“The team that makes the least mistakes wins.”
These were the first words from head coach Jay Sawvel after this Saturday’s loss.
The Pokes were up by 7 points early in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold on against the Aztecs, collapsing in the final period.
“We made the mistakes that you couldn’t make to win a game like that,” said Sawvel. “There’s no complaint as to the effort [the players] gave…We just made catastrophic mistakes in certain situations that you cannot do.”
There were several plays that Sawvel tagged as being game changing, but one series in particular sticks out.
“We’ve got a lead in the fourth quarter and gave up two straight big plays with the same player in that situation,” said Sawvel, referencing the 80 yards that SDSU picked up through the air on sophomore corner Malique Singleton, which tied the game at 24.
“When the ball goes up, you gotta make the play,” Sawvel emphasized.
The rookie head coach wasn’t shy about how he felt after the game.
“This one hurts,” he said. “It’s gonna hurt everybody and we’re going to have to come back and bounce back next week.”
Team captain Jordan Bertagnole shared a similar sentiment with his coach. “Guys are sad, guys are mad, guys are hurting,” he said. “Having each other’s backs is the biggest message that we’ll be giving each other.”
After a rough stretch, fans can become angry and express their emotions online, which can be hard for the players and team, but Bertagnole believes in his squad and Coach Sawvel.
“You always have the keyboard warriors that are going to go after everybody that makes one mistake,” he said. “I know [Sawvel] is one hell of a head coach and it’s something that we’re definitely gonna bounce back from.”
The Casper native is now in his 5th season, after returning for one last ride with the Cowboys. He expressed his love for his coach and program despite the challenging period.
“I love Coach Sawvel and everybody on this team loves him too,” he said. “That love and compassion that we have for each other comes from Coach Sawvel,” Bertagnole emphasized.
“I love this place and I’ll never walk away from it.”
Looking forward, Bertagnole believes that his team will keep fighting through thick and thin.
“We’re a tight knit group, and so we’ll definitely stick together. We got 24-hours and then we have to get back in here and focus on the next opponent.”
