Snapdragon Stadium-

The San Diego State Aztecs (9-2, 6-1) defeated the San Jose State Spartans (3-8, 2-5), 25-3, to finish undefeated at home for the first time since 1996 and move one game closer to hosting the Mountain West Conference Championship Game. 

“Good teams defend their home soil,” said head coach Sean Lewis postgame. “Very pleased to be able to do that this evening and honor our seniors who have been a huge piece of the commitment to our process and our way of doing things.”

The winning script remained the same for the Aztecs. Run the ball. Protect the ball. Let the defense and special teams take care of the rest. 

Jayden Denegal (8/16, 81 yds) and the passing game continued to put up pedestrian numbers, although a drop by Nathan Acevedo that would have resulted in a 53-yd touchdown reception in the first half would have changed the stat line. 

Lucky Sutton (10 car, 79 yds) and Christian Washington (10 car, 70 yds) each ran for a score. 

San Jose State entered with the fourth-best passing offense in the country, but the Aztecs’ 4th-ranked scoring defense was up to the task. Starting QB Walker Eget (4/8, 32 yds, 1 INT) was knocked out of the game with an injury. His replacement, Tama Amisone (15/27, 104 yds, 1 INT), struggled as well but did rush for 75 yards (on 13 carries). 

The SDSU defense set the tone on the first drive of the game. Mister Williams hit Eget as he threw, causing a fluttering ball to land in the hands of Dwayne McDougle for an interception. McDougle returned it to the San Jose State 20. 

The Aztecs ran six plays, all rushes, for 20 yards and scored on Sutton’s 1-yard run on 3rd and Goal. Brady Anderson took the diagonal snap and ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0. 

On the ensuing possession, Denis Lynch missed a 43-yard field goal attempt for the Spartans when his plant foot slipped as he connected with the ball with his left foot, causing a mishit. 

Ryan Henderson greeted Amisone on his first snap of the game with a sack to force a Spartans’ punt.

True freshman WR Jaylon Hawkins made his first appearance of the season and took an option pitch for an 11-yard run late in the first quarter. After the drive stalled, Gabriel Plascencia knocked in a 35-yard attempt to extend the Aztecs’ lead to 11-0. 

Matthias Brown’s 37-yard field goal got the Spartans on the board early in the second quarter, but he missed from 39 later in the quarter. SDSU opponent placekickers have missed six of 13 attempts this season.

After passing for 17 yards against the Broncos last week, the Aztecs only recorded 16 against one of the worst pass defenses in the country with 3:17 remaining in the second quarter. With starting WRs Jordan Napier and Jacob Bostick out for the season, the passing game needed receivers to step up in their absence. 

The final drive of the half was a productive one, though 63 of the Aztecs’ 79 yards on the drive came through the air, including a 52-yard reception to Donovan Brown inside the five.

“Confirming that I have one-on-one and getting it in the air and giving him a chance to make a play on the ball,” said Denegal postgame about how the deep ball has become a success for the offense this year. “It’s really (Brown). I’m just giving him a shot at it.”

Four plays later, Denegal sneaked it into the end zone on a 4th and Goal to give the Aztecs an 18-3 halftime lead. 

Danny Scudero, an AP Midseason All-American, caught 12 passes for the Spartans but for only 79 yards. 

The Aztecs’ defense harassed the Spartans’ quarterbacks all night. The Spartans only allowed 0.9 sacks per game, but the Aztecs took them down four times in the game. 

The second half soon turned into the Chris Johnson show. He tackled Scudero short of the line to gain on a 4th and 1 play in the third quarter to end a promising Spartans’ drive. A few minutes later, he blitzed from his cornerback spot and sacked the Spartans’ third-string QB to thwart another one.

Early in the fourth quarter, Johnson took the ball away from Kyri Shoels on a deep pass and came away with the interception. 

“Actually, a little upset with myself for that play,” admitted Johnson postgame. “I feel like I’m like a perfectionist and he had me beat on the play and the quarterback underthrew it a little bit and we both went up and I just came up with the ball. But I’d like to win that route from the get-go.”

Dalesean Staley led the team with eight tackles. Eric Butler added seven. Ryan Henderson recorded 3 TFLs and 2 sacks, while Niles King had two TFLs and a sack.

Jordan Pollard led the Spartans with 12 tackles. Gafa Faga recorded the only sack for the Spartans.  

Bert Emanuel Jr. replaced Denegal late in the third quarter before Denegal returned and finished the drive.

The following 22 players were honored in a pregame ceremony on Senior Night:

CB Chris Johnson

CB Jatavious Magee

CB Xavier Hamlet

CB Deshawn McCuin

S Eric Butler

LB Mister Williams

LB Brady Anderson

LB DJ Herman

EDGE Niles King

EDGE Charlie Stewart

DT Sam Benjamin

DT Teivis Tuioti

DT Tatuo Martinson

TE Seth Adams

OL Saipale Fuimaono

OL Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli

OL Christian Jones

OL Bayo Kannike

WR Brian Pierce Jr

PK Gabriel Plascencia

P Eemil Herranen

LS Tyson Chavez

“Tonight meant a lot,” said Johnson postgame. “We’ve come a long way. I’ve been here all four years. Pretty much all of those except now have been a pretty big let down. Before I came, that was like that 12-win season. I’m finally happy that we are getting back to it.” 

Quick Notes

• Tonight’s Honor Warrior was Dwayne Johnson Jr., who played safety from 2016 through 2020; Johnson was a replacement for George Jones (RB from 1995 through 1996), who had been announced as the planned Honor Warrior for tonight’s game earlier in the week. 
• Trey White led the team out of the tunnel with the Warrior Shield
• The Aztecs converted 38.5% (5/13) of their 3rd downs; they entered the game in the bottom ten in FBS with a 31.25% conversion rate
• The announced attendance was 22,595
• The Aztecs only committed three penalties for 30 yards; the Spartans committed four for 50
• Hunter Green averaged 41.6 yards per punt (on five attempts), but four of them landed inside the 20

The Aztecs close out their regular season on Black Friday in Albuquerque against the New Mexico Lobos (8-3, 5-2). Kickoff is at 1230 pm on CBS Sports Network. With a win, the Aztecs will clinch the top seed in the conference and will host the Mountain West Championship Game on December 5. 

Andre Haghverdian

Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in America’s Finest City. Diverse team following across multiple sports leagues, but Aztecs come first in college athletics.