What San Diego State coach Sean Lewis said about Washington State game
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San Diego State’s football team pivots from a home 42-0 win against FCS Stony Brook to a road trip to face future Pac-12 opponent Washington State on Saturday night. It’ll be a big step up in competition for an Aztecs team looking for a rebound from last season’s 3-9 finish.
It’s also a chance for revenge, as the Cougars rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun the Aztecs 29-26 at Snapdragon Stadium last October.
“We’ve got a really tough opportunity here to go on the road and see what we're made of, as we go into a hostile environment against a good Washington State team that found a way to win against a really good Idaho team,” Aztecs coach Sean Lewis said. “So, in a good place, you know, and like where we're at, and obviously, plenty of room to get better.”
Washington State is practically a whole different team than the one that stunned SDSU last year. New coach Jimmy Rogers came from FCS power South Dakota State and brought a few dozen players with him. The Cougars beat Idaho 13-10 on a last-second field goal on Saturday night in Pullman.
Here are the highlights of Lewis’ Week 2 news conference:
Lewis on the challenges WSU presents
“They found a way to win, right? Good teams do that even when they don't necessarily have their ‘A stuff, right? And you can tell that they got some really talented kids that stepped up and found a way to win. You can see a young quarterback that leaned on his training and went on a game winning drive. That's not easy to do.”
Lewis on quarterback Jayden Denegal’s confidence during his first career start
“I thought he was great throughout. There were a couple throws that he wished he would have had back. But I thought the way that he was seeing it, his competitive style and his competitive nature of play, he did a really good job of knowing when to take a hit, when not to take a hit. Good decision making. He was even keel through it all.”
Lewis on the work the defensive staff has done
“Those guys, all summer long, all spring long, have been in the defensive staff room and been stressing us offensively. They've been in there, cooking it up, they're wizards, and they did a great job with it this past Thursday night. It was a great team effort, right?”
Lewis on the versatility of his offensive playmakers
“We want all of them to have position flex. We even motion Jordan [Napier] back into the backfield and obviously, one of his superpowers is him running with it. So, being able to put him in the backfield and give it to him, we want to be able to do it with all those guys. Whether they're wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, they're offensive weapons, right? So how can we move, manipulate, window dress, and we put a lot of time into some of the pre-snap thought process.”
Lewis on Napier, a wideout who threw a touchdown pass against WSU last year
“A lot gets made about Jordan’s production, and he was the only guy with any kind of production coming back. Well, a lot of those third-and-shorts and goal-to-go situations, Jordan's in there, really, like an extra tight end. Like going in, securing a D gap on the back side so that we can have a big boy run. You know, sometimes those ‘little guys’ are big guys as well.”
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-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.