Tradition never graduates at SDSU Fan Fest

Sean Lewis' conviction on the best approach to winning differs significantly from SDSU’s philosophy over the past 15 years. At Saturday’s Fan Fest, the contrast on the field was evident.

Photo byDon De Mars/ EVT Sports

The spacing, tempo, and play designs in all three phases resembled the modern game more than past iterations of Aztec football. As much as things have changed, much remains the same.

Lewis has voiced respect for the traditions at San Diego State since his introductory press conference. When asked how his approach departs from his predecessors, he has never downplayed or degraded what SDSU was built on.

In fact, throughout his short tenure, Lewis has paid homage to the past. When describing his ideal defense he’s said that he wants 11 hats flying to the football and arriving there with bad intentions. That phrase is nearly identical to how former defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix described the 3-3-5.

When he hired Mike Schmidt as his offensive line coach, he referenced the great work done during Schmidt’s first tenure. Lewis wants those same kinds of lines in his offense.

During Fall Camp, Lewis said his first goal every season is to win the Old Oil Can. Despite having multiple staff members who coached at Fresno State, Lewis has turned SDSU's conference rival’s name into a taboo. “The team up north” is the only way to reference the Bulldogs.

“There’s a lot of tradition and history that makes this place special, from who gets to hold the shield in the Warrior Walk and taking the field to the Aztec Creed that every guy who’s new is learning and reciting and that we say when we walk out,” Lewis said after Fan Fest. “And those words mean something.”

The new regime’s embrace of the past could be seen at Fan Fest. The revamped Warrior Walk that started in the river park and ran through the yellow lot before ending in Snapdragon harkened back to the extended version at Jack Murphy Stadium. “And that is another Aztec…” rang out whenever Lewis’ offense moved the chains.

Probably Lewis’ biggest tip of the hat to what came before him was his selection of WR Mikey Welsh to wield the shield and lead the team onto Bashor Field. Like many who have had that honor through the years, it speaks to the respect Welsh has in the locker room.

“Mikey has embodied since the camp started all the things that we want our culture to be that we’re building,” Lewis explained. “He’s an unselfish individual whether it’s special teams, whether it’s offense. Heck, if we needed another DB that we’re going to flip over, I don’t know what his skill set would be, but I know he’d sure give his all to it and try so that the Aztecs would win.”

“This opportunity, I thought it was really important to highlight him and to shine a light on all that he’s done thus far and since we’ve been building our culture and ingraining that to the rich history of the past.”

It is doubtful Rocky Long, Brady Hoke, Claude Gilbert, or Don Coryell could have chosen a better representative than Welsh. A walk-on who competes and wins against players more physically gifted than him. Welsh has great hands and showed them at Fan Fest, catching a blistering pass over the middle in tight coverage. Those hands might earn him time as the team’s punt returner.

Challenges in Evaluating the Quarterbacks

Fan Fest was the first extended look at the QBs since spring. The main takeaway is that the team is fortunate it has three weeks before its first game.

Going into 2024 without an upperclassman signal caller was a risk. Lewis bet on a talented but unproven group. Saturday night the size of that gamble crystalized.

Interpreting the results from the scrimmage and knowing how to weigh them among the QBs’ full body of work is more art than science. It is hard to imagine Lewis and his staff have a clearer picture today.

“They all had some highs, they all had some lows, but without seeing the tape and talking to them about their decision-making process, it's hard to say,” Lewis said post-scrimmage. “We’ve got to do a better job taking care of the football. Three interceptions is too many, but we'll clean it up and get a good idea on how they're processing, how they're thinking, why they're doing what they're doing, and we'll go from there.”

Below is a breakdown of the top three field generals on the roster. As they have throughout the year, Danny O’Neil and AJ Duffy rotated behind the first-team offensive line. Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson played exclusively with the second-team group. Judging the beauty of their performances is in the eye of the beholder.

Danny O’Neil

The true freshman had the first reps at the scrimmage. Throughout the year, Duffy usually started, and O’Neil followed. This might suggest O’Neil had some momentum heading into the scrimmage, though Lewis said not to look too much into the QBs’ order of appearance.

The fear in starting someone so new to the college game is that their inexperience will lead to turnovers. O’Neil threw a pair of bad interceptions. If CB Jelani Whitmore hadn’t tripped, a pick-six likely would have been added to O’Neil’s total of 8-14 for 79 yards and the two INTs.

There were some positives. He recognized a one-on-one matchup between S Deshawn McCuin and WR Jordan Napier and threw a good pass that found its way into Napier’s bread basket. McCuin was in position but failed to make a play on the ball. He did just enough to distract Napier, who dropped the ball in the endzone.

If Napier had made that play, O’Neil’s first interception would not have occurred. The outlook of O’Neil’s day would be completely different.

At the end of the scrimmage, needing a first down to keep a drive going. O’Neil came off his initial reads to find Napier streaking down the seam. He did not have the arm strength to get the ball to Napier in the air, few in the world would have, but he did enough to force a pass interference.

With freshmen able to play four games without losing a redshirt season, O’Neil’s chances of getting an early shot to prove he can lead the team are high. At a minimum, Fan Fest’s result should allow the staff to see how O’Neil responds to adversity.

This was the second subpar performance for O’Neil at a Snapdragon Stadium scrimmage. He also had a poor showing at the Aztec Fast Showcase in April. Lewis is confident O’Neil will bounce back.

“Not necessarily a bigger concern or a little concern,” Lewis said when asked if O’Neil’s uneven performance in the two scrimmages is more concerning because he is a true freshman. “It goes back to, okay, why is this happening? What’s at the root of it, and how can we help him settle in and do what he’s capable of doing day in and day out, play in and play out?”

“That’s all part of the learning curve as he operates and is on this stage and has more people get in the stands. But he goes about it the right way. And all the external noise, he’ll tune out and be able to do this thing at a high level.”

EVT highlights of @AztecFB Fan Fest

Video by @jstcevisuals pic.twitter.com/28kvWiQ4X9

— East Village Times (@EVT_News) August 12, 2024

AJ Duffy

Statistically, Duffy had an above-average day. He was 7-12 for 144 yards and an interception. The numbers, as they are prone to do, do not tell the whole story.

Lewis wants to stretch the field vertically and horizontally to force the defense to cover as large an area as possible. After Fan Fest, there are doubts Duffy has the arm strength to make that happen.

Most of Duffy’s yardage came on blown coverages when cornerbacks tried to sit on underneath routes, leaving SDSU’s receivers uncovered. Instead of two touchdowns, Duffy could not get the ball out far enough to let his receivers score.

To Duffy’s credit, he identified the correct receivers and made big plays, but it was telling that the cornerbacks who see him every day do not respect his arm. The interception that he threw was on a curl. The pass didn’t have enough velocity.

Lewis has repeatedly emphasized that he will tailor his schemes to his players' strengths. If Duffy is the best QB on the roster, it might limit the way the Aztecs can attack their opposition. Throws to the perimeter could be impacted. Deep shots might need to be in the center of the field.

On the positive side, the big plays on the night were caused by teams gambling for an interception. If Duffy can be adept at keeping defenses honest with the threat of a deeper pass, that can open up space underneath. He was in control of the offense, and his maturity showed.

Some of his shorter completions happened on time and in rhythm. On one, he hit Napier on a quick route and threw it so the wideout could turn and pick up significant extra yards.

Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson

As East Village Times writer Andre Haghverdian pointed out in the recap of Fan Fest, Tupou’ata-Johnson’s “performance was the highlight of the scrimmage.” His statistics (5-9, 82 yards, and 1 TD) do not reflect how well he played.

The three most challenging completions on the night came from Tupou’ata-Johnson. The first, in order of difficulty, was on a play-action to the right. The fake fooled no one, and Tupou’ata-Johnson had a pair of unblocked defenders bearing down on him for a sack as he bootlegged to his left.

A good play in that situation would have been to throw the ball out of bounds. Instead, Tupou’ata-Johnson somehow threw between both defenders and hit Jaylon Armstead in stride for a huge gain. It did not show up in the box score because the second-team offense did not line up correctly and was called for illegal procedure.

The next elite pass Tupou’ata-Johnson threw was a 26-yard back shoulder fade at the front of the endzone for a touchdown. Tupou’ata-Johnson’s arm strength was key on the play. WR Jerry McClure was blanketed, but the pass created just enough separation for the score. McClure made an excellent play as well.

The final terrific throw was a 19-yard frozen rope to the sideline for a first down as Tupou’ata-Johnson rolled to his right after being flushed from the pocket.

One final aspect that helped Tupou’ata-Johnson shine was that he did it without the benefit of the first-team offensive line and skill position players. Some of his opportunities were thwarted because two snaps were uncatchable with one sailing over his head. The backup offensive line also gave up a pair of sacks that stopped the play before they started.

Tupou’ata-Johnson had the chips stacked against him. He did not let it matter. He outperformed O’Neil and Duffy even though the signal callers higher on the depth chart had advantages that he didn’t have.

On the negative side, what has been occurring in practice that relegated him to the fourth string for most of the year? It is hard to accuse the coaching staff of playing favorites when Tupou’ata-Johnson has been below Kyle Crum, and the coach who brought him to The Mesa, Ryan Lindley, is still on the staff and held in high regard.

Tupou’ata-Johnson’s NFL size, arm strength, and athleticism were obvious to all who attended the Fan Fest. Will it be enough to earn him more opportunities to shine as Fall Camp progresses?

“No, not necessarily,” Lewis replied when asked if Tupou’ata-Johnson’s performance is harder to evaluate because he played with the second team. “We’re assessing and evaluating all of it as we go forward with it. Things are going to happen, and those guys have a mindset of ‘so what, now what.’ … Even though some of those balls get launched over his head, to see his demeanor, to see his process, to go through it. The reps that he’s earned, he’s earned. We’ll critique and evaluate this tape and grade it out. We’ll see if that warrants any more reps as he climbs up the depth (chart).”

Five Non-QBs Who Helped Themselves at Fan Fest

1. RB Marquez Cooper: 3 carries for 32 yards was all it took to suggest Cooper might be the best back SDSU has had since Greg Bell in 2021
2. OL Christian Jones: Terrific day. Played guard and tackle. SDSU has two quality left tackles
3. DL Tupu Alualu: Depth behind him is going to be an issue. The defense could contain the run when he was in the game, but not so much when he was out.
4. WR Jerry McClure: Huge, powerful, fast. His future is bright.
5. WR Jordan Napier: Star of the offseason with another terrific scrimmage.

Five Non-QBs Who Hurt Themselves at Fan Fest

1. LB Cody Moon: With Brady Anderson and Owen Chambliss playing well, yesterday was a chance for the veteran linebacker to shine, but he was mostly MIA.
2. DB Tayvion Beasley: His lack of size allowed Napier to break off a long gain after the larger wide receiver stiff-armed Beasley.
3. S Deshawn McCuin: He needs to be a star for the team at STUD, but his understudy Josh Hunter stood out more.
4. TE Jude Wolfe: He did not record a catch but missed on a few blocks. TE Mikey Harrison caught a pair of passes.
5. CB Jelani Whitmore: Hard to put a player with an INT here, but he got beat to allow a huge pass and missed what should have been an easy pick. Eliminating the bad while keeping the good will be key for him moving forward.

Quick Takes

• Marquez Cooper as a punt returner is a tantalizing possibility. He is amazing with the ball in space. The more explosive plays he can create, the more it helps his NFL aspirations.
• With all the complaining about the sun at Snapdragon, it was a curious decision to close the shaded portion of the stadium to the public.
• Gabriel Plascencia looks like a college kicker. He was 1-2 on field goals on Saturday, however.
• DL Tiumalu Afalava joined the team on July 26 but was only added to the roster recently. He played on Saturday and had three tackles. The school confirmed Afalava is a walk-on after spending one season at Cal. In high school, he had offers from Georgia, Florida State, and others. He has four years of eligibility. What he’s been doing the past two weeks is unclear, but he plays a position of need.
• Freshman CB Jason Mitchell’s physical tackling stood out.
• DL Krishna Clay had a nice scrimmage. His No. 40 jersey was odd to see inside.
• DL Ezekiel Larry dominated one drive with a pair of sacks.
• TE Gabe Garretson took himself out of the game after an odd play. Garretson’s hands were on his hips, and WR Nate Bennett came by and looked to hit his funny bone.
• Associate head coach Zac Barton inserts himself into special teams drills. It is a wonder he hasn’t gotten tackled. He coaches with great enthusiasm.
• OL Ryan Silver looks fully recovered from an injury a year ago and played first-team snaps at LG with Myles Murao not suited up.
• Aztec Link, the official NIL collective of SDSU Football, used the Fan Fest to launch the "100 Yard Challenge." The initiative aims to raise $100,000 for SDSU Football NIL by the first game of the season. Every $500 raised will net an hour of community service with the Lucky Duck Foundation, an organization that serves the homeless community in San Diego. Fans interested in supporting the drive can do so here.