Sean Lewis: “We’re Going to Call It to Win It” as Aztecs Take Down Washington State

San Diego State needed a big-time play in a critical moment, and Sean Lewis wasn’t interested in playing it safe.

With the Aztecs facing a fourth-down decision against Washington State, Lewis trusted his players, rolled the dice and called a play that ultimately helped SDSU secure a hard-fought Halloween victory at Snapdragon Stadium.

When asked about the decision to go for it rather than settle for a field goal, Lewis kept his explanation simple.

“No risk it, no biscuit, right? We’re going to call it to win it.”

That confidence wasn’t just talk. Lewis revealed that the play, creatively named Odin’s Pass, was something the coaching staff had worked on throughout the week. More importantly, the players believed in it.

“We kind of huddled up and talked it through. Hey, how do you guys feel? They’re like, heck yeah, coach. Let’s own it. Let’s do it. Let’s go and make it happen.”

It’s the kind of aggressive decision-making that can define a football team, particularly one still trying to find its identity in the late stages of a underachieving and demanding season.

“The name of the play is Odin’s pass because the shift was Loki where the line goes left and when we shift out of it they go Thor, because there’s an R in it. And then Loki and Thor’s father is Odin so it’s all tied together. Little peak behind the curtain there.” Lewis said with a laugh.

To his credit, through all the adversity, injuries, and setbacks, wether you like it or not, Lewis has remained to be who he is—he has not changed.

For better or worse, through the coach speak, Lewis has remained about his ways to stay focused on the process and now that his players are healthy they appear to be equally as hungry—at least when playing at home.

Lewis also acknowledged that the Aztecs weren’t perfect, but he was pleased with how the team responded when things didn’t go according to plan. After nine weeks of battling through injuries, adversity and close finishes, finding a way to win without playing their best football was an important step.

SDSU heads into its bye week at 3-2 in conference play, with November still offering plenty to play for.

For those Aztecs fans this may be debatable in the long term, but if Saturday night’s decision tells us anything about Lewis, it’s that he’s not interested in coaching scared. As he put it, the Aztecs are going to keep finding ways to win.