Copyright San Diego Union-Tribune
Editor’s note: The Union-Tribune this season invites readers to submit questions for San Diego State coach Sean Lewis. Today, the coach answers questions after SDSU’s win at Fresno State and heading into Saturday’s game against Wyoming. You had the ball inside the Fresno State 10-yard line in the third quarter when you tried a double handoff. Jordan Napier fumbled, and the ball was returned near midfield. Can you go through what happened there? And why did you run a trick play with a backup quarterback (Bert Emanuel Jr. briefly replacing Jayden Denegal) and about to take a three-score lead? — From several fans A: We knew that we were going to get man (coverage). They did a good job of pressuring off the edge. We kind of mishandled the initial exchange and led to the turnover. I think if you go back and look at it, Jordan didn’t fill the stat sheet that day. But if you look at how he’s getting held to the ground and his fight and his toughness and his tenacity to scramble and get out of that and claw to get the ball back on the ground, it speaks to the type of character and type of competitive spirit that this team has. We talked about that after the game. You take the risk, you take that chance, it works out well and holy cow, you’re a guru. Wow. Great job, right? If it doesn’t, OK, you’re a knucklehead. Got it. Check. But no risk-it, no biscuit. It was a good look. I’ll stand by the call. We’ve got to execute better and be all right. What inspired four FlashFAST (at Kent State) and now AztecFAST style? I know you played physical football as a tight end at Wisconsin, so was wondering where the whole FAST thing came from. Also, I appreciate all the love you have shown the guys, makes me a proud Aztec. — AztecsFight (@SunshineLovaDa1) A: I would like to believe that we still play a tough, physical brand of football. But when I learned this style of play from Dino Babers (as an assistant to Babers at Eastern Illinois, Bowling Green and Syracuse), I thought it stressed the defense in an additional way that a slower, controlled-huddle manner did not. “I wanted to create as much stress as possible. The guys really enjoy it. Ultimately, no one comes to the games, no one is going to pack Snapdragon this weekend, to watch us huddle. They want to see us play. This gives us an opportunity to run more plays and to go create more excitement and go create more explosive plays. With a hot start to the year and a semi-full recruiting class, are you looking to capture a higher level of high school recruit for the last portion of the class, especially a highly-regarded QB? — Robert Ascencio, San Diego A: We’re constantly evaluating all the kids that are available, kids that we could potentially flip. We’re looking to finish the season the right way. We’re looking to finish the class the right way and looking to continue to step up and level up in all capacities within the program. I think the traditional model of needing to get a high school guy each and every single class is something you would like to do, but I don’t think it is a necessity the way it used to be, because there are so many quarterbacks that are available. With how frequently those guys move, knowing that there are only 138 of them that are going to play at the FBS level. There’s one on each team, there’s other guys that have the talent to play, as we’ve learned with Jayden Denegal, so you can really exercise a lot of different buckets there to find the next guy that you’re grooming, that’s working, that’s developing behind the scenes to take over things. Fresno fans are upset that with about four minutes to go and fourth down, the Bulldogs tried to get a first down instead of a field goal. As a coach with a team of motivated young men, how much of a say in that decision should the players have? — Pomeroy Lafontinue (@BonitaVista1971) A: Players need to own the culture. Players need to own the environment. So I think there’s something to be said in that moment in time, or any moment in time. On the fourth down that we went for (in the second quarter from the Fresno State 47-yard line), hey, it’s the middle of the field. It’s not a no-brainer. It’s fourth-and-1 there early in the game, what do you all want to do? They were like, ‘Coach, let’s go.’ OK. That’s a culture play then. Let’s go get it. Anytime you can empower the guys and they make the decision and they know you have the confidence in them to go execute and that you have their back, regardless of the results, I think that’s a way that you can move and elevate your culture. With what we do, I empower our guys quite a bit to own it, to be a part of those decisions and then I have confidence in them to go execute the decision that they’ve made. I think they’re going to have a higher rate of success because they know that it’s their choice. It wasn’t our decision, but it was their choice to go do it, and they’re going to own those opportunities. Readers are invited to submit questions after each weekend’s game through Tuesday to kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com or on X to @sdutkirKDKenney. San Diego State (6-1, 3-0) vs. Wyoming (4-4, 2-2) When: 4 p.m. Saturday Where: Snapdragon Stadium TV: CBS Sports Network Radio: 760-AM
