San Diego State Ends Sean Lewis’ First Season with 6th Straight Loss, 31-20

A season that began with high hopes ended in disappointment Saturday night at Snapdragon
Stadium as San Diego State lost its final game of the year to Air Force, 31-20.

The season had started with strong expectations as Lewis promised to create an up-tempo,
“AztecsFAST” offense. And things started out fast indeed, as the Aztecs beat Texas A&M
Commerce 45-14 in the season opener on Aug. 31.

But as the Aztecs (3-9, 2-5 Mountain West) showed Saturday, as they lost their sixth in a row, the fast turnaround fans were hoping for is going to take a little longer.

???? Highlights from Air Force's 31-20 win at San Diego State!#MWFB | #FlyFightWin pic.twitter.com/wBQDVfJ4LO

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) December 1, 2024

The game started with seven straight running plays from the triple option offense of Air
Force (5-7, 3-4) that chewed up chunks of yardage. But then a 52-yard pass to wide receiver
Jared Roznos brought Air Force to the one-yard line, leading to a short rushing touchdown by
fullback Dylan Carson that put the Aztecs immediately behind, 7-0.

SDSU answered right away in a 10-play drive led by star running back Marquez Cooper.
He entered the game as the active leading rusher in FBS play with 5,036 yards, and finished with another 94 rushing yards.

But he was also valuable in the passing game, catching a 20-yard pass in that first drive and running it in for a touchdown when his offense drove to a first and goal. His first score left the teams tied 7-7 halfway through the first quarter.

It didn’t stay tied for long.

???? @quez__15

????: @FS1 https://t.co/XMqUvtFwat pic.twitter.com/V9KmpUjiBM— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) December 1, 2024

Air Force drove 74 yards in nine plays to score another rushing touchdown, this time from
quarterback Quentin Hayes. The extra point was good for a 14-7 Air Force lead with
29 seconds to go in the quarter.

The Aztecs were forced to punt to start the second quarter. Although Air Force started at its 10-yard line, it got a long 17-yard run from Carson and eventually drove down the field. The Aztecs defense forced a fourth down and Air Force kicked a 44-yard field goal to expand the lead at 17-7.

With time winding down in the half, the Aztecs mounted an 83-yard drive that consumed 6:01 on the clock, leading to a two-yard touchdown run by Cooper. That cut the score to 17-14 to end the half.

The Aztecs recovered a surprise onside kick to start the second half and drove 44 yards in about five minutes, but were stopped on a fourth and one just six yards from the end zone.

That proved costly right away as Air Force took just four plays to score, including a 76-yard touchdown pass to take a 24-14 lead.

Air Force added to the lead just minutes later. After stopping the Aztecs on a fourth-and-five play, Air Force would drive 66 yards in 10 plays and take more time off the clock before Carson ran it 14 yards for a touchdown.

His score made it 31-14 Air Force with just a minute left in the third quarter.

The Aztecs would have one last highlight in the fourth quarter as Cooper jumped up for a one-
handed catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown to cut the score to 31-20. But a two-point conversion was stopped by Air Force, and the Aztecs would not score again.

Cooper finished with 116 yards and two touchdowns, plus a third touchdown receiving.
“He’s the standard for competitive greatness and competitive maturity,” head coach Sean Lewis told San Diego Sports 760

The coach said he’ll work in the offseason to retain his top players and to bring in a fresh batch of top high schoolers. To the fans, he said, “Stay with us. We’re going to be on the right track here and we’re going to a have a championship coming home before we know it.”

NOTES: It was Senior Day, and the Aztecs held a pregame ceremony on the field to recognize
24 outgoing players. The seniors received white leis that they draped around the necks of family members waiting for them on the field. Lewis, in a postgame interview, said he was “disappointed that we didn’t send the seniors off the right way.” … SDSU’s last win came on Oct. 12, 27-24 over Wyoming … The Aztecs have been plagued all season by numerous penalties but finished the game with only six for 48 yards.