On Saturday, August 31, our SDSU football team kicked off the new season with new head coach Sean Lewis and Danny O’Neil starting at QB as a freshman. The Aztecs dominated the field beating Texas A&M-Commerce 45-14. I had the pleasure of being able to cover this game in the press box and had so much fun seeing the student section being fully packed and everyone excited to watch the game. 

The Aztec defense forced sacks and fumbles left and right 

The SDSU defense was a relentless force making it hard to pinpoint just a few standout plays, however, one highlight happened early in the third quarter. Texas QB Eric Rodrigez attempted to rush up the middle but could not get the ball off before he fumbled the ball at the 24-yard line. Linebacker Tano Letuli picked up the loose ball and scored a touchdown for the Aztecs. 

In the fourth quarter, the Aztec defense struck again with a thrilling play, this time by strong safety JD Coffey III. Texas QB Rodrigez threw an unintentional pass directly into Coffey III’s hands at the 45-yard line. He then sprinted 45 yards down the field securing his first career touchdown with a crazy pick-six. 

Running back Coopers ran the most yards in a season opener for the Aztecs 

Marquez Cooper had a standout performance last night and it will be exciting to watch him evolve throughout the season. While the Aztec offense did experience a pretty slow start in the first half, Cooper was eager to put some points on the board and it showed in the first drive. QB Daniel O’Neil handed the ball off to Cooper who took off down the field for a 47-yard touchdown run. Then again in the first play of the fourth quarter, Cooper powered through the middle for a 7-yard touchdown making it his second of the night. By the end of the game, Cooper had racked up 223 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns making him a key player to watch this season. 

Freshman QB1 Danny O’Neil started his first college game with a win 

Coming straight from high school to his first college game starting at QB1 he made a strong impression in the second half of the game. O’Neil’s first touchdown was a 44-yard bomb down the right sideline to Louis Brown IV who went and scored where it was followed with a successful two-point conversion. Later in the half, he connected with Jordan Napier on a short 8-yard pass for another touchdown. In total, Danie threw for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Photo Credit: Derrick Tuskan/SDSU Athletics