Three thoughts after San Diego State’s 21-0 loss to Oregon State on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium:
1. Beating themselves
Maybe the Aztecs could have overcome a key loss on the offensive line.
Maybe they could have overcome penalties.
Maybe they could have overcome a turnover.
Maybe they could have overcome offensive struggles.
But they couldn’t overcome everything all together.
“We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds that hurt,” SDSU coach Lewis said. “The Aztecs beat the Aztecs in a lot of areas.”
There wasn’t much SDSU could do about left tackle Joe Borjon’s season-ending torn ACL in last week’s season opener. But, like the sign says at the SDSU practice field, “Control the controllables.”
The Aztecs could have been better in that regard.
SDSU was called for seven penalties in the first half against the Beavers, a week after committing nine first-half infractions against Texas A&M-Commerce. Three of the penalties were on left guard Myles Murao, who started after the O-line was shuffled when Borjon went down.
Four of the penalties came on runs by Marquez Cooper, negating gains of 12, 15, 6 and 1 yard. So Cooper, who finished with 53 yards on 13 carries, had 34 yards in gains wiped out. More importantly, the penalties erased first-down runs that could have sustained drives and changed the Aztecs’ fortunes.
Instead, SDSU’s three first-quarter possessions began with a pair of incompletions by quarterback Danny O’Neil and a 10-yard penalty on Cooper’s 15-yard run. That last one changed the situation from first-and-10 on the Beavers’ side of the field to first-and-20 at the SDSU 36 … and a punt three plays later.
The Aztecs ventured onto Oregon State’s side of the field only twice, on a third-quarter possession that ended with a fumble at the 2 and a fourth-quarter possession at the 46 with 1:18 remaining in the game.
Extending a drive or two would have narrowed a time of possession gap that was enormous — Oregon State had the ball for more than 41 minutes — and given the SDSU defense a breather.
SDSU is operating with a thin margin for error in the early going, so expecting a positive outcome was out of the question given what transpired.
“We’ve got to do a great job bouncing back,” Lewis said. “Every opportunity, we’re going to win or we’re going to learn as we move through this thing.
“The adversity that we faced (Saturday) is a part of it, and we can grow and we can become tighter through that. I’m looking forward to that next step in this process as we do that collectively as a team.”
2, Costly turnover
For as lopsided as the final score looked, this was a game for three quarters.
SDSU’s defense allowed the Beavers a touchdown on their opening drive, then denied them on the following six possessions.
The Aztecs were poised to make it 7-7 when O’Neil connected with wide receiver Louis Brown IV for a 35-yard reception midway through the third quarter.
Brown’s acrobatic catch gave SDSU first-and-goal at the 7-yard line. Two plays moved the ball to the 2. O’Neil fumbled on a keeper, however, and the opportunity was lost.
“That’s always heartbreaking,” said Oregon State safety Jack Kane, who forced the fumble. “Our defense just stood up.”
The recovery was made by Beavers teammate Nikko Taylor, who said: “I think that’s what changed the game.”
Oregon State coach Trent Bray agreed.
“That was big,” he said. “That would have tied the game. They were down there. That was really the turning point in the game, in my opinion, being able to keep the ball out of the end zone and take the ball away.”
Some Aztecs fans were reminded of quarterback Jalen Mayden’s goal-line fumble in almost the exact same place in last year’s 34-31 loss to Boise State.
“Just need to do a better job with ball security on that,” Lewis said. “We tell our kids all the time in all phases that when in trouble, you double up. The ball’s a little low and loose. …. Obviously, it’s at a critical moment there. It’s poor timing.”
Oregon State turned the turnover into a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Chasing two scores instead of one in the final period proved an exercise in futility.
3. O’Neil’s health
O’Neil (11-for-24, 107 yards) was injured in the first quarter on a third-down play when a defender rolled up on him. The true freshman from Indiana played the remainder of the game with a bulky brace on his left knee.
“He is a relentless competitor,” Lewis said. “He fought through an injury, and he played through that pain and still gave us a chance in a lot of different opportunities.
“(He) showed composure and showed resolve. He will learn and grow through this.”
Some questioned running O’Neil near the goal line given his limitations, though a potential pitch to Cooper was taken away when Oregon State safety Tyrice Ivy Jr. rushed untouched into the backfield.
“He’s willing to sacrifice his own body,” Lewis said of O’Neil. “We’ve got to be smart about that. We talk about necessary hits versus unnecessary hits when it comes to those things within that position.
“He’s going to fight, he’s going to scrap and those guys are going to rally around him because of those things.”
O’Neil remained in the game until the end, even when the Aztecs trailed by three touchdowns with 1:18 remaining. He was sacked on the first play of the possession.
Why didn’t backup quarterback Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson come in at that point? That question wasn’t posed in the postgame presser.
It’s likely to be asked this week when Lewis meets with the media and provides an update on O’Neil and his fitness for facing Cal, which is coming off a 21-14 win at Auburn.