SDSU vs. Cal: Ten Things to Watch

Aztec Fast is head coach Sean Lewis’ moniker for SDSU’s offense. Around college football, a broader term for the system is the Veer and Shoot.

Photo byDon De Mars/ EVT Sports

Art Briles created it in the late 1980s when he led Stephenville High School in Texas. Briles popularized the approach as the head coach of Houston and Baylor from 2003-2015. Divergent branches of the Briles’ coaching tree come together on Saturday when the Aztecs take on Cal.

Briles mentored current USFL OC Phillp Montgomery and University of Arizona OC Dino Babers. Montgomery brought the Veer and Shoot to Tulsa when he was the head coach there. He taught it to current Cal OC Mike Bloesch. As the head coach of Eastern Illinois, Babers hired Lewis.

Oregon State provided SDSU with a contrast in philosophy. Cal complements what the Aztecs do. In theory, both want to play with tempo to put pressure on the opposition. Unlike schools that do not employ the Veer and Shoot, the defenses competing this weekend at California Memorial Stadium should be adept at lining up quickly.

The two offenses coming together on Saturday have much in common despite starting from different parts of Briles’ coaching lineage. Cal head coach Justin Wilcox married both Briles’ branches by hiring Sterlin Gilbert as the passing game coordinator and quarterback coach to guide the offense under Bloesch.

Gilbert worked as Babers’ offensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green. Lewis was one of Gilbert’s lieutenants with the Panthers and the Falcons. After stops with Tulsa, Texas, South Florida, and McNeese State, Babers rehired Gilbert as offensive coordinator at Syracuse.

SDSU WR coach Lanear Sampson worked under Gilbert at McNeese State in 2019. Sampson and running game coordinator Mike Schmidt coached under him with the Orange in 2021.

The evolution of the system under Lewis and Bloesch could also be converging. Bloesch spent time under Seth Littrell at North Texas where the Mean Green’s system was a hybrid between the Veer and Shoot and Mike Leach’s Air Raid approach. SDSU senior offensive analyst Ryan Lindley coached under Leach at Mississippi State.

In 2024, neither offense has excelled. Out of 133 teams, Cal ranks no. 87 in passing yards (206 ypg), no. 109 in rushing yards (100.5), and no. 111 (306.5) in total yards. SDSU has not fared much better. They are no. 114 (160.5) in passing, no. 65 (163) in rushing, and no. 102 (323.5) overall.

Whichever team can execute the Veer and Shoot best on Saturday should come out with a victory.

Here are ten things to watch.

10. Will Cal take a page from Oregon State’s playbook?

Despite the similarities in systems, the Golden Bears are huddling more this season. Last year, they had the ball on average 28:40 a game. That mark has risen to 32:20 in 2024. Cal ranks no. 33 in FBS in time of possession. Famously slow-paced Iowa is no. 35.

On the season, they have had the ball 26 times. Two drives have spanned more than five minutes, and five have lasted longer than four. Thirteen possessions have lasted under three minutes.

SDSU, in comparison, is no.128 in the FBS with an average time of possession of 23:42. In 23 drives, the Aztecs have put together one drive over five minutes and three that lasted longer than four. Twenty have failed to reach three minutes.

Cal has tried to play fast this season and could turn the contest into a track meet. But they have looked more comfortable using the play clock before snapping the ball. Considering how Oregon State dominated time of possession against SDSU, the pace of the game will be interesting to watch.

9. Playmakers on the outside

Aside from Marquez Cooper, SDSU’s skill position players are not striking fear into opposing defenses. Wide Receiver Louis Brown IV has two sensational plays on the year, but only three other catches. Ja’Shaun Poke leads the Aztecs with nine receptions, but his longest is just nine yards. The Aztecs’ tight ends have a pedestrian 42 yards on eight catches.

While the terrible passing day against OSU accounts for the poor numbers through only two games, a storyline to follow Saturday is if someone can make a play on a short route and turn it into a big gain. Jordan Napier made people miss against Texas A&M-Commerce but did not get an opportunity against Oregon State.

Too often last week, SDSU receivers could not separate from OSU defensive backs. With a freshman QB focused on ball security, not many passes will be thrown into tight coverage. SDSU needs to get open on Saturday for the Aztecs to have a chance.

Redshirt freshman WR Nyziah Hunter has turned into Cal’s playmaker. He has eight receptions on the season, with three going for touchdowns. He has 91 receiving yards on the year. Mavin Anderson is another wideout SDSU will need to corral on defense.

8. Pressure in the backfield

SDSU and Cal have given up three sacks each this season because both rely on quick passes and spread defenses out, which makes blitzing harder. Even if it does not result in a sack, the team with the most pressure on the opposing signal caller will be at a big advantage.

The Aztecs are tied at no. 38 in the country, averaging 2.5 sacks per game. They also have five QB hurries.

Cal is tied for 57th best with two sacks per game. They have nine QB hurries on the year. Auburn had seven QB hurries and two sacks last week against Cal.

Cal LB Teddye Buchanan is the only player on either team with multiple sacks this season. He has two. Buchanan is also the only athlete with over three tackles for loss. SDSU CB Bryce Phillips has a pair of tackles for loss, but neither came from a sack.

A potential weakness for the Golden Bears is the amount of TFLs they allow. They have given up 14 on the year. UC Davis recorded six against them in the opener. Auburn got eight. SDSU improved from seven in game one to four in game two, but its reduced snaps impacted that stat.

7. Penalties Piling Up

The Aztecs’ 24 penalties this year are tied for no. 131 with SMU. Only Nevada has more. SDSU has lost 229 yards. Only five teams have lost over 200 yards in penalties.

Cal is not far behind. They have had 16 infractions called on them, which is tied for no. 104. Whichever team can clean up the sloppy play will have an advantage.

Given the early stage of the season and the newness of the systems, miscues are understandable, but they are the main reason the Aztecs have played poorly in the first half of each game. The offense has been unable to overcome its mistakes. Three first-half points have been the result.

If the trend continues on Saturday, the team’s discipline will come into question. Following its defeat to Oregon State, the players spoke about the staff’s emphasis on improving in this area leading up to the game. Should the team not respond for a second week in a row, committing penalties would be a trend.

6. Winning field position

Scouting Cal is challenging because their opening two contests have gone atypical. After forcing three turnovers against UC Davis, the Bears racked up five more against Auburn. They have scored six touchdowns this year. Half of them occurred after its defense forced a turnover deep inside the opposition’s territory.

Against UC Davis, the Golden Bears sealed the game with a drive that started at Davis’ 29. The final two scoring drives against Auburn began on AUB’s 21 and 36. Cal started with the ball on its own 45 on one other touchdown. The final two occurred in the first quarter on the team’s first or second possession of the game.

Cal has yet to prove it can consistently drive the length of the field and score. In addition to the ever-important turnover battle, SDSU punter Tyler Pastula needs to have a great day pinning the Golden Bears deep.

He is averaging 45 yards on 10 punts but picked up his game last week after a weak start against TAMCU. Pastula had three punts over 50 yards against Oregon State, including a long of 63. The Aztecs' punter will need to continue what he did against OSU if SDSU is going to have a chance on Saturday.

SDSU will also need to create points with its defense and special teams to pull the upset. The contest against TAMCU turned with a defensive touchdown and was sealed by another. Cal K Ryan Coe has kicked touchbacks on 70% of his kickoffs so Poke and Napier will need to capitalize on the off chance a return is possible.

Short fields for the Aztecs and long ones for Cal is a recipe for success.

5. Taking away Mendoza's first read

Cal’s offense generated three potential scoring drives to start the game against Auburn. Two touchdowns sandwiched a missed 24-yard field goal.

On those three possessions, QB Fernando Mendoza completed 11 of 12 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Ten of the completions were short, quick passes.

Auburn began the game allowing underneath completions but changed midway through the second quarter. They denied Mendoza’s first read, and the signal caller’s play dropped. After his hot start, he was 14-24 for 100 yards and one score the rest of the way.

The Aztecs should attempt to copy what the Tigers did. Their familiarity with the scheme should allow them to anticipate the short passes and potentially jump a route for an interception early.

Adjustments are the name of the game for the rest of the season. Auburn provided a potential tactic to exploit. Cal will be working all week to correct that weakness. They will probably dial up a deep pass early in the contest to keep SDSU honest.

4. Winning on the road

Learning how to win is among the biggest questions about college football in the unlimited transfer portal era. In the past, a typical path for a losing program would be piecing together victories against quality opponents at home for a few years before being able to do the same on the road.

This pattern fit with the Aztecs. 2010 was the program’s first winning season since 1998. From that year to 2014, SDSU lost 13 road contests. It took eight years for SDSU to match that total.

With organizational memory of how to compete consistently no matter the venue, it is possible the 2024 iteration can go into California Memorial Stadium and play its best football. How they react to Lewis’ first road game is a story to pay attention to.

At Monday’s press conference, Lewis said the routine of staying in a hotel and the rules governing the players will be the same as they have been all year since the team stays off campus when they play in San Diego. But, home field advantage is real and the Aztecs need to prove they are up for the experience.

San Diego State is meeting California for the ninth time overall. In the series, no team has won on the road.

3. Freshman QB vs Nation’s leader in interceptions

Rumors of freshman QB Danny O’Neil’s inability to play Saturday have been thrown about all week. Sources say O’Neil practiced this week but was not a full participant. Lewis said on Monday that he hoped O’Neil would play.

Durability for any QB is always a question, but O’Neil’s stature makes it more of a concern. O’Neil was limited for a portion of summer workouts with a leg injury. Lewis said postgame that the leg injury he sustained against Oregon State was new and unrelated to any previous ailment.

If O’Neil is unable to play, Javance Tupoutu-Johnson could get his first start of the year. Sophomore AJ Duffy is also a possibility.

Tupoutu-Johnson as O’Neil’s backup makes sense because the two have similar throwing throwing ability. Duffy starting on Saturday so the game plan can be adapted to his skill set also fits.

In either case, the Aztecs will be led by someone without a career start on the road against a team with the most interceptions in the NCAA. The law of averages says Cal will not continue to have the turnover margin they have had in the first two games. Inexperienced signal callers lining up for the Aztecs in their first road start suggests lady luck will be on the Golden Bears’ side for one more week.

O’Neil’s potential remains strong. Any true freshman earning time only months out from high school should be terrific down the road. The question this week is if O’Neil can bring some of his future brilliance into the present.

Against Oregon State, a lack of precision hurt him. O’Neil missed on a handful of passes that could have been big plays. He had a difficult time putting the correct velocity on passes that he tried to fit into windows. His goal-line fumble took away SDSU’s biggest opportunity for a score.

Lewis called these difficult moments to learn from postgame. This week, he reminded people of Peyton Mannings’ NFL record-setting rookie season with 28 interceptions. Lewis was quick to point out that he was not comparing O’Neil to Manning but was pointing out that, like all players, game experience is the best teacher.

O’Neil has not thrown an interception or put too many passes in harm’s way. He also has yet to make enough big plays to complement Lewis and the run game.

2. Time to Grow Up

Two games do not make a year. The journey of the 2024 season will reveal more about the Aztecs moving forward. So far, SDSU has shown that its defense is ready to compete, but its offense is still a work in progress.

Potentially another lesson learned in this short time is dramatic roster turnover does not suit what Lewis is aiming for on The Mesa. The complexity of the Aztecs’ systems in every phase will be run best by athletes with multiple years in the program.

SDSU has the fifth-fewest FBS players in their final year of eligibility, with 15. Just one, Wyatt Draegar, began his career as an Aztec. Provided Lewis can bring back most of his roster, this year’s growing pains should bear fruit later on.

Lewis has emphasized that his staff’s focus is on winning now because any other course would disrespect the 15 Aztecs with no college football left after 2024. Saturday is another measuring stick game for the potential of this team.

Despite Cal being a huge favorite, the Aztecs can win on Saturday especially if the Golden Bears continue to struggle running the football. Even if the Aztecs do not walk away with a victory, showing improvement as they head into a bye week can improve its prospects moving forward.

1. First game as a future Pac-12 member

Distraction is always a possibility in sports. The Pac-12’s decision to announce SDSU as its newest member raises a chance that off-the-field considerations could impact the Aztecs play on the field. The contest takes on added weight because of the conference realignment news.

The public’s gaze will be on the six Pac-12 members this week. If they can capitalize on this attention by playing good football, it will help create a positive reputation for the league.

Colorado State plays in-state rival Colorado. Washington State takes on Washington. Oregon State matches up with Oregon. While SDSU and Cal do not have anywhere near the rivalry to match the rest on the list, it will be lumped together if the new Pac-12 squad can pull off some upsets.