Coaches and players know outside criticism comes with the territory when a season isn’t measuring up to expectations.
At 3-5 overall and 1-3 in Mountain West play, San Diego State comes into Saturday afternoon’s conference game against Utah State (3-5, 1-3) needing three wins in four games to stave off its first losing season in 14 years.
The Aztecs’ struggles have been accompanied by plenty of negative comments from fans on social media and elsewhere.
But what about when those comments come from within the “football family?”
The father of SDSU running back Kenan Christon, one of the Aztecs’ team captains, has been especially critical.
Five weeks ago, Kenan Christon Sr. began publicly criticizing the offense and how his son was being (mis)used in it.
Those comments on X (formerly Twitter) ramped up two weeks ago after the team’s 6-0 loss to Nevada, the Aztecs’ first shutout in five years.
A series of tweets by Christon Sr. on Sept. 30, when SDSU lost 49-10 at Air Force, included: “No creativity, no adjustments… what are we doing!” and “TERRIBLE!!! and “Hey Google, How do you utilize speed…”
On Oct. 14, when the Aztecs were struggling midway through at Hawaii in a game they would come back and win 41-34, Christon Sr. tweeted: “More of the same = nothing!”
Christon Sr.’s tweets became more personal — referencing head coach Brady Hoke, offensive coordinator Ryan Lindley and running backs coach Jimmy Beal — the morning after SDSU’s Nov. 21 loss to Nevada: “I had high hopes for @CoachRLindley, hearing about getting #23 the ball in space, letting him use his speed. We have one of the fastest kids in college football and this OC can’t or won’t find a way to get him the ball. What a BUST!”
Christon Sr. followed that two minutes later with a tweet (since deleted) that pictured a cartoonish image of three blind mice labeled with @Brady Hoke, @CoachRLindley and @KingJB01 (Beal).
“What’s your intention there?” Lindley said was his first reaction. “But it is what it is.”
When asked about it during Tuesday’s weekly news conference, Hoke said, “I don’t know anything about it, I’ll be honest with you,” and moved on to another question.
Hoke is not on social media. In fact, the @BradyHoke handle on X is not actually him.
Christon Sr. did not immediately respond Tuesday afternoon to a Union-Tribune request for comment.
Christon Jr. is a Madison High School graduate who transferred to SDSU a year ago from USC. He has started 11 straight games, including all eight this season.
The 5-foot-10 senior has rushed 69 times (second on the team) for 257 yards (3.7 ypc) and caught 16 passes (fourth on the team) for 103 yards (6.4 ypc). He also has returned 10 kickoffs (23.5 ypr), though he did not return kicks the past two games.
Touches have been down the past two games for both Christon and Jaylen Armstead, the team’s starting running backs to open the season, while Lucky Sutton and Cam Davis received more opportunities.
But Lindley made a point to speak with Christon Jr. to emphasize that comments made by his father would not affect his role.
“I sat down with Kenan,” Lindley said, “and I let him know that that doesn’t affect his stance, positively or negatively, with any of us, including myself, on the coaching staff.”
Lindley is not inclined to take the matter further.
“I don’t make a practice of reaching out to parents, positively or negatively,” he said. “The squeaky wheel isn’t going to get the grease, but we’re also not going to throw it out, either.
“I get paid to do a job. That job gets critiqued at times, whether it’s from a parent, or a fan, whoever it is. But the biggest thing is that noise isn’t going to affect this family here in the building.”
Lindley said in times like these one of late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach’s mantras comes to mind: “Block out the noise.”
“Some of that stuff is directed toward us as coaches,” Lindley said. “I’m a grown-ass man. You can tell me whatever you want on Twitter, it isn’t going to hurt my feelings. I’ve heard a lot worse from a lot better people. …
“If you’re going to support the program, and that’s what comes with it, I’ve known that at this point, it’s entertainment, it’s dang near professional sports. I’m good with that. I’ve got no issues.”
