The Aztecs go streaking 2-0 in conference—is it time to let the offense fly?

The Sons of Montezuma brought the California sunshine 7,220 ft above sea level—for maybe the final time ever in football last Saturday. The matchup vs Wyoming was set on an early October day among the high plains in Laradise—and boy are we glad to have made the trip.

This match featured two teams searching for positive momentum going into Mountain West play. Both the (1-4) Cowboys and the (2-3) Aztecs were wearing very similar boots. It was just a matter of at the end of this rodeo whose were going to be left with some shine or be covered in mud.

The Aztecs prevailed 27-24 over the Wyoming Cowboys in what was indeed a close, back & forth battle that had a little bit of everything—some very pleasant surprises and some frustrating familiarities.

The Aztecs behind QB Danny O’Neil (16-27, 245yds 1 TD, 1 INT) pulled off some late game heroics to go ahead in the 4th quarter and ultimately hold on for victory. It was enough to earn Danny his 2nd Freshman of the Week honors in the Mountain West Conference.

But more often than not, the game saw a sputtering offense once again.

SDSU held onto the ball for over 10 minutes in the opening quarter, however they managed to only move the chains twice. When the defense gave them great field position at the 50 yard line—they went nowhere and turned the ball over on downs.

When the defense and #1 Chris Johnson intercepted Wyoming QB Evan Svoboda on the following possession, the offense was stymied and settled for a Gabriel Plascencia field goal—despite being set up inside the 10 yard line.

The Cowboys defensive pressure was motivated and aimed at stopping the run. Several times on a few early deep pass attempts O’Neil wasn’t able to take advantage of the back end coverage, only to over shoot his intended receivers.

On the day, once again the rushing attack failed to establish itself early. Marquez Cooper (25 carries, 87 yards, 1 TD) continued to be the bell cow back handling the rock for all but four designed carries. The times where he did sit and take a breather he was spelled by #29 Cam Davis in the 3rd quarter. Not much changed.

Cooper’s two longer runs on the afternoon however went for 26 yard and 18 yard gains and both came in the 4th quarter when the team needed him the most. His patience, reading of the blocks, and shifty quickness has enabled him to be a hit in spurts throughout games this season.

But again the story of the day was the consistency and improvement of QB Danny O’Neil. His flurry of deep connections through the air turned the tide of this game. First a deep pass of 53 yards and second a 27 yard magnificent touchdown pass—both to fellow freshman WR #19 Jordan Napier.

The pair of ‘dimes’ were immediate responses after the Cowboys took the lead late in the game with the Aztecs’ back against the wall.

That’s some kind of moxie for a freshman duo connection and something Coach Lewis was prepared for in both O’Neil and Napier.

“This week there was a play that came up in practice, when we were doing a little good on good, where he went off to High Point a ball that was very similar to that and he didn’t come up with it.” said Lewis in the post game presser.

“And we talked about it and we showed him the position. I was like, hey man like you’re capable of making this play and the expectation is that you’re going to get in this situation you’re going to make this play and sure enough it was really cool you know because we talked through it again. Like it’s again once small piece that happens behind the scenes.”

The passing talent in O’Neil is something unseen on the Montezuma Mesa for a true freshman QB in quite some time. To think SDSU doesn’t have their QB of the now & future is laughable when you consider what O’Neil does to help Coach Lewis’ offense. But is it too soon to increase his workload?

In terms of what impresses most about O’Neil may not even be the dimes he threw on Saturday, but his ability to learn and fix his errors while in game. Noted already were some early deep balls over thrown, but O’Neil in just his fourth collegiate start has shown great tenacity in his approach to keep going for the chunk yards.

Avoiding oncoming pass rushers, manipulating the pocket and stepping up into his throws, O’Neil has really shown a knack for buying his offensive line some time. On the afternoon the Aztecs O-line allowed just one sack at the end of the day and O’Neil was more than able to deliver the ball to his playmakers.

Despite his interception-less streak coming to an end and being whistled once for intentional grounding on a broken play—O’Neil’s decision making while guiding the offense has been terrific. He more than not puts the ball in safe positions out of the opponents grasp.

With the injured leg he suffered possibly still a hinderance in his RPO abilities, O’Neil hasn’t put himself in compromising positions to hurt himself or the team either.

So is it time to let the ball fly around the yard a bit more? I’d say so. Coach Lewis is truly dedicated to the run and for good reason if he utilizes his stable of runners. But unless he can get more earlier production, SDSU may be playing from behind and needing late game heroics week in and week out.

With all of their flaws against Wyoming the Aztecs must feel good at 2-0 atop the conference standings heading into a much needed bye week. Waiting for them in two weeks they face their last out of conference game of the season—their future PAC-12 opponent Washington State.