Three thoughts after San Diego State’s 21-16 loss to New Mexico on Friday night at Snapdragon Stadium:
1. Red zone struggles
SDSU’s kicking game was a cause for concern several weeks ago, when missed field goals cost the Aztecs a win in a 22-21 loss at Central Michigan.
The kicking game has been solid ever since Gabriel Plascencia returned from a two-game absence. He has made 11 of 12 field goals on the season, including 10 in a row.
Plascencia had a career day against New Mexico, making three field goals in a game for the first time.
There’s just one downside to that — a big day for the kicker often means struggles for the offense.
That was exactly the case for SDSU against the Lobos. The Aztecs were 4-for-4 in the red zone, but only one of the scores was a touchdown.
That was Danny O’Neil’s 5-yard TD pass to Marquez Cooper 2 1/2 minutes before halftime. Coupled with a pair of Plascencia field goals, SDSU trailed 14-13 at intermission.
The Aztecs appeared poised to make something happen in the second half. SDSU did, in fact, take a 16-14 lead late in the third quarter on a 31-yard Plascencia field goal, but New Mexico came back with a touchdown two minutes into the fourth quarter.
It proved to be the winning score when SDSU’s offense couldn’t respond.
Especially frustrating was a first-quarter drive where SDSU advanced to the New Mexico 4-yard line.
The Aztecs had a touchdown called back on an offensive pass interference penalty, then failed to connect on the Philly Special when Jordan Napier threw wide of a wide-open O’Neil in the end zone. Out jogged Plascencia for a 22-yard field goal.
Said coach Sean Lewis: “Anytime we have the (red zone) trips that we did and set up the number of field goals that we did in a close ballgame that we know is going to be an all-four-quarter fight, it ends up being the difference.”
It was all the more head-scratching against a New Mexico defense allowing 40 points a game.
New sod arrived today at @SnapdragonStdm with a variety called TifTuf delivered to replace the Kentucky bluegrass that was problematic the past two months. After the Monster Jam and other January dirt events, the field will be resod with Latitude 36 that does well here. pic.twitter.com/v8NgFzW4Jo
— Kirk D Kenney (@sdutkirKDKenney) November 10, 2024
2. Snapdragon turf replaced
Within hours after the game ended, the Snapdragon Stadium field that has taken such a beating, literally and figuratively, was being replaced.
Flatbed semis delivered loads and loads of rolled-up sod from American Sod Farms in Escondido throughout the day.
The new grass is called TifTuf, a hybrid Bermuda developed at the University of Georgia. It is drought tolerant, greens up quickly, and maintains its color late into the year. Best of all, it can withstand heavy foot traffic (read: 300-pound linemen).
Sounds like just what the doctor ordered to get Snapdragon through the end of the year.
The CIF San Diego Section Open Division football championship and SDSU’s season finale against Air Force will be played the last two Saturdays of November. The Holiday Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 27.
The Snapdragon field was replaced at the end of September with Kentucky bluegrass provided by a different North County sod farm.
The results were disastrous. Poor field conditions led the San Diego Wave FC to move last weekends season-ending soccer match to Louisville. Fans saw sand getting kicked up throughout SDSU’s game last month against Washington State. The scene was repeated Friday night against New Mexico.
American Sod Farms originally provided a grass called Latitude 36, which also is used at Petco Park. It is a hearty hybrid Bermuda that has become popular for sports fields because of its “wear tolerance.”
Latitude 36 wasn’t available when the need arose in September, which led to the fateful decision to use Kentucky bluegrass.
Snapdragon is expected to go back to Latitude 36 when the grass is replaced in late January following the Monster Jam and other dirt events. That should be plenty of time for the field to be ready for San Diego FC’s inaugural home match on March 1.
3. Send in the Marines
The Snapdragon Stadium video boards implored the crowd to “Make some noise” a few minutes into the game.
There was virtually no change in the decibel level, which the Union-Tribune estimated was in a range of 40-50 at the time. The decibel scale used equates that to “quiet library” or “conversation.”
It is difficult to generate much buzz, let alone a roar, with 20,000 empty seats.
The turnstile total (actual people in the seats) for the game was 12,745 at the 32,500-seat stadium. That made it the smallest crowd for an Aztecs game in the facility’s 19-game history.
SDSU began offering 2025 season tickets last week. Prices remain the same as this season. The Aztecs are trying to preserve price integrity. But at what price? The optics of a one-third full stadium are terrible. So is the atmosphere. Even the student section, filled for games earlier in the season, was less than half full.
Thousands and thousands of empty seats. Game after game.
Heres a solution: Send in the Marines. Offer free tickets to uniformed members of the Marines, as well as other branches of the service.
Longtime locals will recall the Padres doing just that for Sunday games at the old Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium. Platoons filled multiple sections, adding to the atmosphere at games. And those guys spent money at the concession stands like it was burning a hole in their pockets.
Season-ticket holders understandably complained two years ago when ticket prices were slashed for late-season games to walk-up fans who had no loyalty to the program. Season-ticket holders aren’t going to complain about giving complimentary tickets to the military.
Pop Warner players, in uniform, should be invited as well. School safety patrol members, too. And other groups who might not otherwise get an opportunity to attend a game.
Anything to improve the atmosphere.
Three may be a crowd — 12,745 is not.