As a new feature this season, Sons of Montezuma offers this quick Red & Black Report. Think of it as a bit like an accounting ledger – RED are areas to address and BLACK are those areas contributing positively to the bottom line.
In this case, black means areas that help win football games. Let’s start with red.
Red: Missed Opportunities
We stated last week that the Aztecs football team had a golden opportunity to start a winning streak and reverse course on a season that began with only one win in four tries. Alas, missed opportunities against Central Michigan last Saturday afternoon put a stop to that optimistic thinking.
Despite playing well on both sides of the ball, SDSU lost its third consecutive game due in large part to some conservative offensive play calling and two missed field goals in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.
The men from Montezuma Mesa led for 38 minutes of the contest, including leading 21-13 at the break, and had two chances to pad their advantage late in the game.
Unfortunately, back-up kicker Nick Lopez missed on a 33-yard field goal that would have stretched the lead to five. And then another miss from 28 yards out just a few minutes later.
Down two, with no timeouts to their disposal, CMU marched down the field and the Aztecs faithful could only watch as Chippewas kicker Tristan Mattson split the uprights on a 46-yarder. It was Mattson’s third successful field goal of the game, with the final one leaving just five ticks left on the clock.
All season, SDSU has seemed to be in position to succeed—only to come up short. In the first game of the season big plays in the passing game materialized but freshman QB Danny O’Neil would narrowly miss connecting with open receivers.
In week two against Oregon State, the Aztecs drove inside the Beavers five-yard line in a close game—only to see O’Neil lose the ball as he was being tackled at the two.
The Beavers seized the opportunity and drove the length of the field for a touchdown. Most Aztecs fans knew the game ended on that drive.
You can’t fault O’Neil for the loss to Central Michigan on Saturday. Returning from a knee injury, the freshman from Indiana showed fantastic growth in his ability to find and hit open receivers with well thrown passes.
His decision making has shown he is not interception prone. His ability to maneuver will only get better as he matures physically into the position as well.
If this is the type of upward trajectory SDSU can expect from its young signal caller, the future may have some brightness to it after all.
The Black: Opportunistic Defense
After four games, one thing we know for sure is that the 2024 Aztec football team can play defense. There are some dawgs on this side chasing down ball carriers and making sure tackles on a consistent basis.
Led by two local products, Trey White of Eastlake High and Tano Letuli from Cathedral Catholic, the Aztec defense has performed well for most of the season.
The sophomore White has totaled 23 tackles (17 solo), including eight tackles for a loss of 56 yards and six sacks for 27 yards, while adding a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
The standout from Chula Vista leads the Mountain West in six defensive categories including sacks per game and tackles for loss per game – two elements of the game that stop drives and get the ball back for the offense.
Letuli, who will miss the next few games after suffering a broken thumb in the loss to CMU, ranks second on the squad with 24 tackles from his linebacker spot.
The transfer from Army assesses plays quickly and flies to the ball. His instincts are top-notch as is his relentlessness every game.
Coach Lewis recognizes his defense’s intensity and willingness to trust the game plan week and week out.
“There’s a sense of pride in the defensive performance, and so that’s something that they hold in a high regard,” he told the media this week. “They are a unit that looks forward to each and every single day, knowing … what are the schemes, what are the plans and wrinkles that Coach Schmidt and his staff are putting forth to put them in the best position to be successful. Game days are not just about implementing those schemes and implementing those concepts, but going and making plays and winning one-on-ones consistently so that over time, we’re in a position that we are steadily applying pressure to the quarterback and being able to impact the game in a positive way.”
For San Diego State to get win number two, the defense, playing shorthanded, will once again have to corral a high-flying Rainbow Warrior team from Hawaii.
All in all, the divide between the offense and defensive sides of the ball isn’t as far as it appears to be. Though even on the special teams it is apparent. With the misses on the field goals hurting the team, the defensive minded punt coverage has begin to improve each week.
Chris Johnson’s huge hit and forced fumble helped the Aztecs offense to score their 2nd touchdown of the game and Pastula’s kicks have been skillful and precise. We’ll look for this element vs Hawai’i to see if the Aztecs can continue to keep this in the black.
The Aztecs host Hawaii this Saturday, October 5 at 5:00 p.m. Television coverage will be provided by CBS Sports Network with San Diego Sports 760 airing the radio broadcast in English and for Spanish speakers on goaztecs.com or the San Diego State athletics app.
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