Tag: San Diego State Aztecs

Sep 6, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; San Diego State Aztecs head coach Sean Lewis looks on during a game against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images

Ttwo-TD underdog San Diego State stuns Cal 34-0

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jordan Napier caught nine passes for 154 yards and a touchdown to help San Diego State to a surprising 34-0 victory against visiting California in a nonconference game on Saturday night.

Jayden Denegal completed 15 of 18 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, and the defense contributed two scores for the Aztecs (2-1), who were a two-touchdown underdog before handing Cal its first shutout loss since 2019. Lucky Sutton rushed for 61 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown to pace SDSU’s ground game.

Cal freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had performed exceptionally well in his first three games, but he finished 17-for-38 passing for 208 yards and two interceptions, one of which was returned 97 yards for a touchdown.

Trond Grizzell caught four passes for 91 yards for the Golden Bears (3-1), who were coming off a 27-14 home win against Minnesota.

The Aztecs went three-and-out on their first two drives, but used an 80-yard completion from Denegal to Napier to put the ball at the Cal 10-yard line on their third possession.

Two plays later, SDSU scored on a 6-yard touchdown catch by Napier for a 7-0 lead with 11:42 left in the first half.

The Aztecs started their next drive at the Cal 41 following a good punt return, leading to a 34-yard field goal by Gabriel Plascencia for a 10-0 lead. It was the 15th consecutive successful field goal by Plascencia.

Cal missed a 44-yard field goal with 3:49 left in the first half, and Plascencia tacked on a 41-yarder as the half expired, giving the Aztecs a 13-0 lead at intermission.

SDSU punted on its opening drive of the second half, then scored on a fumble return by Dwayne McDougle to extend the lead to 20-0 with 1:03 left in the third.

Following another Aztecs punt, Chris Johnson intercepted a pass from Sagapolutele and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 27-0 with 5:59 remaining in the third.

Sutton scored on a 3-yard run to make it 34-0.

On the first series of the game for Cal, Sagapolutele dodged a sack and found Mason Mini down field for a 19-yard gain to the Aztecs 32.

The Golden Bears converted a pair of fourth-and-1 plays later on the drive, but then faced fourth-and-goal from the 2. After calling a timeout, Sagapolutele threw incomplete, ending the 19-play drive without any points.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) throws a pass against the Texas Southern Tigers during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Freshman QB has Cal chasing 4-0 start at San Diego State

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California’s offense has flowed smoothly behind freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele during its 3-0 start to the season.

Sagapolutele will try to continue the hot start to his college career Saturday night when Cal visits San Diego State for a nonconference game.

The Hawaii native has completed 71 of 106 passes for 780 yards through three games with six touchdown passes and one interception.

“It’s such a joy being able to learn an offense such as this. A true pro-style,” Sagapolutele said. “It’s really just trusting what we see on the sideline after a drive. Something that we missed and building off that just continuing to get better and just trusting in my guys.”

Sagapolutele completed 24 of 38 passes for 279 yards and three TDs in a 27-14 win against visiting Minnesota last weekend.

“Jaron just continues to impress,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “His demeanor out there, his understanding of the offense and what we’re asking him to do.”

Cal defensive back Hezekiah Masses is one of five players in the nation to snare three interceptions so far. His presence on the field has drawn the attention of the Aztecs.

“He’s very ball aware and very opportunistic,” San Diego State coach Sean Lewis said. “If he gets his hands on it, he usually does a good job securing it.”

The Aztecs (1-1) did not play last weekend after losing 36-13 to Washington State on Sept. 6.

Lucky Sutton rushed for 88 yards on 15 attempts against the Cougars after running for 100 yards and two scores in the season-opening win against FCS Stony Brook.

“Coach (Sean) Lewis has always done a really good job offensively,” Wilcox said. “They’re coming off a bye week, so I’m sure there’s going to be some things we haven’t seen on tape.”

San Diego State has played in three consecutive games in which neither team committed a turnover, matching the longest streak in the FBS since at least 1996 (Rutgers, Oct. 4-18, 2008).

–Field Level Media

Oregon State Beavers head coach Trent Bray watches the game against Idaho State Bengals during the second half on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.

Oregon State aims to unleash ground attack vs. San Diego State

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Oregon State and San Diego State will take a step up in competition when they meet on Saturday night in a non-conference game in San Diego.

The Beavers (1-0) ran over Idaho State 38-15 last Saturday, compiling 362 rushing yards along the way.

San Diego State stepped on the gas in the second half in a 45-14 win against Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday night. The victory came in the debut of Aztecs head coach Sean Lewis.

“We’ve got a tough challenge with San Diego State coming up this week,” Oregon State coach Trent Bray said. “Good team. Talented team. Well-coached team, and then playing on the road is always a challenge, so we’ve got to be at our best and improve from Game 1 to Game 2.”

Bray said the Aztecs feature an offense that’s similar to his own.

“Last week was unique in a lot of ways,” Bray said. “Not only their offense (but) their defense, and so we’re kind of back to what we’re more familiar with and what we’ve practiced against, so I’m excited about that.”

Bray said he was impressed watching film of San Diego State true freshman quarterback Danny O’Neil.

O’Neil completed 22 of 33 passes for 214 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bray said they’ll try to make O’Neil throw into tight windows.

“I feel good about our ability to do that,” Bray said.

Lewis said the Aztecs will need to control the line of scrimmage much better than Idaho State did against the Beavers.

Jam Griffin rushed for 160 yards on 20 carries and Anthony Hankerson had 155 rushing yards on 24 carries with both scoring two touchdowns for Oregon State.

“They’re going to lean on the run game and possess the ball,” Lewis said. “We have to do a good job killing the run and taking that advantage away from them, which is going to be a strong test.”

Lewis said the Aztecs also need to cut down on their penalties after drawing 16 flags for 149 yards last week.

“We have to be a lot more detailed and be a lot more disciplined,” Lewis said. “The number of penalties was inexcusable and were major contributors to extending drives or hurting our own drives, so that’s something we need to put a great deal of emphasis on.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 26, 2021; Carson, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs wide receiver Jesse Matthews (45) is defended by Boise State Broncos cornerback Kaonohi Kaniho (14) in the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 21 SDSU rallies past Boise State to make MWC title game

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Jordan Brookshire came off the bench to pass for one touchdown and rush for another and No. 21 San Diego State clinched a spot in the Mountain West conference championship game with a 27-16 victory over Boise State on Friday morning at Carson, Calif.

Brookshire entered late in the second quarter and led San Diego State to 24 consecutive points to overcome a 13-point deficit. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 192 yards and rushed for 46 yards on nine attempts for the Aztecs (11-1, 7-1).

San Diego State tied the program’s Division I mark for victories, also accomplished under legendary coach Don Coryell in 1969 and twice under Rocky Long (2015, 2016). The program is in the Mountain West title game for the first time since 2016.

Jesse Matthews had a season-best 133 receiving yards and matched his career high of nine catches, with one going for a score. Greg Bell tacked on a rushing touchdown, Jonah Tavai recorded three sacks, Patrick McMorris intercepted two passes and Dallas Branch picked off one for San Diego State.

Hank Bachmeier completed 21 of 40 passes for 222 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Boise State (7-5, 5-3). Khalil Shakir and Kurt Rafdal caught touchdown passes for the Broncos, who were eliminated from Mountain West title game consideration.

The Aztecs outgained Boise State 408 to 319.

Brookshire replaced ineffective Lucas Johnson with 3:04 left in the second quarter with San Diego State trailing 16-3. The offense immediately emerged from hibernation.

The Aztecs traveled 78 yards on five plays with Brookshire connecting with Matthews on a 29-yard scoring pass with 1:30 left. San Diego State got the ball back and drove for Matt Araiza’s 37-yard field goal with three seconds left to trail 16-13 at the break.

The Aztecs continued the momentum on the first drive of the second half as Bell scored on a 2-yard run for a 20-16 lead. McMorris then intercepted Bachmeier for the second time and Brookshire cashed in with a 16-yard scoring run to boost the lead to 11 with 7:46 left in the third quarter.

Johnson was 9-of-20 passing for 98 yards before being pulled.

Boise State struck first on Bachmeier’s 20-yard scoring pass to Rafdal with 6:08 left in the opening quarter.

San Diego State got on the board on Araiza’s 31-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the period. But the Broncos tacked on nine second-quarter points on Bachmeier’s 13-yard scoring pass to Shakir and Jonah Dalmas’ 22-yard field goal to lead 16-3 with 8:39 remaining in the half.

–Field Level Media

Oct 15, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Greg Bell (22) warms up before the game against the San Jose State Spartans at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

No. 19 San Diego State can record win No. 10 with victory over UNLV

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San Diego State seeks to reach double digits in victories for the fifth time in the past seven seasons when it visits UNLV in Mountain West play on Friday night.

The No. 19 Aztecs (9-1, 5-1 Mountain West) can also move closer to the West division title if they defeat the Rebels for the 16th time in the past 20 meetings.

San Diego State put itself in control of its division fate when it notched a 23-21 win over visiting Nevada last Saturday.

UNLV (2-8, 2-4) has won its past two games, and Aztecs standout linebacker Cameron Thomas took notice.

“I’ve watched this team several times this season, and their record does not show who they are,” Thomas said. “I think they’re a really good team. We must keep our edge this weekend and go out there and execute.”

Thomas has recorded 16.5 tackles for loss, including 8.5 sacks, for a unit that has given up 14 or fewer points on six occasions.

The San Diego State passing game doesn’t scare anyone — it ranks 126th nationally at 136.9 yards per game — but Lucas Johnson was 21-of-34 passing for 176 yards and one touchdown against Nevada while making his fourth straight start.

The Aztecs are a rare Top 25 program whose best player is a punter.

Matt Araiza leads the nation with a 52.25 average and is on pace to break the single-season mark set by Braden Mann (50.98) of Texas A&M in 2018.

Araiza has boomed six punts of 70 or more yards this season, including boots of 86 and 81 yards. He also has had 29 of his punts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

“You talk about field position and those kinds of things, what Matt has done, how he’s played, he’s the MVP,” Aztecs coach Brady Hoke said.

UNLV has its own star in Charles Williams, who became the fourth player in Mountain West history to top 4,000 career rushing yards with an epic performance in a 27-13 victory over visiting Hawaii.

Williams set a school record with 38 carries as he rushed for 266 yards, matching former NFL player Mike Thomas for the second-most rushing yards in school history. Williams has rushed for 1,089 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and is UNLV’s all-time leading rusher with 4,029.

“He was a machine,” Rebels coach Marcus Arroyo said of the player nicknamed “Chuck Wagon.” “We’re in the 10th game of the season, and you’re out here playing like that? Says a lot about Charles.”

Williams, who scored three touchdowns, did what many running backs do after a huge game — credit the offensive line.

“Shout out to the line, they did their job today,” Williams said. “I had a lot of big holes, big creases, set up for me. I helped them out by making the right cuts and not dancing too much.”

UNLV isn’t a strong defensive team and has allowed 35 or more points on five occasions. However, things have been different in the back-to-back wins over New Mexico and Hawaii as the Rebels gave up a combined 30 points.

The Aztecs rolled to a 34-6 victory in last season’s meeting when Greg Bell rushed for 111 yards and one touchdown. Bell leads San Diego State with 849 rushing yards this season.

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2021; Carson, California, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haener (9) throws the ball against the San Diego State Aztecs in the first half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Fresno St. upends No. 21 San Diego St., 30-20

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Jordan Mims rushed for a career-best 186 yards and scored two touchdowns to help visiting Fresno State record a 30-20 upset of No. 21 San Diego State in Mountain West play on Saturday night.

Jake Haener completed 25 of 42 passes for 306 yards and one score as the Bulldogs (7-2, 4-1 MW) won their third consecutive game and moved ahead of the Aztecs into first place in the West division. Josh Kelly caught five passes for 107 yards, Keric Wheatfall had a scoring reception and Cesar Silva kicked three field goals for Fresno State.

Lucas Johnson was 14-of-31 passing for 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Aztecs (7-1, 3-1), who were looking for their first 8-0 start since 1975. Greg Bell rushed for a touchdown and Tyrell Shavers caught a scoring pass.

Elijah Kothe caught four passes for 105 yards for San Diego State, which was outgained 485 to 412.

Fresno State star receiver Jalen Cropper was carted off the field with a non-contact right knee injury in the third quarter. Cropper, who entered the day tied for the FBS lead with 10 touchdowns receptions, had six catches for 84 yards before exiting.

San Diego State trailed by 16 late in the third quarter before Bell scored from the 3 with 13 seconds left. A trick play, two-point conversion pass failed.

But just past the midway point of the fourth quarter, Johnson tried to throw across his body and Fresno State’s LJ Early deflected the ball and Jalen Williams intercepted it and returned it 5 yards to the Aztecs’ 31.

Two plays later, Mims provided the knockout punch with a 15-yard run to make it a 30-13 with 4:29 to play.

San Diego State backup quarterback Will Haskell scored on a 7-yard run with 1:06 left to make the final margin closer.

Fresno State scored the first 20 points and led 20-7 at the break.

Mims got the upset started with a 13-yard scoring run with 3:53 left in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs increased the lead to 14 on Haener’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Wheatfall with 14:17 left in the half.

Silva booted field goals of 49 and 27 yards to make it 20-0. San Diego State got on the board on Johnson’s 19-yard scoring pass to Shavers with 2:15 left in the half.

Silva nailed a 42-yard field goal with four minutes left in the third quarter to make it 23-7.

–Field Level Media

Oct 15, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Greg Bell (22) warms up before the game against the San Jose State Spartans at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

No. 21 SDSU attempts to stay perfect vs. Fresno State

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No. 21 San Diego State is off to its best start in 46 years and one of nine unbeaten teams left in the FBS.

Yet, the Aztecs don’t have much breathing room atop the standings of the Mountain West Conference’s West Division.

The Aztecs look to distance themselves from their closest division pursuer on Saturday night when they host Fresno State in Carson, Calif.

San Diego State (7-0, 3-0 Mountain West) is trying to open with eight straight victories for the first time since 1975. The Aztecs are in position to do so thanks to a defensive group that enters the week ranked seventh in the country in points allowed at 15.7 per game and fourth in opponents’ rushing average at 2.5 yards per carry.

The Aztecs flexed their collective defensive muscle by holding Air Force’s national-leading rushing attack to 192 yards — well below its 318.4 average rushing yards — in a 20-14 road victory last Saturday. It was the third time this season a San Diego State game was decided by six or fewer points, and the second straight contest in which the Aztecs failed to score more than 20 points.

Listening to San Diego State coach Brady Hoke, his squad will be in for another stiff test against Fresno State (6-2, 3-1). The Aztecs lost five of seven matchups with the Bulldogs before winning 17-7 at San Diego in the most recent meeting in 2019.

Fresno State features quarterback Jake Haener, a Washington transfer, who enters the week third in the country with 2,582 passing yards. He’s also among the national leaders with 22 touchdowns and a 159.8 passer rating.

On defense, the Bulldogs have allowed 30 or more points four times in 2021 but have recorded a pair of shutouts, too.

“Offensively and defensively, (Fresno State) plays so well together,” Hoke told XTRA 1360-AM. “This is the best football team we’ll play, I can tell you right now.”

The Bulldogs outlasted Nevada, also in the mix for the West Division title, 34-32 last weekend for their second straight win after falling at Hawaii. Fresno State is also no stranger to tight games, going 3-2 this season in games decided by eight or fewer points.

“The momentum again, that’s going,” Fresno State coach Kalen DeBoer said. “We had a little blip on the radar (at Hawaii) a couple weeks ago. Other than that, I thought we’ve been doing a pretty good job stringing things along and continue to get better.”

Fresno State aims to be the latest opponent to contain San Diego State running back Greg Bell. The senior averaged 129 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns in the first four games against FBS opponent this season, but he has totaled only 83 yards on 29 carries without a score in the Aztecs’ last two against San Jose State and Air Force.

However, teammate Chance Bell recorded 50 yards on eight rushes last weekend, and has run for a touchdown in three consecutive games.

The Bulldogs allow an average of 118.8 rushing yards, but they yielded just 47 against Nevada last week.

Fresno State has won three of its past four games against ranked opponents.

–Field Level Media

Oct 15, 2021; San Jose, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Greg Bell (22) warms up before the game against the San Jose State Spartans at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

No. 22 San Diego State attempts to ground Air Force

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A major reason for San Diego State’s undefeated start this season is its defense’s strong ability to stop the run.

That aspect of the 22nd-ranked Aztecs’ game will be put to a serious test on Saturday, when they try to keep surging host Air Force from recording a fifth consecutive victory in a Mountain West Conference contest in Colorado Springs, Colo.

San Diego State (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) enters this week’s slate of action as one of 11 unbeaten teams in the FBS, but the Aztecs needed double overtime to win 19-13 at San Jose State last weekend. While the offense struggled to score at least 28 points for the first time this season, the Aztecs’ defense, which allows an average of 16, remained stout.

They did allow a season-high 117 rushing yards to the Spartans, but they still lead the nation giving up just 61.2 yards on the ground per contest. Now, San Diego State faces a potentially greater challenge against Air Force (6-1, 3-1 Mountain West), which has lost eight straight in this series but leads the nation with a triple-option rushing attack that averages a national-leading 336.4 yards.

Running back Brad Roberts enters the week ranked fifth in the nation with 818 rushing yards and has scored eight touchdowns.

“We just have to keep working,” San Diego State coach Brady Hoke said. “We’re excited at where we are at. Air Force is very dominant at the line of scrimmage. They take care of the football. …This is definitely our biggest challenge of the year.”

In addition to the challenge San Diego State faces on the defensive side of the ball, it will have a new starting quarterback Saturday. Lucas Johnson, who began his collegiate career at Georgia Tech, has thrown for 234 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. After coming on late at San Jose State, Johnson takes over for the struggling Jordan Brookshire (47.7 completion percentage, 560 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) under center this time.

Johnson likely faces a stern task against an Air Force defense that has allowed 48 points and an average of 259.8 yards during the squad’s four-game winning streak. The Falcons gave up just 78 rushing yards during last weekend’s 24-17 win at Boise State.

San Diego State’s Greg Bell has rushed for 561 yards and five touchdowns this season, but he was held to 41 on 19 carries against San Jose State. Still, Air Force understands the overall challenge it faces this weekend in trying to stay hot and take down the top team in the Mountain West.

The Falcons have averaged 184.8 rushing yards during their eight-game losing streak to SDSU, though these teams last met in 2018.

“(San Diego State moves) exceptionally well. They’re large,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “They’re a really, really strong group. No matter what you use — any metric or just based upon the eye of the film — they are outstanding.”

The Falcons have lost four straight games against ranked opponents since beating then-No. 20 Boise State in November 2016.

–Field Level Media

Oct 9, 2021; Carson, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs running back Greg Bell (22) runs the ball against the New Mexico Lobos during the second half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 San Diego St. on upset alert against San Jose St.

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If coach Brady Hoke has his way, No. 24 San Diego State won’t take anything for granted Friday night at San Jose State.

“Look at Nevada, they beat Boise State last week and then Boise State beat BYU today,” Hoke said Saturday night after the Aztecs’ 31-7 win over New Mexico in Carson, Calif. “It tells you how good the Mountain West is and what kind of football teams we’re going to have to face in the future.”

What Saturday night also revealed is that the Aztecs (5-0, 1-0 MW) are equipped to win every game with a good running game and a solid defense but must go into each contest wondering just what they’ll get out of the quarterback position.

The Lobos, even with former San Diego State head coach Rocky Long as their defensive coordinator, don’t possess anything resembling top-ranked Georgia’s defense. However, for long stretches, New Mexico made the Aztecs’ offense look pedestrian.

Aztecs quarterback Jordon Brookshire is a capable runner but has completed just 28 of 57 passes for 389 yards in three games played. Backup Lucas Johnson is accurate (27 of 46) but doesn’t have a big arm (only 196 yards).

Brookshire was only 11 of 24 for 130 yards against New Mexico, and it took work to get there. He started the game 3 of 11.

“Jordon got himself out of a rut,” Hoke said. “He did a good job getting himself in a good place from a fundamental standpoint.”

A mediocre passing game hasn’t mattered yet. Greg Bell (520 rushing yards, five scores) would be welcome in a lot of Power 5 locker rooms as a starter, and San Diego State makes big plays on defense. The Aztecs have 18 sacks and seven interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, San Jose State (3-3, 1-1) hasn’t been able to follow up last year’s breakthrough with the kind of success it was hoping for, dropping to .500 with a 32-14 loss Saturday at Colorado State.

The Spartans have been hurt by a combination of injuries and turnovers. Quarterback Nick Starkel (left arm) has missed the past two games. Backup Nick Nash starred in a 37-31 win over New Mexico State and tossed three touchdown passes, but was just 11 of 22 for 154 passing yards with an interception last weekend against the Rams.

Starkel’s status for Friday night wasn’t known since coach Brent Brennan doesn’t discuss injuries, but it’s a certainty that Brennan would like to see his team come out on top in the turnover battle. The Spartans have coughed up 13 through six games and forced only three.

“We are still a work in progress,” Brennan said. “I guess you could say we are still very much like a Silicon Valley startup.”

If San Jose State can take care of the ball, it might have a chance to pull off the upset. The Spartans possess one of the top tight ends on the West Coast in Derrick Deese Jr., who has 11 catches and two touchdowns over the past two games.

The Aztecs own a 22-20-2 lead in the all-time series, although the Spartans’ 28-17 win last year in Carson snapped a seven-game losing streak.

–Field Level Media

Sep 18, 2021; Carson, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Lucas Johnson (7) runs the ball against the Utah Utes during the second half at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 25 San Diego State rested and ready for New Mexico

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A fast start to the season has San Diego State in the Top 25 poll for the first time since November 2019.

The Aztecs (4-0, 0-0 Mountain West) aim to continue their winning ways on Saturday night when they play their conference opener against visiting New Mexico (2-3, 0-1) in Carson, Calif.

San Diego State may be rested after enjoying a bye week. Coach Brady Hoke made certain to put his team through the paces during the down time.

“(We needed) to keep working hard and hopefully correct some of the things we have not done as well during the bye week,” Hoke said.

On Sept. 25, the Aztecs recorded their fourth win in the first four games of the season for just the second time in 40 seasons with a 48-21 victory over Towson.

New Mexico native Jordan Byrd scored twice against the Tigers and has three rushing touchdowns this season, one behind Greg Bell (team-leading 73 carries, 409 yards).

The Aztecs are averaging a robust 254.8 rushing yards per game, with all four of their contests eclipsing at least 200 yards on the ground.

Lobos defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Rocky Long, however, is well versed in all matters involving San Diego. He was its head coach before resigning in January 2020

“(Long) will probably bring out something different; he’ll switch some things up for us,” Byrd said.

It is not immediately known whether Lucas Johnson (193 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception) or Jordon Brookshire (259 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception) will be under center for San Diego State.

“The biggest improvement we have to make is hitting the intermediate and down the field shots while still keeping our strengths,” Aztecs offensive coordinator Jeff Hecklinski said. “We are looking for explosive plays all the time.”

New Mexico won its first two games but has been outscored 92-23 during its current three-game skid, including a 38-10 drubbing against Air Force on Saturday.

The Lobos mustered just one first down and ran 18 plays in the first half. They trailed 24-0 at halftime.

“Obviously, we’re not very good,” New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales said. “… And we’re not good enough on defense yet to be so bad on offense and not get first downs.”

Gonzales previously served on the Aztecs’ staff from 2011-17, including defensive coordinator in his final season.

Terry Wilson threw for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception to pace New Mexico.

–Field Level Media