San Diego State finds itself in a very unusual situation after losing its seventh game of the season.
It has been almost a generation since the Aztecs (3-7, 1-5 Mountain West) lost more games than they won and weren’t eligible for a bowl game.
“It hurts,” SDSU senior safety Cedarious Barfield said. “Two games left, just looking to finish. I mean, we’re not going to roll over or anything because of the situation. “
Here are three thoughts after Saturday night’s 22-19 loss to Colorado State at Canvas Stadium.
1. Late-game strategy
SDSU trailed 22-12 when it got the ball back with 8:37 remaining in the game following linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu’s team-high fourth fumble recovery of the season.
The Aztecs had the ball at their own 20-yard line, needing two scores to catch Colorado State.
They moved methodically down the field on a drive that culminated in Jaylen Armstead’s 1-yard touchdown run to make it a three-point game.
But 6 minutes, 33 seconds elapsed before SDSU reached the end zone.
Some questioned time management and a lack of urgency during a 14-play drive in which the clock ran and ran and ran.
There was 2:04 remaining when SDSU kicker Gabriel Plascencia teed up the ball for the ensuing kickoff.
CBS Sports Network announcers said what most people were thinking — that an onside kick was coming.
Instead, Plascencia kicked away, Colorado State’s Dylan Goffney signaled for a fair catch and the Rams took over at their own 25-yard line.
Explained Hoke after the game: “Kicking it deep, we had two timeouts, we make a stand, they have to come in and punt, and (the Aztecs) get the ball at the 50-yard line, 45-yard line.
“You know, we were moving the ball pretty well in that second half. A lot better than that first half, obviously. It was something that we thought we could get the stop and thought we could get the field goal to tie it, go to overtime again (like last week against Utah State).”
The Aztecs never got a chance, though, because Colorado State was able to run out the clock after converting on third-and-4 with Avery Morrow’s 7-yard run.
2. Cellar dweller
Las Vegas oddsmakers during the summer pegged the over/under for SDSU victories at seven.
The Aztecs were predicted to finish fourth in the Mountain West in a preseason conference media poll.
The first group usually knows what it’s doing and the second group at least thinks it does.
So to see where the Aztecs sit now is stunning, to say the least.
One needs to scroll all the way to the bottom of the 12-team Mountain West standings to locate the spot where it says “San Diego State.” The Aztecs actually are tied for last in the conference (and overall) with New Mexico (3-7, 1-5), which wins the alphabetic tiebreaker in this instance.
This is the 25th season of the Mountain West, and the Aztecs have finished last just once — tying Wyoming with a 1-7 conference record in 2008.
The MW was a nine-team conference then, so this is technically a new low.
That 2008 season, the last under Chuck Long, also is the only time the Aztecs managed only one win in Mountain West play.
A victory on the road this week at San Jose State or at home next week against Fresno State is required to prevent it from happening again.
3. What now?
Hoke has mentioned time and again in recent weeks that “we play for our seniors.”
But that was when SDSU still had something more to play for than pride.
With a bowl game off the table, is it time to play for the underclassmen, or, more specifically, play the underclassmen?
Especially intriguing is the situation at quarterback.
Starter Jalen Mayden has no eligibility remaining. There are three redshirt freshmen — Tobin O’Dell, Kyle Crum and Liu Aumavae — behind Mayden, along with true freshman Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson.
The Aztecs certainly will look for a veteran quarterback in the transfer portal, but those currently on the roster certainly deserve an opportunity to gain game experience and show what they can do.
O’Dell, a 6-foot-2 walk-on from La Puente, has been Mayden’s backup most of the season.
He has dropped back to pass just twice, completing 1 of 2 passes. Actually, both throws were completed. But one was by an Idaho State defender, intercepting it when O’Dell was brought in to chuck a 55-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired in the first half.
Crum was the backup last season before suffering a broken collarbone in midseason.
Neither Crum (5-for-17, 53 yards, TD/INT in 2022) nor Aumavae (1-for-8, 2 yards in 2022) has played this season.
