Everything Sean Lewis said at the season’s midway point, heading into the final bye week

Opening Statement:

Excited to start a good work week here as we’re back on campus after a nice program win as alluded to, you know, after the game on Saturday, I thought we did a great job in all three phases, starting fast, um and really jumping on the opponent early, which was great to see. Was able to put together for the most part a complete effort. Needed to do a good job finishing. I thought our focus waned yet again a little bit down the stretch and that’s a lesson that we need to learn, how to close out games appropriately. And that’s something that we’ll stress as we move forward

But great first half of the season. Obviously sitting in an advantageous spot. The guys have done great work with that. And got to realize as we refocus here that there’s still so much more to go ahead and the most important thing is this week Aztecs competing against the Aztecs to improve as much as we possibly can as we continue this climate as we go forward. 

Looking big picture, you go back to August, would you have expected to be five and one and have this much success? 

Yeah. Right. I mean, like I’ve said I believe in this team, right? And we we’ve put together a lot of great work, a lot of consecutive days, and I’ve loved their response going all the way back to January when we started and the way that we challenged them by stripping everyone in the program of their colors and and earning the right to to get those colors back. To how they’ve responded through the challenges of winter conditioning and spring ball and the ups and the downs that we experienced through that. 

And then obviously we went up and again we’re a good team that had a bad night and people are questioning like do you still believe? Like absolutely. So like I have the utmost confidence in this team. I’m also a ball coach and I’m paranoid of all the things that could potentially go wrong. Right. So still sleepless nights about that. And a lot of work that needs to be done. 

But yeah I mean tremendous belief in this team and nothing that has transpired has surprised me because of the work that’s been done by the kids and our staff and the community the way that they’ve supported us all the way through. 

And your thoughts on Gabriel Plascencia and his kicking kicking and how well he’s doing? 

I just try and stay as far away from him as possible so that I don’t mess anything up. He’s doing a great job and just want to keep putting him in position to be successful. You know, the rhythm and the routine that he’s in right now is pretty special. 

And the offense obviously has very much improved over the last two weeks. Was there something that finally clicked? Why such an extreme difference in the offense the last two weeks? 

I mean, again, I think it’s just a time on task. It’s a culmination of all the work. I can’t specifically point to one thing or one factor that made it all come to life, but you know, Denny’s been doing a great job with his decision making. He’s been very, very efficient. But the O-line’s done a tremendous job of making him feel comfortable and confident to be able to facilitate. The playmakers have done a really good job of aggressively pursuing the goal line when they have the ball in hand. Like we kind of knew that the other night like it was going to be kind of a big net thrown over those guys so we’re going to have to do a little bit more. throw short and run long and that kind of showed up in a lot of different ways. 

But again, I think just the maturity of the offensive team like you know, you we knew going into it like there’s a lot of new pieces that hadn’t played a whole lot of ball together. So, just the time on task, the labor of love that is to get something of high quality up and running and going. That success is starting to to show. 

You mentioned the offensive line—does their does the uptick in offensive success, does the offensive line dictate that? 

Yeah, always. We’re going to go as they go. And Coach Schmidt has done an unbelievable job of helping develop those guys. I think Ross has done an incredible job of giving and receiving information at the center position to make sure all five of those guys are on the same page. The addition of Kalan (Ellis) and Bayo (Kannike) inside for us to be as strong as possible through our core and then the experience and length that Christian and Joe give us on the edge like yeah, we are going to go as they go, right? And when they’re playing at a high level, the offense is able to operate because it doesn’t matter who’s throwing it or catching it or running it. Like if those guys aren’t protected by the five bigs up front, then nothing else matters. 

And then in addition to them, like a guy who often gets overlooked, who’s kind of like one of the behind the scenes hero is Seth Adams, right? Like here’s a guy when you look at his, you know, stats, it’s like, okay, one catch, right? He’s been playing ball for four years. Well, you turn the tape on and that dude’s catching bodies left and right. There’s a reason why we call him the boogeyman, right? Like he’s in people’s nightmares now and he does an unbelievable job of controlling that C-gap and fitting on second level players and brings a again a personality and a demeanor quite honestly has a nastiness that you know makes this game so much fun. So those core six you know between the starting five and Seth like they give us an identity that you better strap it up when you come play the Aztecs. 

Coach, you’ve done this before a couple years ago. Ken State you had a not a not a great first season, a good second season. similarities to what you did there to what you did here. Do what you did there help you uh this time around as well? 

Yeah, I mean I think we’re all shaped by our experiences, right? I I would like to think that I’m a little bit better at this than I was the second year as a as a head coach, right? And you kind of grow in dog ears here in in this position, right? With all the experiences that you get. You can clearly tell that by the amount of hair that I have on my head and now my beard starting to get a little bit more salt and pepper to it. 

The thing that rings true is when you get a group of people that really really love one another, that are willing to sacrifice for one another and enjoy the value of hard work every single day. Like you can achieve anything. We got a group of guys in that locker room and on this floor amongst our staff and women as well, and administrators and presidents and community,  that like point to what others could perceive as a problem and they’re like let’s go find a solution as opposed to being hung up and dwelling on the negatives of what could happen. 

And like those are two parallels that I saw at both places. Like let’s let’s go find a solution. Like don’t don’t bring a problem to me. Like come with some solutions because we can all point to potential problems and pitfalls that are out there, but let’s go find the solutions and let’s go do the work and let’s refuse to be told no and attack that in a relentless manner. And we’ll be able to achieve whatever it is that we want to. 

I think Jayden had his best rushing yardage game as well. Is that the next step for this offense to take kind of that next step is for his legs to be a part of the scouting report for defense? 

Yeah, I mean we want to be able to stress the defense in all different ways. So quarterback plus one run is something that can be really really advantageous. Obviously we want to use our specialty plays that that have popped up, right? Like the double flee flicker reverse throwback to Jay Boog that we put down, right? Getting on in on balance, moving pieces around. Like being multiple with different offensive weapons and not just guys being one specific uh position, but being able to attack defenses in all those ways and then being able to play with the different pitches of pace. 

Again, I think just we can control all those different things and we want to be able to add as many stressors and those different points of conflict for the defense as possible so that we’re a hard prep. 

Only one out of your final six opponents has a losing record. Can you just speak to how difficult this final stretch will be? 

Yeah, it’s going to be a great challenge. And everything that we’ve done up to this point has now prepared us for kind of climbing the top half of the mountain. And so, like, we got to use this week to do great work and prep our gear and get ready to do this final ascension because as you continue to win, the expectations, the number of people who show up to your press conferences start to grow. The eyeballs that are on you start to grow. And can we have the competitive maturity to put our head down and and work our process and continue to take each subsequent step, if you will, so that when each new opportunity against great quality opponents—like each one of these opponents is really, really good. I mean, like again, whatever Colorado State’s record was, right? Like, throw that out the window. Whatever everyone’s record is, like, throw it out the window in conference play here as the teams continue to evolve, right? So, yeah, we got to be prepared. We got to be at our best, and we got to have a desire to get better each and every single opportunity that we do have. So, that again, that preparation then when met with the next opportunity leads to hopefully more great moments. 

I asked you this week one if the team would be, you know, able to qualify for a bowl game. Clearly, you’re in that position now. I feel like you guys are really starting to make a statement in the Mountain West. It is still really early, but you know, as a championship in the horizon, do you feel like that?

Again, like I think this team has shown that as the lights continue to get brighter that who they are is shining brightest. And so whatever that accounts to at the end of the year, if we can continue to, you know, work our craft, work our skill, and refine who we are, then we’ll see where the chips lie at at the end of it. 

It’s kind of like when you get a new leather baseball glove, right? Like I’m not a real baseball guy, but like you get that new glove and it’s kind of stiff and it’s rigid and you have to work it in and ultimately over time like that leather starts taking to the oil and the sweat and the work and then you have something. It’s like well you got to continue to care for it and apply the proper procedures and process to it. So that glove will take care of you for a really, really long time. And our guys got to, you know, work this process and work our process and continue to refine the process like that great leather glove so that that glove takes care of you when the moment hits and the moment strikes. And you’ll have a high quality mitt and I think we got a high quality team. 

What kind of shape is that glove in at this point? 

It’s in a good spot right now, right? We’re probably getting some familiarity with it all and everything, right? But you know that leather can be fickle now. Like you don’t want to leave that glove out. You want to take care of it, you got to apply the right oil. You got to make sure you don’t get the wrong oil, right? And then it cracks on you, right? So, you know, again, the the application of our process, if you will, and you know the next step for our team is all right, next man up. Like we’ve seen that the past couple weeks now. And again, like as we build this program, not just this team, but as we continue to build this program to new heights, you know, it’s all right, the guys who are sub players, like are you working with a sense of urgency to become a starter so that when your numbers called at a point in the game, you’re ready to go. Or are you just waiting for your time? Like if you’re just waiting, time’s just going to pass and then when the moment comes, like you’re not gonna be ready for it. 

So this week is so crucial for us to get better and do great work and that’s going to look different for each one of our guys, right? Like guys who have played a bunch of snaps like Dezjean Staley’s played close to 500 snaps this year like between defense and special teams. Like his work week is going to look a little bit different, right, than Prince Williams work week, right? Who’s an ascending player in our program with good length and good physicality, but needs to, you know, refine his competitive spirit as he goes. 

So that’s the fun thing about like you get to zoom out a little bit here at the beginning of the week and really, look at where we can grow, where we can improve, how we need to compete this week. So that that MIT can continue to be in a better spot, not just for the here and the now, but for building this thing forever in the future. 

Is there such thing as a bad time for a buy considering how well you guys are playing right now? 

No. I mean, again, like something that I can’t control, you know, like it the schedule is what it is. weather’s going to weather and we’ll manage it accordingly. Talked to some people last week or last year about last year in this off season about the best way when the timing of everything came to be. Obviously, we didn’t manage the buy in the work week the right way last year with how we finished. So, wanted to kind of refine that process and make some changes to how we were going to do it. Again, feel like we got a good plan in place, but like all the good plays that you draw up, like they’re only as good as the players making them come to life and everyone in the program making them come to life. So, we just got to execute our work week plan the right way and then once that’s done, go execute game week the right way. 

The defense has continued to improve and improve and play great games. What would you from your perspective, what makes your defense so tough to play? 

We have really good players. We have really good players that love playing the game and love playing the game together. Like they feed off one another, right? They can sense when they have an opponent down or when they’re in an advantageous position. I think each guy has done a great job humbly yet in a starving manner gone and embraced their role and tried to maximize their role. There’s like this individual competition on every single play like who can go make the play, right? And then because of that, that shows up in practice every single day. I mean, so like our, hey, like what’s helped our offense grow? Well, we get to go compete against our defense every single day in practice, right? So, you have a team compete period and there might be six to nine plays in a third down team compete period. And like Jordan Napier gets a line up against Eric Butler and they’re jawing back and forth and Trey White’s winding up against Christian Jones and and they have personal pride on a Wednesday and they’re competing like it’s game day and then again you’re a young buck on the side like I’m ready to start and you like you look you like I get to punch like you’re ready for this are you sure right and like that just magnifies not only that individual rep but the way that the program’s able to be built and then obviously the product that we’re seeing on the field. 

And then again when it’s all said and done, like we can talk in this little intimate moment where they’re not going to see it all, right? And they probably don’t see any clippings or any great direct messages or no one’s probably patting them on the back on campus since we’ve gotten back and telling them how great they are. There’s a humbleness and a hunger to continue to get better, which is really, really cool. 

You have high expectations for this season, but are there any things beyond that that have surprised you? 

No. Again this is a special group and I knew when a special core group of guys that we identified that we knew that if we could keep them together we could do something great when they decided to stay and they believed in what we were building I knew we had a chance for something truly special. And so we’ve just begun you know we’re at this moment where everyone wants to reflect and you know make conclusions and it’s like the story is just getting written. Like we’re in chapter or two of conference play and there’s still so many cool things are going to happen. And all we can focus on is again what we have the opportunity to do today and again just really humbled to be serving these kids and this program and you know it’s easy to man to do this work and make sure these guys are positioned in the right spot so that they can go have the success that they’re working really hard to earn each and every single day. 

What about guys that you thought you saw something in practice and it has played out? Any guys particularly that kind of jump? 

I mean besides the obvious, they’re the obvious that we always touch on, but like Owen Chambliss has been playing at an elite level, you know, and and I knew he had a special skill set and his maturation and his football IQ and working with coach Aurich, like they’ve taken their game to a whole another level and Owen’s done a tremendous job. 

I knew having Kaylin Ellis just his experience, his size, and solidifying the core of our offensive line was going to be really helpful. And that’s true proven to be true, probably more than I even thought possible. 

The development of Bostick and Donovan Brown on the outside obviously to draw coverage or be weapons um in their own right, right? and not being able to then have coverage be rolled or clouded to Jay Boog (Napier), but then when it is like they have one-on- ones and we’re able to take advantage of that. So, just the way that it’s all come together. 

Dwayne McDougall like he’s another one, right? Like he flashes and you know gets a great pick the other night and there’s some basic skills that he’s got to consistently do better, but like again you saw flashes from him in spring ball like all right, I think we got something here. and then his application of skill and his ability to again take a game plan how it’s able to be applied and brought together and then go execute has been really impressive as well. And there’s countless others that you know are escaping me right now but you know guys are doing a really good job.

One last one is Brady Nasser right like Brady’s done a really nice job um from you know starting the year as a starter and then his role’s kind of evolved a little bit and not you know hanging his head but embracing okay where do I need to get better and going and working at those skills and having a great practice week and then going and having one of his best games last Saturday. 

And again, like a lot of that gets, you know, clouded and overshadowed by some of the wow plays, but it’s all the those glue guys that are doing the brilliantly boring basics at a really high level that are allowing us to, you know, execute at at a high level. 

Doubling back to Owen, can you specifically talk about his growth from year one to year two, especially considering the injuries he dealt with last year and particularly in coverage? 

Yeah so being healthy has allowed him to work on his craft. There was moments where I felt like he was gaining momentum last year and something outside of his control would happen that then would kind of kill that momentum or stun his growth and then we’d have to regain it again and something else would happen. And so there was just kind of that, you know, herky-jerkiness to a year ago. But there was a commitment that that he made to his process and, you know, his um day-to-day that, you know, started again in winter conditioning. You saw the way that he was attacking workouts and his intentionality on working on his overall athleticism. And he’s a really, really athletic kid to begin with, but he’s increased some mass, which has helped his lateral quickness and his ability to change direction. He’s got great length that he’s been disruptive in coverage because of that. And then again, I think he’s done a really nice job learning where he fits within the call. So instead of trying to do too much or do everything, it’s like, hey, I’m going to do my 111th and I know because of my prep when I see these sets, like these are the stressors within the call so that he can play with great confidence and go execute his role within the call and be really productive and really disruptive. 

Part of having some of these larger margins kind of gives you time to play some of the younger guys attend the games. anybody that stood out in in that in those phases? 

I mentioned Prince. I mean, Prince is coming along. He’s not a younger guy, but, you know, we’re kind of cross training Deshawn McCuin right now at a different spot, and so he made some plays at corner, which was great to see. Kinoa Davis has flashed a little bit. He’s got to get stronger. He’s got to add some mass this offseason, but I know he’ll continue to add value um as we go. 

And then I’m excited about some of the young offensive linemen that are getting some game reps. you know, I mean, they got to get mentally ready to rock and roll. I mean, I thought they kind of, you know, prodded their way through it a little bit to start there and wasn’t really pleased with the overall output. But we got the fourth down conversion at the end of the game, which was great to end the game the right way. But some of those guys has flashed as well. So, yeah, it’s been good. You know, I mean, to get those game reps like we’ve talked about is invaluable and as intense as we make practice, like there’s nothing better than being underneath the lights and you got to go do it. And yeah, guys, they shoot off a cannon. Like, don’t let that scare you too much, you know, and we’ll be okay. 

Can you talk just a little bit about your ball carriers and the run game because they’ve obviously opened up some things for the 

Yeah, I mean they they’ve done a really nice job taking advantage of the holes in the running lanes that the O line has created, right? I mean I think Lucky is a true hammer and looks to punish, you know, defenders on every single run, which is great. I mean, there was the one, you know, touchdown run where things kind of get gapped out and the ball spills off the edge and there’s two unblocked tacklers and he meets them at the two and delivers them two yards into the end zone, which is great. 

And then, you know, Christian and Byron are great change of paces. Like Christian has great short area quickness. Byron is a very smooth mover that does a great job protecting his legs and you can tell he’s getting more and more confidence running in between the tackles. Just through his journey and everything, which has been good. 

So again, by having all three of those kids and being able to manage the workload with all three of them helps all of them stay fresh as we move through the game. So that as defenses are wearing down because they’re not able to rotate as many bodies, I think we’ll continue to see more explosive runs later in games because of the way that we’re able to work all three of those kids in together. And again, they’re great teammates that champion and cheer for one another and are the first ones off the boundary when one of them scores. And I think we have enough packages in where, you know, like our T-formation where they’re all in together and Christian’s able to take advantage of that and we slip them to the flat. So they’re a good group. Coach Hagen’s doing a really good job managing those personalities and the room as a whole. 

When you get hired, you can express your vision and especially like talking about the offense, maybe takes a year and a half to kind of come together. People might arch and eyebrow or be skeptical. How gratifying is it to kind of see it starting to come together? 

I mean again kind of point too and we just talked about like I’ve done it before and there’s always been confidence and conviction in our process in the building and our fans are awesome and you know I’ve talked about them a bunch like the way that they have shown up and support and some of them have been there since day one with us rocking and rolling and loyal die-hards and we wouldn’t be here without them. Some have jumped on the bandwagon so to speak the past couple weeks and hey thank you. There’s still more room. We still have more tickets to sell so we can have the first sellout for Aztec football in Snapdragon history. Which we’re going to get done on homecoming against Wyoming. So, get your tickets now. 

But it’s good to have the proof of concept to come to the surface and be able to point to for the people in the building, right? Like that’s where the minute all of it kind of clicked, I guess, so to speak, against Cal, right? Like we’re able to say, “Hey, look, like this works. The work that we’re asking you to do works.” And so let’s continue to double down in that investment and do the work at a higher quality level. And by doing that collectively together regardless of which individual gets the glory, the team’s going to be so much better. The program is going to be so much better as we continue to move forward. And you know, I can’t thank the kids and the staff enough for their belief and their buying in that. And I think it’s awesome the the way that the fans have started wearing more of their Aztec gear in the fall and they’re not waiting till the winter time to put it on because basketball’s starting, right? There’s a lot of people that I see in the community that are damn proud to be wearing their Aztec gear now and I can’t wait to see all of them wearing their gear when we get back home against Wyoming here in a few weeks. 

What example do you try to set for these young men that to you is most important? 

Do what you say and say what you mean. I want to be able to stand in front of the team and everything that I say, I wholeheartedly mean and I’m not going to ask them to do anything that I’m not willing to do myself. I think that’s really important. I think working very diligently to cultivate relationships with the guys so that those relationships can handle the truth so that we can all move forward in a rapid pace is really really important because these guys have such a small window of time to maximize this opportunity. Especially if you’re an older guy that transferred in here. 

Like Jayden just top of mind as an example right like Jayden entrusted in us and our staff and this place the last two years of guaranteed football that he has. So like you can’t beat around the bush with that. Like the the the the sand is running through his hourglass and the sand is running through the hourglass for this team and we only have six more guaranteed opportunities with this team and this special group of individuals that believed in our process that has believed in our vision and now is seeing that. 

So I want to be truthful. I want to be freaking hardworking and you know I have my family and my wife around here all the time so that they can see hopefully what it means to you know be a good husband to be a good man and that you can be a champion not only in this area of ball. But you can be a champion in life as well and those things don’t have to be you know mutually exclusive that you can do that collectively