It’s Spring time and the Aztecs are hosting their annual Spring Football game back on campus at the practice fields this Saturday, May 2 at 1pm PST. The official scrimmage begins at 2pm and there are promoted to be fun for the whole family there on campus. For us football heads, we are ready to see some passing, catching, blocking and kicking from our Aztecs.
This spring game isn’t about the final score—it’s about how clean can the offense get going again after an off season away. Can both sides of the team handle real game situations, and whether the defense looks connected despite turnover. If those three areas pop, Aztecs fans should feel pretty good about where things are heading into the fall.
Here’s a more specific breakdown of what Sons of Montezuma should be looking for this Saturday.
1. Re-establishing Identity.
If you don’t leave having kept an eye on anything else, watch for identity and tempo on offense. “It’s all about teaching the base fundamentals and techniques that we’re going to use in the majority of our calls … and establishing a very clear identity of who this team is going to be.” Lewis repeatedly emphasized what spring is all about in his sit down interview with SDSU play by play voice, Jon Schaeffer.
That all starts with how fast and clean the offense operates. With a returning starting quarterback in Jayden Denegal and a deep group of skill players, the biggest tell won’t just be big plays—it’ll be rhythm. Are they getting lined up quickly? Are plays coming in smoothly? Does the unit look comfortable running multiple looks without hesitation?
If the offense is snapping the ball with pace and minimal confusion, that’s a sign the foundation Lewis wants is taking hold. The revamped offensive line unit has some new additions due to graduations of Christian Jones and Ross Ulugalu-Masueli. Two weekends ago starting lineman Joe Borjon was inactive in a protective boot. It’s still all very early, but don’t be disappointed if the same remains.
With the addition of new OL Coach Bill O’Boyle taking over the unit group, that will be fun to watch how he interacts with the young guys.
2. Stress Test
Next, I’d say pay attention to the situations. It’s unclear if this scrimmage will be a full game exactly how a game plays out—or if it will be a hodgge podge of situational football competitions. Either way, try to focus in on not just highlights.
Lewis made a point to describe how much time is being spent on “live call-it periods” that simulate real game scenarios: third downs, red zone, end-of-half, four-minute offense. These are where the turning point of games make their mark.
“We also do a ton of just live call-it periods where we’re treating it like a game… playing out different situations so that we’re calling normal down and distance plays, third down, red zone, end of half, end of game.” said Coach Lewis.
This also hopefully means the spring game isn’t just a vanilla showcase—it’s a test of decision-making. Watch how the offense handles third-and-medium, or how the defense responds in the red zone. Do drives stall or finish? Do players look aware of the situation or looking for full instruction in each situation?
If execution looks sharp in these moments, I’d say both players and coaches are already syncing up in meaningful ways. Either way, it’s always fun to watch stress tests—especially when you’re not the one getting stressed out!
3. Defensive Connection
A big area of focus is going to be the defense this season. Last year was an absolute dream season of shut outs, improvement, star performances, physicality long missed and just an overal return to what has made this program successful—through the defense first.
With the three to four top performers gone due to graduation and the transfer portal we will now need to evaluate the defense’s leadership and communication, especially with so many new pieces stepping in.
The Aztecs are replacing significant production, but Lewis highlighted veteran voices like seniors Brady Nassar, Malachi Finau up front and then Safety Delsean Staley, Josiah Cox, Josh Hunter and others setting the standard. Even LB Tano Letuli, who isn’t fully active, his influence shows up in alignment, communication, and pre-snap organization.
Watch for how quickly the defense gets set, how players are pointing things out, and whether busts happen. A loud, organized defense in a spring scrimmage is often a strong indicator that the transition on that side of the ball is ahead of schedule.
4. Can I Kick-It
Gone is standout kicker Gabriel Plascencia. As we caught a glimpse two weeks ago, replacing his consistency will not be easy. Brought in last week to further add competition to the special team position group of Cooper DiLeva, Ricardo Rojas, and Lane Garner is Noah Serna.
The Riverside, CA native played his high school ball at Murrieta Valley and after a redshirt freshman season spent the last few up at Cal Poly. There he’s played in 34 games as kicker, making 24 of 32 field goal attempts with a long of 51 yards. He’s converted 71 of 75 extra points (missing just one over the last two seasons) and totaled 143 points over his career.
This should be interesting to see how each are judged by this scrimmage. Kickoff duties are a part of the mix but field goal accuracy is the name of the game here. Turnover in these special teams units always present a tricky challenge to a team every other year or so. If the level of kicking in consistency or kicking range is an issue, maybe we see how Coach Lewis handles this situation when it comes to how aggressive he play calls in game. Might be time to dust off Rocky Long’s old chart.
5. New Additions
There are several spots we are excited about when it comes to the newest additions. Without any insight as to who all may or may not be available, this is our quick run through to who we are keeping an eye on.
Expect Colorado State transfer RB #21 Javion Kinnard to get some run again. The speedstar stands at just 5’8″ but has an explosive burst reminiscent of previous Aztecs in the backfield.
QB #12 Stone Saunders was an interesting watch when he got his reps behind center. Alertness and decisive throws two weeks ago left us wanting to see if he can repeat and build off that effectiveness. Surely there will be some more situations to test his grasp of what Lewis wants to do.
QB turned WR #5 Bert Emanuel Jr. is also another one to keep an eye on if available. His speed and strength was also on display for the first time as a non-thrower two weeks ago and it is more than just an experiment. Emanuel Jr. like his father, made the switch from a QB to WR. With that move he turned his playing time into a 9 season career in the NFL. Just something to consider when watching the young man out there for a skills unit that should already be very talented.
DL Gavriel Lightfoot. These scrimmages don’t allow much hard hitting on the QB. But Lightfoot is someone to watch his battles on the line if available. Coming from Colorado technically by way of Fresno State, his post injury self is one that can make a big impact for the defense.
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