For the second straight week to start conference play, the San Diego State Aztecs (3-3, 2-0) found themselves behind on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. Both times, their struggling offense rose up and immediately turned the game around, leading to 27-24 victories. 

“Good to get our first road and obviously our second conference win,” said head coach Sean Lewis postgame. “The resiliency, the character of the kids, and the program continue to shine through. Obviously, there is a heck of a lot of room for improvement. I truly don’t believe we are as close to where we can be. … (But) winners find a way to win.”

Against the Wyoming Cowboys (1-5, 1-1) on Saturday, the offense scored ten points and gained 157 yards on their first two drives of the 4th. In the previous three quarters, the offense only mustered 180 total yards.  

“What you guys saw in the fourth quarter, that’s what our offense is capable of doing the whole game,” said WR Jordan Napier postgame. 

Danny O’Neil completed 16 of 27 passes for 254 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Marquez Cooper rushed for 87 yards and a score. Jordan Napier led the receivers with 91 yards (on four catches) and a touchdown. Ja’Shaun Poke added a team-high eight catches (60 yards).

The Aztecs’ big drive in the fourth quarter lasted only 49 seconds and was fueled by back-to-back connections by O’Neil and Napier to tie the game at 24. First, Napier hauled in a 53-yard reception on 3rd and long and then capped the drive with a 27-yard catch in the end zone, elevating away from his defender to grab the ball and get a foot inbounds to complete the score. 

“Danny (O’Neil) stepped up and made a good throw,” said Napier about the 53-yard reception. “O-line (gave) good pocket protection to make the throw. From there (I) just got to go make the play. 

On the play for the touchdown, Napier said it is a call they practice a lot which helped when it is time to execute. 

“Practice. Repetition. Game reality.” 

Lewis spoke glowingly about how Napier, the redshirt freshman, has matured this season and expects him to be a key piece for years to come. 

“I think his competitive maturity and how he has shown up each and every day in the building, really, for I would say, the past month, there has been a noticeable change, and it’s a testament to his approach, his increased level of focus, and understanding the impact that he can have on the game,” said Lewis. 

Gabriel Plascencia’s 28-yard FG on the following drive gave the Aztecs a three-point lead with 7:35 remaining in the game. It was the final score of the contest. A 41-yard reception by Nate Bennett and a 26-yard run by Cooper provided the Aztecs enough yards for the easy field goal. 

Ryan Henderson and Dom Oliver sacked Svoboda on crucial plays late in the game to thwart any of the Cowboys’ last chances. 

The Cowboys’ Evan Svoboda only completed 12 of 31 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He added 55 yards and a score on the ground, while Sam Scott rushed for 94 yards and a score as well. 

Trey White, who came into the week tied for first in the nation with nine sacks, added two more against the Cowboys. Kyle Moretti led the team with seven tackles and added one of the team’s six sacks on the night. 

“It’s a team game,” said Moretti postgame. “When (the defense) made a mistake, the offense made us right. We (have) to clean it up and learn from our mistakes.”

Shae Suiaunoa led the Cowboys with ten tackles. Sebastian Harsh added 4 TFLs and the team’s only sack. 

The Aztecs led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, with all the scoring essentially coming from three plays. Chris Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it to the Wyoming 10-yard line, setting up Plascencia’s 22-yard field goal. 

The Cowboys scored a TD on the ensuing drive on a 70-yard reception by Jaylen Sargent on a flea-flicker, which fooled Chris Johnson and JD Coffey, leaving the receiver wide open down the field. 

The Aztecs’ second interception of the first quarter, this time Eric Butler’s first career pick, was returned 43 yards for a score late in the quarter. It was the 17th interception returned for a touchdown by SDSU since 2014. 

“(Butler) and (Johnson) made a great play,” said Moretti about the two early interceptions. “D-line affected (Svoboda). It was a great call by coach Schmidt and the rest of the defensive staff, and it’s a testament to the preparation they give us every week and how we execute. 

The Cowboys answered an Aztec score for the second time, driving 75 yards on 12 plays in nearly six minutes of game action. The drive was extended twice, first on a fake punt run that gained a first down and second on a defensive pass interference by Bryce Phillips in the end zone on a 3rd down pass attempt. Scott ran it in from one yard out to give the Cowboys a 14-10 lead. 

It was time for the Aztecs to answer a touchdown with a touchdown. O’Neil, in possibly his best drive of his brief career, drove the Aztecs 75 yards on eight plays. Big receptions by Poke and Jude Wolfe helped the Aztecs get to the goal line, and Cooper finished off the drive on a 4-yard run for a 17-14 lead.

As the Aztecs were looking to drive for a possible late field goal to end the half, disaster struck. O’Neil was hit from behind by Braden Siders, sending a pass attempt fluttering up in the air and into the arms of Connor Shay for the interception at the SDSU 34. It was O’Neil’s first career interception after 127 pass attempts without one. 

The Cowboys’ John Hoyland missed a 50-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the half, keeping the Aztecs ahead by three. 

Hoyland connected on a 42-yard attempt on the first drive of the second half to tie the score at 17. 

On the first play of the 4th quarter, Svoboda faked a handoff and rushed right for 51 yards to the end zone for a 7-point lead before the Aztecs controlled the game the rest of the way. 

Tyler Pastula had an excellent day punting the ball for the Aztecs, averaging 47.1 yards (on seven attempts), with a long of 75 and one downed at the two early in the 3rd quarter. 

Safety Deshawn McCuin and linebackers Owen Chambliss and Tano Letuli missed the game due to injury. Josh Hunter, Cody Moon, and Moretti replaced the injured starters. 

The contest was the first matchup between the conference foes, exactly five years to the day when the Aztecs beat the Cowboys in the final season of SDCCU Stadium. The last time the Aztecs played in Laramie was the 2016 Conference Championship game, which the Aztecs won. The Aztecs now lead the series record, 20-19.

The Aztecs lost the coin toss and are now 1-5 in that department this season. 

The attendance at War Memorial Stadium was announced at 23,155. 

The Aztecs start 2-0 in Mountain West Conference play for the first time since 2021. 

The Aztecs take next weekend off before hosting the Washington State Cougars at Snapdragon Stadium on October 26. Kickoff is at 730pm.

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.