3 Thoughts: Central Michigan 22, Aztecs 21 … on kicking woes, spreading the ball around and defensive standouts
Three thoughts after San Diego State's 22-21 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday :
SDSU hasn't been concerned about its kicking game for more than a decade.
That's because four of the top five kickers in program history - Jack Browning, Matt Araiza, John Baron II and Donny Hageman - kicked field goals and PATs from 2014-23.
The Aztecs are concerned now. They're very concerned after two costly misses against Central Michigan.
There wasn't a lot of confidence in the kickers coming into the season because neither returner Gabriel Plascencia nor newcomer Nick Lopez stepped up in training camp to make the job his own.
Plascencia got an opportunity late last season, when Browning dealt with a leg injury, and was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts with a long of 46 yards.
He opened the season as the starting kicker, went 1-for-2, and soon Lopez was getting an opportunity.
Lopez played one year at Louisville and four years at Cal, but his experience was limited to two field goals (both makes) the past two seasons.
He made his first attempt, a 29-yarder at Cal. Then came 33- and 28-yard misses Saturday at Central Michigan.
"Across the board, we're looking for consistency in all of our position groups," SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. "We're looking for the guys that are going to give us the best opportunity to execute consistently good, not occasionally great, and that's an area now where we need to continue to evaluate and continue to assess as we move into conference play."
SDSU hasn't struggled this much in the kicking game since the 2013 season, when Wes Feer and Seamus McMorrow went a combined 8-for-16 on field goal attempts (they also missed six PATs). The Aztecs did not make a field goal the last two months of the season.
It got to the point that then-SDSU coach Rocky Long started going for it on fourth down in the red zone rather than calling on the kicking unit.
It hasn't gotten to that point this season.
Not yet, anyway.
SDSU had an opportunity to ice the game after cornerback Bryce Phillips returned an interception 68 yards to the Central Michigan 11-yard line with 2:17 remaining.
The Aztecs could have made it a two-score game with a touchdown. A field goal would have produced a five-point lead and required the Chippewas to drive the length of the field for a TD to beat them.
Neither scenario materialized.
Hindsight being what it is, there are those who questioned giving the ball to running back Marquez Cooper three times in a row.
Cooper's carries went for 1, 3 and 1 yards. Though SDSU didn't find the end zone, the Aztecs still made the Chippewas burn two timeouts. And a 28-yard field goal attempt was a gimme, right? Wrong.
"Giving it to Coop, trust in him, trust in the O-line," Lewis said, "but, again, (there are) things that I need to do a better job as a play-caller as we continue to evolve as an offensive unit."
One thing Lewis mentioned in his postgame remarks was "making sure that we're utilizing all the weapons that we have at our disposal and maximizing the talent and the skill set that we have of all those guys offensively."
To that end, the Aztecs definitely could have spread the ball around to more playmakers.
Tight end Jude Wolfe was targeted twice in the first half. Both times he made receptions for touchdowns. Wolfe was targeted just once in the second half. Tight end Mikey Harrison also was targeted just once.
Wide receiver Louis Brown IV was targeted 12 times (making eight catches). The other three receivers - Ja'Shaun Poke, Nate Bennett and Jordan Napier - were targeted six times combined (making three catches).
Cooper finished with 34 carries, giving him 96 for the season.
The only other running back to get a carry was Cam Davis, who was handed the ball once. And that was only because Cooper left the game briefly in the fourth quarter when he was shaken up on a play.
Senior Jaylon Armstead and sophomore Lucky Sutton had their moments last season. Armstead had a nose for the end zone, rushing for a team-high eight touchdowns. Sutton led the Aztecs with 5.2 yards a carry.
Armstead and Sutton have 17 carries between them this season. Both are big backs who could offer a contrast to Cooper. It has been puzzling that they haven't been given more of an opportunity.
SDSU's defense continues to give the Aztecs a chance to win. One wonders how long it keep that up while spending so much time on the field. The Aztecs are tied for 129th in the nation in time of possession (24 minutes).
Senior safety JD Coffey III led the way with a career-high 15 tackles. It was the most by an SDSU defender since linebacker Kyahva Tezino had 17 against Army in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl.
Phillips' interception should have been icing on the cake. Earlier in the fourth quarter, teammate Eric Butler scooped up a fumble that he returned to the Central Michigan 1-yard line. A face mask penalty wiped out the turnover, however.
Butler no doubt was inspired since he was playing with both hands for the first time this season. It had been wrapped like a club previously to protect an injured right hand.
Sophomore edge Trey White also continues to shine. He had all three of the team's sacks - two on back-to-back plays in the third quarter - and now has six for the season.
White's four tackles for loss were the most in a game since Jay Henderson had four against Northern Illinois in 2017.
This story was originally published September 29, 2024, 6:20 PM.
