Three thoughts after San Diego State’s 26-23 win over Fresno State late Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium:
1. QB or not QB?
SDSU has a question at quarterback this week after starter Jayden Denegal left with a knee injury in the first half against Fresno State.
It was too soon for SDSU coach Sean Lewis to know who his starter will be for Saturday’s game at Colorado State, where SDSU (3-4, 2-1 Pac-12) opened as a 1 1/2-point favorite against the Rams (2-4, 0-2).
When asked late in Saturday night’s postgame press conference about the situation at QB, Lewis said: “We’ve got a lot of good guys in the (quarterbacks) room who give us a chance to win.”
Lewis subsequently added that Denegal will be regarded as day-to-day until he gets scans to determine the extent of his injury.
Denegal went down at the SDSU 35-yard line with 6:41 remaining in the first half after he was hit after throwing a long incompletion.
He got up limping on his right leg, tried to walk it off, but then motioned for assistance. Denegal walked off with trainers and was replaced by redshirt freshman backup Stone Saunders, who played for the first time since breaking his collarbone in the season opener against Portland State.
Denegal was limping significantly on the sideline in the second half and as he left the field after the game. It would not be surprising if Denegal missed this week, and maybe longer.
Even mild knee injuries can take multiple weeks to heal. Anything more significant, and the recovery time is measured in months.
It may be noted that SDSU running back Javion Kinnard was able to return after missing one game when he injured his knee at Toledo.
Denegal, who has had his struggles this season, was off to a good start against the Bulldogs, completing 7 of 10 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He had directed three scoring drives that provided SDSU with a 13-3 lead. The highlight was a 52-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Hawkins.
Saunders played well under the circumstances, summoned at a moment’s notice after missing five weeks. The Kentucky transfer never appeared in a game for the Wildcats, so his game prep was limited to 16 fourth-quarter snaps against Portland State.
Saunders’ first snap against Fresno State was fumbled away. He settled in thereafter, completing 6 of 11 passes for 61 yards.
He notably guided two fourth-quarter scoring drives, with a little help from his friends.
A 92-yard touchdown drive included Lucky Sutton’s career-long 67-yard run and concluded with Saunders lined up out wide while wide receiver Bert Emanuel Jr. shoveled a shotgun snap to wide receiver Jordan Napier for a 7-yard TD.
The drive that led to Cooper DiLeva’s game-winning 53-yard field goal included a crucial third-and-10 conversion when Saunders hit Napier for what became a 26-yard gain.
Don’t be surprised if Saunders starts at Colorado State. It would give Denegal a chance to heal and give the Aztecs a chance to see what they have in Saunders.
San Diego State kicker Cooper DiLeva watches field goal go through uprights against Fresno State at Snapdragon Stadium. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
2. Clutch kicker
There was some question during an extended kicking competition over the summer whether the Aztecs had anyone on the roster who could put his best foot forward and meet the moment.
DiLeva proved to be that man against Fresno State, shaking off a 40-yard third-quarter miss — after going 7-for-7 to start the season — with a career-long 53-yard game-winner with 57 seconds remaining.
During a timeout on the crucial drive, DiLeva stepped on the field, eyed the goalposts and sized up the situation. He said he likes to close his eyes and visualize things before he steps on the stage.
“My whole life, I’ve always had a next rep mentality,” DiLeva said. “So after that miss, I came back to the sideline, watched it, thought about it for 30 seconds, erased it from my head, and then when I knew that we were driving down the field with an opportunity to win the game.
“I kind of asked for more. … I wanted the deep one. I wanted something that matters, and it did.”
It didn’t hurt that former SDSU kicker Gabe Plascencia, the Aztecs’ all-time leader in field goal accuracy, came by for a visit in the days leading up to the game. Plascencia also was on the sideline Saturday night to provide some encouragement.
“Heck of a kick by Cooper,” Lewis said. “We talk about the next play. That young man (lived it by) clearing what he did at the start of the second half to put that thing on his foot and to drive it home.”
DiLeva’s four field goals tied a single-game school record. The last one was the biggest, but the Aztecs needed all of them for the win.
3. Time marches on
What is it about timekeeping this season?
Michigan famously benefited from one second put back on the clock to throw a Hail Mary and beat Western Michigan to open the season. That created a firestorm of controversy on whether official time is on the TV clock, the stadium clock or some super secret Big Ten clock.
Notre Dame didn’t get a chance for another play because one second wasn’t put back on the clock in Saturday’s 28-24 loss at BYU. After the game, the Big 12 issued a statement that the replay officiating crew erred by not putting one second back. It would have given the Fighting Irish one more chance from the BYU 4-yard line.
SDSU had its own clock issue against Fresno State: 23 seconds ticked down in the fourth quarter before the clock was stopped for a play review.
Bulldogs running back Julius Gillick had been ruled down short of the goal line. Upon further review, the ruling on the field was overturned and Fresno State was awarded a 2-yard touchdown that tied the game 23-23.
There was 5:08 on the clock when Gillick crossed the goal line, although the clock was at 4:45 before it was stopped for the review. The time was never put back on the clock.
It could have been significant as SDSU mounted its game-winning drive. Or when Fresno State got the ball with no timeouts and 57 seconds remaining after the Aztecs went ahead 26-23. It became a moot point when Fresno State quarterback Jayden Mandal’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 26 seconds to play. SDSU took a knee on the next play and ran out the clock.
Pac-12 officials have not commented on the clock issue, though it probably deserves investigation to avoid a similar incident.
Or, they could just observe something Benjamin Franklin said: “Lost time is never found again.”