GAME INFORMATION

Date: Saturday, September 20

Location: San Diego, Snapdragon Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 PM PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760

The Aztecs are back home after the bye week. Before the bye, they suffered a 36-13 loss to Washington State. The loss evened the Red and Black’s overall record to 1-1 after an impressive 42-0 win to open the season.

“Excited to be back in game week here,” head coach Sean Lewis excitedly stated with a smile on his face at Monday’s press conference. “The guys handled the bye week well, had some good developmental time, some good early work on a great opponent coming in here.”

The California Golden Bears make the trip down to San Diego with an impressive 3-0 record. They defeated Oregon State, Texas Southern, and Minnesota by a combined score of 96-32.

Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele leads the offense. The young gunslinger has completed 67 percent of his passes for 780 yards and six touchdowns while also rushing for a score. He has been named ACC Rookie Of The Week two out of three times already.

“He’s efficient, he throws on time, on target, you can tell he’s very decisive, and you can tell he trusts the pieces that he’s playing with,” Lewis explained of what makes Sagapolutele a good quarterback. “He’s done a really good job to where if his first reads open, he’s taking it, if his second read is he’s taking that, so he’s just been consistent with his footwork, decision making, and he’s done a really nice job throwing on time and on target.”

On the other side of the ball, their defense is fast-flying and opportunistic, led by linebackers Cade Uluave and Ryan McCulloh, as well as ball-hawk defensive back Hezekiah Masses. They have been able to get after opposing quarterbacks, not only restricting offenses but also creating turnovers.

The last time Lewis and his squad faced off against Cal was just last September at California Memorial Stadium. The Aztecs lost the matchup 31-10. Javance Tupuo’ata-Johnson made the start for an injured Danny O’Neil and completed 13/29 for 156 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Jordan Napier had a breakout game with two receptions for 53 yards, with a 40-yard catch and run for a score. On defense, Trey White had 2.5 sacks, and Tano Letuli had one sack and one interception.

This season’s well-balanced, disciplined team will be looking to continue its winning streak on the road, while Lewis hopes to get his squad back on track and one step closer to conference play.

Keys To The Game

• Protect The Football

The Aztec offense has done a good job with ball protection so far this season, with a goose egg in that category. In a game like this against their most sound opponent yet this season, they can’t afford to break that streak.

“The biggest thing that we always talk about when it comes to ball security is that ball security is job security,” Lewis said in reference to the team’s discipline with the ball so far. “It’s so important they name the game after it, so it’s always a priority and something that we do, and our kids have done a great job making that a piece of who we are.”

As SDSU looks to continue its streak, so does Cal, as they have produced at least one turnover in each of their three games so far. Three players have accounted for the five turnovers they have generated: Masses, Uluave, and McCulloh.

It will be key for the offense to communicate on protections and be on the same page to ensure they don’t make any mental mistakes that can lead to a costly turnover. In a game like this, that may be life or death.

• Keep The Golden Bears Offense Off The Field

The time of possession battle will be crucial in this matchup. The Aztec offense will need to put up points like it did in week one, but against a much tougher defense. 

This can be accomplished by Trey White and the defense getting them the ball any way they can. The defense needs to get after this young quarterback and disrupt his timing; otherwise, he will be able to pick apart the defense.

“It’s huge, we want to get the ball back in our offense’s hands so they can score some touchdowns, put some points on the board, and get off the field,” White said of the main objective of the defense this week. “We can’t be on the field for too long and get tired where we won’t be playing at our best.”

The Golden Bears have only allowed an average of 10.7 points per game, so the Aztec Fast offense will have its work cut out. Putting up points will be a challenge, meaning the more opportunities they have, the better.

“They have a really good defense, they have some returners coming back, solid linebackers,” Lucky Sutton elaborated when asked what he sees from this week’s opposing defense. “Really excited to go up against these guys as it’s a really good opportunity for us.”

An even mix of running and passing would keep the defense on its toes and hopefully create enough chances for Lewis’ offense to take some shots downfield and light up the scoreboard.

Players To Watch

• Hezekiah Masses (DB) and Cade Uluave (LB)

Masses and Uluave are the two most disruptive players on the defense for the Golden Bears. Lewis has been preaching ball security, so if the Aztecs want to keep that up, they need to keep an eye on these two stars.

“They do a really good job of playing with leverage and knowing where their help is,” Lewis described in what he sees on tape from Cal’s defense. “They have really good fundamentals, they cover tight, both their corners do a really good job in press and man…and then they have two dynamic players in 43 (Ryan McCulloch) and 0 (Cade Uluave) that have played a lot of football and are very disruptive.”

Masses has recorded an interception in each of the three contests so far. His size and speed give him the ability to blanket receivers and take advantage of errant throws.

Jayden Denegal will have to be near perfect in this game as Masses will take advantage of any throw that is slightly off target.

He is also a sound tackler when needed and has 14 on the year. In a game where the key will be limiting turnovers, this is the main player on defense that Denegal will have to account for on every play. 

Uluave has 24 total tackles, three of which have been for loss. He is a linebacker who can cover the field sideline to sideline and make an impact, whether a team runs away from him or right at him. 

The offensive line will need to communicate and know where he is at all times and when he is blitzing to ensure they can protect Denegal.

Johnny Olivieri

Johnny is born and raised in San Diego and a diehard fan of all his hometown teams. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia that help paint a picture of the history of sports in San Diego. He spends a lot of his time attending sports games across San Diego county and enjoys studying the history and spreading knowledge of San Diego’s diverse sports.