After such a big, emotional victory over Cal, the question was posed: How does San Diego State avoid a letdown this weekend at Northern Illinois?
In SDSU coach Sean Lewis’ estimation, the Aztecs already have had their letdown.
It came in the 36-13 loss at Washington State that followed a season-opening 42-0 win over Stony Brook.
“The hard lesson we already learned,” Lewis said. “From Week 1, we had a really nice win. We probably felt ourselves a little bit too much. Felt a little bit overconfident and we didn’t respect the process of winning.
“So we’ve already learned that hard lesson that we can’t grow complacent and we can’t not respect what winning requires each and every single day. That’s the process. That’s the hard work. That’s the focus. That’s the toughness that the team showed as well.”
During Monday’s midday news conference, Lewis reflected on something he said two weeks in the same seat after the crushing loss to the Cougars.
“There’s going to have to be a really big response because it was a really big letdown,” he said. “Well, as bad as that event was, when we didn’t respect all those things and we had that moment up in Wazzu, now we’re at the other end of the spectrum.
“We had a really cool event. But they both require huge responses to get back to neutral and do what it takes. There’s no way to navigate around that.”
The Aztecs’ decisive 34-0 win over an unbeaten Cal team that was a two-touchdown favorite left many asking, “Where did that come from?”
Now the question is: Where do they go from here?
“We’ve got to learn how to handle success,” Lewis said. “We didn’t do that from Week 1 to Week 2. Now we have a new opportunity from Week 3 to Week 4 to do it the right way and go win on the road and that’s what good teams do.”
SDSU (2-1) opened as a 2 1/2-point favorite over NIU (1-2), which has lost to Mississippi State and Maryland after opening the season with a win over Holy Cross.
Lewis said he saw a focused team when the Aztecs returned to practice on Monday.
“They’re proud of what they did, but they’re not satisfied because they know the climb and the journey that we’re on,” he said. “We’re still just building new rungs of the ladder. We’re still just taking the next step the right way. We talked about at some point in time, we’ve got to take a step of faith. And you’re not going to be able to see that next rung that you’ve created, but you have to believe and know that it’s there and your teammates and your brothers have your back.
“That was the step we took on Saturday and that’s a big piece of creating our culture and our identity and the winning trait that this team possesses. Now we’ve got to do that again.”
The coaching staff gave the players 24 hours to enjoy the victory, then shift their focus to the task at hand.
“If you don’t respect that 24-hour rule,” Lewis said, “and you listen to all the nice things that have been said, all the comments, all the pats on the back today while they were on campus, all of that starts swimming around you like a bunch of barracudas in the water.
“You don’t want to be in that situation. You want to be able to insulate yourself. You want to be able to know the opinions in the building matter. That’s what needs to be most valuable.”
Not that the Aztecs don’t appreciate the buzz that accompanies a big win.
“The sense of pride that everyone feels right now in the city because our football team did a really, really good thing, that’s all well and good and that’s what our expectations are,” Lewis said. ” … You’re only as good as your latest performance.. … If we don’t handle this one the right way, everyone’s going to forget about the last one pretty quickly.”
Strong secondary
Single-digit jersey numbers are so coveted that Lewis hands them out personally rather than leaving it to SDSU’s equipment manager.
It’s worth noting that four of the five starters in SDSU’s secondary wear single-digit jerseys — cornerbacks Bryce Phillips (0) and Chris Johnson (1) and safeties Eric Butler (6) and Dalesean Staley (9) — and with the number comes greater expectations.
Staley was selected Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after a performance that included breaking up a fourth-down pass in the end zone on Cal’s opening drive, forcing a fumble that was turned into a touchdown, getting an interception and making seven tackles.
The highlight for Johnson, the nation’s highest-graded cornerback through Week 4 by Pro Football Focus, was a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“Collectively, they put down their best game that we’ve had together,” Lewis said. “Obviously, Chris with the pick-six and a lot of other ways that he impacted and influenced the game. I thought Dalesean Staley had one of his most complete games since he’s been with us. The refinement of his technique and the discipline of his eyes got better as the game went along.
“Eric Butler was as intently focused as I’ve ever seen him on the boundary to giving and receiving communication. He made a play there early on a punt return. That’s just a player making a play. … The impact that all those guys had collectively and how unselfish they were to play their role and be tied into the plan was really, really impressive.”
The other starter in the secondary is safety Dwayne McDougle (26), who may be angling for a single digit after his 35-yard fumble return for a TD.
Notable
• SDSU did not have a turnover for the fifth straight game dating to last season. That’s tied with UConn for the nation’s longest active streak among FBS teams.
• The Aztecs’ shutouts against Stony Brook (42-0) and Cal (34-0) mark the first time in program history for consecutive home shutouts to start the season.
• Running back Lucky Sutton is averaging 83 yards rushing a game, which ranks third in the Mountain West behind Boise State’s Dylan Riley (104.7 ypg) and UNLV’s Jai’Den Thomas (97.8).
• Punter Hunter Green (45.9 ypp) is second in the MW in punting average behind Colorado State’s Bryan Hansen (48.8).
• Kicker Gabe Plascencia’s 16 straight made field goals, a school record, trails only BYU’s Will Ferrin (24) among active field-goal streaks.
• The Mountain West announced a 5 p.m. PT kickoff time for its championship game, which is Dec. 5 and will be nationally broadcast on Fox.
The title game matches the MW’s top two regular-season finishers. The team with the best winning percentage hosts the game.