What San Diego State coach Sean Lewis said heading into Mountain West opener vs. Colorado State

San Diego State coach Sean Lewis would like to turn Snapdragon Stadium into Party Central.

The next chance comes Friday night, when the Aztecs (3-1) open Mountain West play against struggling Colorado State (1-3). Lewis is hoping the fans can be as loud as they were two weeks earlier during a 34-0 win against California, when the crowd noise forced the Golden Bears into consecutive offensive penalties on a drive that ultimately stalled.

“Need our city to continue to show up for us,” Lewis said Monday. “I mean, there was a tremendous opportunity against Cal and there was a direct correlation that you can make from the energy, the enthusiasm, the number of people that were in the stands to the impact that they had on the game.”

It remains to be seen whether the fan base will get up for an MW opponent like it did against a former Pac-12 team. The Aztecs are coming off a 6-3 win at Northern Illinois that was devoid of explosive plays, but with three wins, they have matched the total from last year, which was Lewis’ first year in charge.

Gabe Plascencia kicked two field goals against NIU, including the game-winning 25-yarder as time expired.

No better feeling than coming home with a W 🔴⚫️#AztecFAST 🍢 x #BeTheA1pha 🐺 x #TheClimb 📈 pic.twitter.com/oYWZnAsGn8
— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) September 27, 2025

The Aztecs and Rams were both routed by future Pac-12 foe Washington State.

Here are the highlights of Lewis’ news conference:

Lewis on the stadium atmosphere he’d like to see

“So great opportunity this Friday night for our city, for the community, for the school, for the student body to come out to pack Snapdragon and to continue the party that we started, you know, a couple weeks ago as we continue to roll through the season together with conference play kicking off against a really good Colorado State team.”

Lewis on whether it helps having faced a common opponent, WSU

“I mean, a little bit. You got a good idea, right? But again, like you can tell that, you know, they're multiple in their scheme, man. They're aggressive on defense. They’ll blitz you from all over. Doesn't matter where you are and it's all varieties of it.”

Lewis on facing CSU coach Jay Norvell

Colorado State's head coach Jay Norvell reacts to a flag thrown on CSU during an NCAA football game against UTSA at Canvas Stadium on Sept. 20, 2025, in Fort Collins, Colo. | Logan Newell/The Coloradoan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Coach Norvell does a tremendous job. Had a chance to compete against him a couple years ago when I was at CU and obviously was in a dog fight with him then. So those guys are going to be prepared. I mean, they're a competitive group and he's built a strong culture there as well, so they're going to come down here, they're going to fight.”

Lewis on the importance of the conference opener

“You know, it's a good reset, I think, for everyone, no matter what your record is when you get into conference play, right? So, you know, we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game and again, that leads to the preparation and all the work that needs to get done typically in seven days now needs to get done in six.”

Lewis on preparing during a short week

“So, yesterday was really like our mashup day of Sunday and Monday to put the NIU game to bed, to put (non-conference) behind us and then to turn the page and to start the preparation for the Rams. Good team, dangerous team, battling through some things themselves with injuries, but man, have been close against some really, really good opponents and are right there and they're dangerous, right? So, we got to have a great week of preparation on the short week. The guys had great energy, great attitude, went about the work the right way this morning and we need them to continue to do that.”

Lewis on how far he’d trust Plascencia

“60 (yards). He could get it there, right? Like that's a got to have it situation, right? So, like, I mean, he's made kicks 61, 62 in practice. Now, the wind had flipped. That was fun, right? We kind of managed the coin toss. We actually won a coin toss. That was neat and had the wind go in the proper direction. And then halfway through the fourth quarter, the wind changed.”