What San Diego State’s Sean Lewis said after offensive eruption against Colorado State
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San Diego State’s football team turned a big corner Friday night when it overwhelmed Colorado State with an offensive eruption that fans have been clamoring for.
The 45-24 victory at Snapdragon Stadium in their final Mountain West Conference opener also moved the Aztecs to 4-1, eclipsing the win total from last season, which was coach Sean Lewis’ first on Montezuma Mesa.
“A great program win. … We’ve got real momentum. I think winning is a skill,” Lewis said after the Aztecs gained 540 yards of offense, which included everything from gorgeous spirals from Jayden Denegal to career nights for San Diego native running backs Lucky Sutton and Byron Cardwell Jr.
“It’s a culmination of all the hard work that they've put in,” Lewis said. “There was a lot of that that we saw through spring ball and through training camp that gave us the confidence that that would come to life in real-time in-game reps that again, we kind of talked about somewhere between game four, game six of year two, things will kind of come together. Here we are.”
Here are the highlights of Lewis’ post-game news conference:
Lewis on preparing during the short week
“Just told the guys and everyone a part of it, really, really pleased with the work that was put in in a short week. To play two in 13 days was a tremendous effort by everyone in the organization. I really thought the staff did a tremendous job in refining the plan to match the skill set of what we're learning, what we’re becoming, and to build a plan that made sense in the short week, that we could execute at a high level, and the kids did a great job owning it.”
Lewis on how the offensive line has protected Denegal
“When you can keep your quarterback upright, and you're able to run the football efficiently, you're able to be multi-dimensional that keeps the defense off balance. Coach (Mike) Schmidt and the O-line and have done a tremendous job of developing and coming together.”
Lewis on Gabe Plascencia making a career-long, 53-yard field goal
“Big kicks made by [Plascencia], obviously cool for him to touch his career long and to, if I'm not mistaken, make the longest field goal here in Snapdragon history, which is great. And for him and (punter Hunter) Green,, to be able to control the game–control field position, was really a great program effort all around.
Lewis on having Plascencia, who has made a program-best 19 straight field goals
“It is a luxury. It's absolutely a luxury. It's a testament to the work that all those guys have put in; the consistency of his approach, that he goes out there and sends it and bangs it and probably has it for at least another 10 yards? It's great.”
Lewis on restoring pride in the program
“I think winning is a skill. Like we talked about earlier in the year and rewiring that trait within our DNA, this team's DNA, right? Like there's a winning tradition in this program that our kids are really, really prideful of. Like there's former Aztecs that are in that locker room like that are beaming with pride because they can wear their colors proudly again. And that gives me a tremendous sense of pride.
“I want to restore pride in the program and make the city come back to life and to see the fans, you know, the stands packed with fans, the city rallying around us.”
Lewis on the afterglow, and having Saturday off
“Really pleased. Great to get the first conference win and it’ll make the day off (Saturday) a little bit more enjoyable, be able to watch some other people stress, and get recharged a little bit before we go into another challenge with Reno before we hit that second bye week.”
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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.