A bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for San Diego State football. After back-to-back losses to Oregon St and Cal, a reset is exactly what this young roster needs.
An extra week of rest gives players and coaches a breath of fresh air and a chance to recuperate, especially after the 31-10 loss to Cal (3-0).
Extra time away from the tough losses will be important physically and mentally for the Aztec athletes heading into their road matchup with Central Michigan (1-2) next week. The team will use this time to break down film and emphasize cleaning up the little things to stack good practices.
“The whole team is going to benefit,” said Head Coach Sean Lewis. “Get back to the basics and make sure that we’re great with our fundamentals.”
Getting healthy is a big concern for the Aztecs. Quarterback Danny O’Neil was sidelined against Cal as he battled a leg injury. Coach Lewis expects him to practice and receive live reps this week. With the first bye week coming this early, there is no need to rush O’Neil or other banged up players and avoid possibly aggravating their injuries.
Sometimes a loss can be a blessing in disguise for a team. The combined record of the opponents who beat SDSU are currently 5-1 and were either Power 4 or Power 5 last year. Going up against the best can set a team up for success in the future. This group now knows what it takes to compete in conference play. Despite the self-inflicted wounds and miscues, they were still in both games until late. Limiting mistakes and playing to their standard will be key for SDSU in the upcoming weeks.
Not only is the bye week helpful for the players, but for the coaching staff as well. An extra week to game plan and scheme will help coaches next Saturday as well as down the road.
“Take a moment as a staff to self evaluate,” said Lewis. “There are some things out there that we feel like are our strengths, [we have] to make sure that we know that those are our strengths and build out a great plan as we move forward.”
Coaches are also using this time to travel and recruit future Aztecs. Some staff will be in Colorado this week watching high school football and remaining close to recruits. Even though the Aztecs are in season, recruiting is always a priority.
“Talent acquisition never stops. We’re going to be able to get some live evaluations of kids that are on our board for this ‘25 class and beyond,” said Lewis.
Coaches will need to find a good balance between recruiting and game planning these next couple of weeks as the Scarlet and Black travel to Central Michigan to face the Chippewas Saturday, Sept. 28 at 12:30 p.m.
