.

Notable

• Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. kickoff on The CW. It is preceded by a NASCAR Xfinity Series event. If that event runs long, like last week’s event that preceded the Idaho-Washington State game, then viewers should be prepared to watch the start on cwtv.com/sports/ until the auto race concludes.

• SDSU kicker Gabe Plascencia‘s 14 straight field goals made is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation, behind Ole Miss’ Lucas Carneiro (20), BYU’s Will Ferrin (18), Rutgers’ Jai Patel (15) and Michigan’s Dominic Zvada (15).

• SDSU left tackle Christian Jones leads the Aztecs in consecutive games played with 38. To illustrate how transitory personnel has become, only 14 players remain on the roster who have been with the program for at least 38 games.