Three thoughts after San Diego State’s 29-26 loss to Washington State on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
1. Trick or treat?
SDSU wide receiver Jordan Napier proved it can be just as exciting to give as receive when he threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Bennett off a reverse midway through the third quarter.
The score gave the Aztecs their first lead of the game, 19-14, and brought the announced crowd of 26,937 (turnstile 18,375) to its feet.
On the play, SDSU running back Marquez Cooper took a handoff from quarterback Danny O’Neil, then pitched it to Napier as he ran left to right in the backfield.
Napier threw the ball downfield moments before getting hit by a Washington State defender. Napier dropped a dime to Bennett, who reached over his head for a contended catch that was equally impressive.
The video speaks for itself
@CBSSportsNet https://t.co/7POiZZQDQs pic.twitter.com/G7pu6Zwxh5
— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) October 27, 2024
Observers wanted to call it a trick play, but that’s not how SDSU coach Sean Lewis saw it.
“We’ve repped (it) countless times, so, for us, it’s another play, it’s another option,” Lewis said. “We want to be able to use every blade of grass. We want to be able to use every single skill set that we have.”
Lewis said players who can pull it off emerge while the coaches watch them play catch in warmups.
The first time he saw Napier throw a ball like that, Lewis perked up, thinking “OK. You can do that. Nice. Now you get to start building out some things because you know there’s a skill set there with an individual who you know is going to be on the field, whose garden has grown, and you can trust him to do that sort of thing.”
While those not present at practice react with wonder when such a play unfolds, coaches and players expect a successful result.
”For it to happen, obviously, it’s a surprise and it’s impressive because you guys don’t get to see it each day,” Lewis said. “But, again, the things that we do we’ve repped ad nauseam to the point where we know that when we call it that the majority of the times we’re going to get it right. …
“It’s a great moment for the kids, and it’s a heckuva lot of fun to get to do what we do.”
San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis yells to players during their game against Washington State at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2. Accountability
The Aztecs came into the game with starting wide receiver Louis Brown IV, starting tight end Jude Wolfe and third-string quarterback AJ Duffy on the sidelines in street clothes.
That left SDSU short-handed at tight end. Sophomore Gabe Garretson is injured and sophomore Logan Tanner left the team earlier in the season.
Senior transfer Mikey Harrison and true freshman Arthur Ban were the only two tight ends dressed for the game.
Harrison was targeted eight times and caught more passes against the Cougars (6) than he had all season (5). Ban did not play.
Lewis began his postgame comments by saying, “Key guys were missing tonight. … It’s a coachs decision, and we have incredibly high standards and expectations in our program.
“Everyone knows that each guy who was not dressed this evening was in three separate and completely different situations that were all unique to one another. Each individual knows that I talk about it, and its been handled in-house.”
Lewis said all three players will be allowed to dress for Friday nights game at Boise State.
Lewis did not say specifically what the players did. A one-game suspension could stem from such things as being late for a team meeting or activity or missing a class.
“The big piece is to grow in these football games,” Lewis said, “but a bigger piece for us, and for the championship culture that were establishing, is appropriate human beings off of it. Those guys know what it is, the team knows what it is and embraced the accountability.”
San Diego State Aztecs offensive lineman Brayden Bryant (55) and running back Marquez Cooper (15) celebrate after a touchdown against the Washington State Cougars during their game at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 in San Diego, CA. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
3. In a rush
SDSU running back Marquez Cooper had 18 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns against Washington State. He now has 748 yards on the season (106.9 ypg).
Cooper, the nation’s active career rushing leader, rose to 49th place on the all-time rushing list with 4,604 yards.
Among the players he passed were LSU’s Kevin Faulk (4,557), SDSU’s Marshall Faulk (4,589), Arkansas’ Darren McFadden (4,590) and Oklahoma State’s Thurman Thomas (4,595).
An average (by his standards) performance Friday night at Boise State would boost Cooper to 4,711 career yards, good for 41st on the career list. Hall of Famer Marcus Allen (4,682) of Lincoln High School and USC would be among the players he passes.
Cooper, who played at Kent State and Ball State before transferring to SDSU, is on pace to become the 23rd player in NCAA history to surpass 5,000 career rushing yards. Former Aztecs running back DJ Pumphrey is the all-time leader with 6,405 yards.