San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal had a successful debut two weeks ago in a lopsided, season-opening victory over Stony Brook.
It was followed by Saturday night’s struggles in SDSU’s 23-point loss to Washington State.
“There’s living the lifestyle that, hey man, it probably wasn’t as sweet as you thought it was after the first week and it’s probably not as sour as you think it is right now,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “But we’ve got to get better, regardless of what all the outside noise is.
“The positive praise from two weeks ago, the negative criticism that he’s probably feeling now, it’s just noise at the end of the day. Put your headphones on, put your blinders on and let’s get back to work and let’s continue to grow and let’s continue to try to get better.”
Denegal and his teammates are idle this week. Next up: a Sept. 20 home game against Cal.
While Denegal, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Michigan, is a redshirt junior, his collegiate experience is limited. He played in six games for the Wolverines in 2023, completing 4 of 5 pass attempts for 50 yards and throwing a touchdown pass against Nebraska.
He was named Aztecs’ starting quarterback midway through fall camp and now has two starts under his belt. He was 15-for-30 for 133 yards and one touchdown against Washington State.
“There’s game reps that have to be accumulated,” Lewis said. “There’s time on task that has to be spent with the receivers so that we can have timing in the throw game that’s needed. There’s situational understanding and mastering that needs to come.”
Lewis was asked what element Denegal is struggling the most with. It is the speed of defenses? Going through his progressions? Mechanics?
The coach shook his head, no.
“His decision-making process is sound,” Lewis said. “The timing, location and time on task with receivers so we can connect on balls and have higher completion percentage is something that we need to continue to refine. Then again, just situational mastery.”
One play in particular stood out in the loss to the Cougars, a fourth-and-3 from midfield midway through the third quarter.
Denegal evaded the rush by running to his right and had plenty of room in front of him to run for a first down, but he chose instead to throw the ball. His pass to tight end Jackson Ford was incomplete and the Aztecs turned the ball over on downs.
“Probably being a little bit more greedy than needy in that situation,” Lewis said. “There’s also a receiver that’s open and he missed a throw. He makes the throw and everybody’s going, ‘Wow, what a great throw.’
“Again, cost/benefit analysis of it all. Just, hey, have a better understanding of it’s fourth-and-3 and the most important thing there is to get a new set of downs. That’s the lesson to learn. That’s part of it. Success is sloppy at times. Success is always a lagging indicator after mistakes are made.”
Denegal’s best play also came on a fourth down. The Aztecs faced a fourth-and-5 in the first quarter when he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacob Bostick. The quarterback stayed in the pocket on that play before locating his wide-open receiver.
“He will learn from all those opportunities as we go,” Lewis said. “No one has spent more time in this building from a players’ standpoint than him. He’s willing to commit the time that’s needed to grow his craft.”