San Diego State’s first year under coach Sean Lewis was disappointing by most measures.

Especially underwhelming was an offense that was advertised as explosive but often sputtered and stumbled. Then there was the bottom line — victories. There were three, all in the first half of the season, as the Aztecs lost their last six games to finish 3-9.

Lewis met with the media at midday Monday, with the season opener against Stony Brook three days away at Snapdragon Stadium. After greeting the group with “Happy game week,” Lewis fielded a wide range of questions during a back and forth that lasted more than half an hour.

Among the most probing questions was this: What would define a successful season personally in his second year as Aztecs head coach?

“Improve,” Lewis said. “Be better as a leader. Be better leading this program.  And be present in each and every single moment so that we can have greater wins as we head downrange because we handled the present day purposefully, intently and we do it the right way to our standard.”

Asked if he is different in his approach this year, Lewis said: “I sure hope so. I ask our guys to improve and compete each and every single day. If I’m not different and I’m not better and I’m not improving, then I’m a fraud.”

Lewis received a heaping helping of criticism on social media after his first season failed to live up to expectations. He noted that some of those comments were relayed to him for his reaction.

“(People) will say certain things about me on the message boards that I know are not true,” said Lewis, who says he ignores most of the noise. “The one thing I’m never going to have people be able to say about me is that I don’t mean what I say, I don’t say what I mean.

“The way that we finished was never going to be appropriate, never going to be acceptable.”

Asked at one point in the offseason to provide an “autopsy” of the 2024 season and the overall program, Lewis said: “It was more standing in front of the mirror and looking at myself and what we could do and how we could be better.”

“Doubling down on the people, the connection, the unity, the team and ‘we over me’ is something that we’ve been very intentional on,” he said.

Guaranteeing a bowl berth

SDSU’s three-win season represented half the number of victories required to be bowl eligible.

It was the second straight season the Aztecs failed to qualify for a bowl. That, after a school-record 13 seasons from 2010-22 in which they were bowl eligible.

Can this team make a bowl?

“Of course,” SDSU edge Brady Nassar said.

“This team is for sure going to make a bowl,” SDSU center Ulugalu-Maseuli promised. “I see this team making a bowl and having more than just six wins to be bowl eligible.”

First things first.

Ulugalu-Maseuli was eager to see someone other than a teammate across the line of scrimmage.

“I’m just looking forward to hitting somebody else,” he said. “It’s been a long camp and a long journey. We’re used to going at it everyday to the best of our ability and can’t wait for it to be someone else on the other side.”

Notable

• This is the first Thursday night season opener for SDSU since meeting UTEP to open the 2006 season.

The Aztecs lost that game 37-34 to the Miners. It concluded a stretch of four Thursday season openers in seven years, following a 10-7 loss to Arizona State in 2000, a 23-10 loss to Arizona in 2001, a 16-14 loss at Fresno State in 2002.

SDSU didn’t have a Thursday opener in the first 31 years of its Division I history dating to 1969.

• SDSU has won 14 of its past 15 games against FCS opponents. The lone loss was a 40-19 defeat against Eastern Illinois in the 2013 season opener. That team was led by future NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who gouged the Aztecs defense for 361 passing yards.

• The Aztecs have 13 returning starters, which ranks among the top 10 teams in the country. The only teams with more returners: Arizona State (16), Clemson (16), Illinois (16), Penn State (16), Alabama (14), Boise State (14), Duke (14) and Texas A&M (14).

• Despite its struggles the past two seasons, going 4-8 and 3-9, SDSU still has the best record among California’s FBS schools since the start of 2015 season.

The list: SDSU (79-47, .627), USC (77-47, .621), Fresno State (68-55, .553), Stanford, (60-60, .500), UCLA (58-61, .487), Cal (55-62, .470) and San Jose State (51-69, .425).

The Aztecs and USC have gone to the most bowls games (7) during that period, followed by Fresno State (6), San Jose State (5) and UCLA (5), Cal (4) and Stanford (4).