Three thoughts after San Diego State\u2019s 41-16 loss to Toledo on Saturday afternoon at the Glass Bowl:<\/p>\n
1. Offensive offense<\/p>\n
SDSU opened the game with a 10-play, 68-yard drive that, though it stalled in the red zone, produced points.<\/p>\n
Cooper DiLeva\u2019s field goal marked the first time in four games this season that the Aztecs scored on their opening possession. A new wrinkle was throwing to the tight end. Jackson Ford was targeted on the first four plays. He made three catches. SDSU quarterback Jayden Denegal also hit wide receiver Donovan Brown for a 38-yard gain on the drive.<\/p>\n
And there was a thought: maybe this day would be different for the offense. Four straight three-and-outs followed, and that thought was forgotten.<\/p>\n
Denegal\u2019s numbers were so-so. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown with one interception. The pick was costly; Toledo\u2019s Isaac Zay jumped a short throw at the line of scrimmage and ran 67 yards the other way for a touchdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s moments where (Denegal) is using proper footwork, making good decisions, (has) gotten the ball around the yard,\u201d SDSU coach Sean Lewis said after the game to San Diego Sports 760. \u201cOther times, obviously, he needs to see the field a little bit better. We need to help him with the calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
It became more challenging for Denegal after SDSU lost its top two running backs to injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen (Denegal) lost his tailbacks, things kind of swung,\u201d Lewis said, \u201c\u2026 then you\u2019re throwing into big zone coverages, the windows are tighter, so our efficiency needs to be better. Again, things that we can work on as we go forward with the timing and location of our throw game.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the passing game has been a concern throughout the current three-game losing streak, the previously potent run game was ineffective from the outset. The Aztecs gained only 10 yards on 14 carries in the first half. They finished with 31 carries for 48 yards (1.5 ypc).<\/p>\n
That leads into Item 2 \u2026<\/p>\n
2. Concerns in the run game<\/p>\n
Running back was perhaps the deepest position on the team coming into the season.<\/p>\n
It is thin now after injuries to starter Lucky Sutton (high ankle sprain) and backup Javion Kinnard (knee), not to mention Christian Washington leaving the team at the beginning of the week.<\/p>\n
How long Sutton and Kinnard will be sidelined should be known soon. Both were expected to get additional examinations and imaging to determine the extent of their injuries.<\/p>\n
Sutton, who missed the Week 3 game against James Madison, appeared to reinjure his left ankle two minutes into the third quarter while blocking on a play.<\/p>\n
Kinnard was injured when he was stuffed for a 1-yard loss with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. He required some assistance to leave the field after an apparent left knee injury. Depending on the severity of the injury, Kinnard could be sidelined anywhere from a few weeks to the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
Redshirt freshman Jordin Thomas came in after the others were injured, rushed once for 8 yards, fumbled and did not get another carry. True freshman Josiah Lucas rushed nine times for 18 yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will make plans accordingly based off guys\u2019 availability,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n
First question: Can Thomas hold onto the ball in practice this week and regain the coaches\u2019 confidence?<\/p>\n
Second question: Does Washington want to and\/or would be allowed to return to the team to provide some depth at the position? He was the team\u2019s second-leading rusher last year with 98 carries for 563 yards and four touchdowns.<\/p>\n
One option: Senior safety Max Garrison, one of the team captains, worked out at running back in the spring. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder put up more than 3,000 yards at La Ca\u00f1ada St. Francis High School.<\/p>\n
3. Patience and prudence? In 2026?<\/p>\n
SDSU\u2019s three-game losing streak has, of course, sparked the vocal minority, the keyboard Aztec warriors who are only too happy to share their opinions.<\/p>\n
New threads on an Aztecs chat board include: \u201cTime to Pass the QB Reigns\u201d (they probably meant \u201creins\u201d), \u201cIt\u2019s time to overreact. The football team is awful\u201d and \u201cFootball HC candidates?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes, the fans who populate the chat board are inquiring about the buyout amount of Lewis\u2019 contract and offering suggestions for potential replacements.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s 9-4 record is way in the rearview mirror for the chatters after this year\u2019s 1-3 start. Pac-12 Conference play opens this week against Texas State, but many already have determined the season is lost.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s probably prudent\u00a0to give something time to play out before reaching a conclusion.<\/p>\n
Look no further than the ups and downs of the Padres this season. A five-game losing streak and the manager, general manager and various vendors should be fired. Win 14 of 16 games down the stretch, and suddenly there\u2019s talk of reaching the World Series. And so it goes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three thoughts after San Diego State\u2019s 41-16 loss to Toledo on Saturday afternoon at the Glass Bowl: 1.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1327,181,74,76,75,305,127,1696],"class_list":["post-477859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-college-sports","tag-latest-headlines","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-sdsu-aztecs","tag-sports","tag-top-stories-sdut"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}