SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 31: San Diego State running back Marquez Cooper (15) is lifted into the air by San Diego State offensive lineman Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli (63) after running for a touchdown during a college football game between the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions and the San Diego State Aztecs on August 31, 2024, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
All summer long new San Diego State head football coach Sean Lewis said he wants his offense to play as fast as possible. In their opener against Texas A&M-Commerce they did just that, running 73 plays in less than 29 minutes.
The bad news is, in the first half most of those plays didn't work. The good news is, in the second half basically ALL of those plays worked as the Aztecs turned a 6-3 halftime deficit into a 45-14 blowout win on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
The turning point came early in the 3rd quarter. Senior running back Marquez Cooper, who played for Lewis at Kent State and transferred to SDSU to reunite with his old coach, went untouched for a 47-yard touchdown run that gave the Aztecs their first touchdown of 2024. As soon as Cooper hit paydirt it was like the whole sideline breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, for sure. I definitely felt the tension loosening and everybody just starting to feel more comfortable and more confident," says Cooper.
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From there, the proverbial rout was on.
Two snaps later the Lions got a bad snap from center, launching the ball over the head of quarterback Eric Rodriguez. As he tracked it down linebacker Tre White knocked it loose and Tano Letuli recovered in the end zone for SDSU's second score in 49 seconds.
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It was certainly not their last, for the offense or the defense.
True freshman quarterback Danny O'Neil looked the part of a D1 starter. On the Aztecs next possession O'Neil lofted a beautiful pass to Louis Brown IV, who hauled it in one-handed because a defensive back was holding onto his left arm. The 44-yard score was the first of two scoring passes for O'Neil, the first true freshman to start at QB at SDSU in at least 55 years.
In the 4th quarter Cooper got in the end zone again, this time from seven yards out. He carried 27 times for 224 yards and two scores. The only Aztec ever to have more rushing yards in his SDSU debut is Marshall Faulk.
The defense put it away when defensive back J.D. Coffee, a transfer from Texas, picked off a pass and rolled 45 yards the other way for a pick-6. San Diego State is 1-0 and next week will face a much tougher test when Oregon State comes to Snapdragon Stadium for a 7:30 pm kickoff.
