The San Diego State University offense rolled up an impressive 560 yards in total offense during Saturday’s FanFest scrimmage at Snapdragon Stadium.
Five Aztec quarterbacks combined for 337 yards on 25-of-43 passing (58.1 percent completions) with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The running game featured 223 yards on 58 carries and two touchdowns.
However, points were scarce to start off the warm afternoon.
That always has to be a concern for the coaching staff. Defense may keep teams in games but it’s points that win them.
Aztec head coach Sean Lewis said the team’s quarterback group is still working on advancing its pace to match the expectation of faster on-field play.
“You can watch as much film as you want, but you get better by doing all of it,” Lewis said. “To get the reps and accumulate those reps and spend time on task in the manner in which we need to do it so that those guys can feel confident to think fast, know fast and play fast in our fast style of play.”
Junior kicker Gabe Plascencia (Oakland) opened scoring with a 20-yard field goal and senior kicker Nick Lopez (Huntington Beach) followed by splitting the uprights from 29 yards out.
There were some big plays in the opening half, but defense stole the show. Plascencia was forced to go for three points after an eight-play, 94-yard field march stalled. Sophomore signal-caller A.J. Duffy (Inland Empire) connected with sophomore receiver Baylin Brooks (Pasadena) on a 58-yard gain to the two-yard line before the SDSU defense pushed back by stuffing the short run game.
True freshman Danny O’Neill (Indianapolis) guided the Aztecs on an 11-play, 63-yard march that led to another field goal. Clutch plays include a 31-yard pass to freshman receiver Jordan Napier (Fontana) on fourth-and-six, followed by a seven-yard run by junior running back Cam Davis (Dallas, Tex.).
Junior cornerback Chris Johnson (Eastvale) intercepted sophomore Kyle Crum (Norco) to kill SDSU’s opening possession while junior cornerback Jelani Whitmore (Rialto) picked off a pass from Duffy late in the second quarter.
The scoring was quick to start the second half. Senior running back Jaylon Armstead (Los Angeles) scored on a 49-yard breakaway run up the middle and freshman receiver Jerry McClure (Mater Dei Catholic) hauled in a 26-yard offering from freshman Javance Tupou’ata Johnson to cap a six-play, 53-yard series.
Sophomore running back Lucky Sutton (Cathedral Catholic) scored SDSU’s third TD of the half on a seven-yard burst.
Lopez concluded scoring on a 38-yard field goal.
Duffy led with 144 passing yards while Tupou-ata Johnson logged 82 yards. O’Neill had 79 yards while Crum had 32 yards.
Sutton (15 carries, 79 yards) and Armstead (eight carries, 45 yards) paced Aztec ball-carriers while Brooks (six catches, 92 yards) and McClure (five catches, 100 yards) keyed the receivers.
Photos by Phillip Brents
Sophomore edge Ezekiel Larry (Palmdale) and sophomore edge Trey White (Eastlake) each collected two sacks while Larry, senior safety William Nimmo Jr. (Corona) and sophomore safety Dalesean Staley (Kansas City) each had six tackles. Johnson had five solo stops.
Senior running back Marquez Cooper (Gaithersburg, Md.) had three carries for 32 yards while senior running back Kenan Christon (Madison) had three rushes for 31 yards. Sophomore running back Nick Gardinera (Scripps Ranch) had 10 carries for 31 yards while Davis had seven carries for 29 yards.
Gardinera had three catches for 20 yards while senior receiver Nate Bennett (Simi Valley) had three catches for 11 yards. Napier had two catches for 39 yards while sophomore receiver Mikey Welsh (Servite) had two catches for 30 yards. Senior tight end Michael Harrison (San Francisco) had two catches for 24 yards while Davis had one catch for 13 yards. Frosh receiver Will Cianfini (Galveston, Tex.) caught one aerial for nine yards.
Freshman Parker Threatt (San Jose) finished 0-for-3 in his debut behind center.
McClure, who saw limited action at UCLA last season, helped grab some of the offensive spotlight. Besides his third quarter TD grab, the former Crusader caught a 45-yard pass from Duffy on third-and-15 to position Lopez for his second field goal of the game.
Overall, the Aztec defense registered seven sacks. Sophomore safety Tayvion Beasley (Inglewood) had one tackle for a loss (15 yards). Larry had 10 yards in losses on his two sacks while White had seven yards in losses on his two sacks.
Grossmont College alumnus Xavier Hamlet had four tackles (two unassisted, two assists) while Arnold Escano (Olympian) had three stops, including one solo tackle. Jayden Kendricks (Eastlake) had three assists.
LOCAL AZTECS
SDSU 2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
August
31: Texas A&M-Commerce at SDSU, 5 p.m.
September
7: Oregon State at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
14: SDSU at Cal-Berkeley, 7:30 p.m.
28: SDSU at Central Michigan, TBA
October
5: Hawaii at SDSU, 5 p.m.
12: SDSU at Wyoming, 1:30 p.m. MT
26: Washington State at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
November
1: SDSU at Boise State, 6 p.m. MT
8: New Mexico at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
16: SDSU at UNLV, 7 p.m.
23: SDSU at Utah State, 1:30 p.m. MT
30: Air Force at SDSU, TBA
SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER
7: El Camino at SWC, 6 p.m.
14: SWC at San Bernardino, 6 p.m.
21: Long Beach at SWC, 6 p.m.
28: SWC at Saddleback, 6 p.m.
OCTOBER
5: SWC at Fullerton, 6 p.m.
19: Mt. San Jacinto at SWC, 6 p.m.
26: SWC at Riverside, TBA
NOVEMBER
2: SWC at San Diego Mesa, 6 p.m.
9: Palomar at SWC, 1 p.m.
16: Grossmont at SWC, 1 p.m.
Grossmont College Football Schedule
September
7: Grossmont at East Los Angeles, 3 p.m.
14: Antelope Valley at Grossmont, 3 p.m.
21: Grossmont at Citrus, 6 p.m.
28: Grossmont at San Diego Mesa, 6 p.m.
October
5: Palomar at Grossmont, 3 p.m.
19: Riverside at Grossmont, 3 p.m.
26: Grossmont at Saddleback, 6 p.m.
November
2: Fullerton at Grossmont, 3 p.m.
9: Mt. San Jacinto at Grossmont, 1 p.m.
16: Grossmont at Southwestern, 1 p.m.
