What San Diego State coach Sean Lewis said coming off a rough loss at Washington State

“That was a bad night up in Pullman.”

Sep 6, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars running back Angel Johnson (1) is tackled by San Diego State Aztecs safety Eric Butler (6) in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The San Diego State Aztecs have a lot to work on following their dismal 36-13 loss at Washington State on Saturday night. 

They’ll get some extra time to do it, since they have a bye this weekend. Up next will be a home game against the California Golden Bears on Sept. 20 at Snapdragon Stadium. 

“We need to coach better. We need to play better. We need to work our process better as we go,” Lewis said on Monday.

There were some bright spots for the Aztecs (1-1), but they were overshadowed by an overall lack of offensive production and a defense that allowed 29 straight points by the Cougars. 

“Lucky (Sutton) still shined early on, when the game was in hand,” Lewis said. “I thought the O-line did a nice job controlling things for three quarters as we went being balanced there. I thought our defensive third down plan was really good. There are some bright spots in the kicking game as well, but obviously the bright spots, too few and far between.”

Here are the highlights from Lewis’ news conference.

Lewis on leaning on the team’s culture

“You know, they've shown the culture of this team, which I believe is really, really strong in their response today. They came in with energy. They leaned into it. They took the corrections. There's a good look in their eyes. They were intentional. They were focused.

Sep 6, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars tight end Trey Leckner (23) and Washington State Cougars tight end Hudson Cedarland (27) celebrate after a touchdown against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

“So, we got a dose of humble pie there, and now we got 14 days to sit with this poor taste in our mouth, and we need to get better. We need to use it as fuel as we go, because I truly, truly believe that we have a good team that had a bad night. We need to be better as coaches, and we need to play better as we go.”

Lewis on handling the responsibilities as a player caller

“I don't feel any pressure. Pressure is something you feel when you're not prepared. We apply pressure and you look at and you evaluate, you don't take a generalized approach, like, ‘Oh, hey, well, there's been three three-and-outs, there've been four three-and-outs. So, all of a sudden, we're going to pivot, right? Like, we have the beauty of knowing why there's been a breakdown like, intimately within the call. Like, why did it break down? Is it because of the call? Is it because of execution? Is it because of lack of communication? Is it a fundamental skill, right?

Sep 6, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; San Diego State Aztecs head coach Sean Lewis looks on during a game against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

“And depending on what the why is, then that drives our processes, not just, ‘-h, there's been three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out. Hey, throw this plan away that we've been preparing for.’ There's got to be a detailed ‘why’ behind what it is that we do, or why we're going to pivot in the manner in which we're approaching everything.”

Lewis on improving efficiency and execution 

“The details of our fundamentals and the physicality of our play needs to get better, and all three phases, and by doing that, and that'll lead to greater execution, by putting the kids in better position to be successful with the calls, then we'll have a better opportunity to have success over the long haul. But no, we're not going to abandon the plan when the reason the plan is not being executed properly has nothing to do with who the faceless opponent happens to be on the other boundary.”

Lewis on the defensive game plan

“I mean, we're going to refocus on the fundamentals, right? We need to do that more violently across the board, not just defensively, but in all three phases of what we do. So, we'll take some time here, the next two days, to really take an intimate look at, again, how we can refine those fundamentals, how we can spend more time on a task, a little good on good and, you know, get better at our craft in all three areas.

Sep 6, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars running back Angel Johnson (1) is tackled by San Diego State Aztecs linebacker Tano Letuli (21) in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

“Then come Thursday, we'll start a little bit of prep on Cal, and then give guys some time to recharge and recover over the weekend before they're back and we're rocking and rolling back in the game week.”