GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, September 7
Location: Snapdragon Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 PM PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760

SDSU’s opponent this week will be a true test for Sean Lewis and his staff.

Oregon State finished fourth overall in the PAC-12 last season with a record of 8-5. The Beavers have won 19 of their previous 25 games.

OSU had some changes following 2023. Head coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State, and the university elevated Trent Bray from defensive coordinator to the top job. The Beavers lost their top two quarterbacks. DJ Uiagalelei transferred to Florida State. Aiden Chiles followed Smith to East Lansing. Despite the change in head coaches, the run-tough style that is Oregon State’s identity has stayed the same.

“We have to be a lot more detailed in certain areas, a lot more detailed,” Lewis reflected at Monday’s press conference on what was learned this past weekend. “Tightening up the details of our jobs, the details of our craft, and discipline of our craft as we go forward against a really good opponent that’s coming in this week in Oregon State.”

These two teams faced off for the sixth time on September 16, 2023. It was SDSU’s first road game of the season. The Aztecs did not lead in the contest and fell 26-9. The Red and Black gave up 284 yards passing and allowed 191 yards on the ground. The Beavers are 4-2 in the all-time series. SDSU won the first two matchups in the series in 1972 and 1975. OSU has won the last four in 2000, 2013, 2014, and 2023.

The Corvette, which is the Aztec Fast offense, stalled in the first half of the opener but ran efficiently after halftime. True freshman quarterback Danny O’Neil finished strong after a lackluster start. He completed 11 for his final 12 attempts, for 130 yards, and 2 touchdowns as the Red and Black took the lead early in the third quarter and never looked back.

Defensively, the team played physically and, just like the offense, came out hot in the second half, scoring two defensive touchdowns. Tano Letuli recovered a fumble in the south endzone. JD Coffey III returned an interception 26 yards to the student section for six on the north side.

“There were too many moments in the first half where we were supposed to be outside leverage, and we were inside leverage and some base fundamentals that we were able to really tighten up,” Lewis revealed as the difference between halves in his SDSU coaching debut. “Guys got to feel the speed of the game for the first time and the roles that they were in and really had a great appreciation for the urgency and the focus that they needed to play with.”

The Aztecs face an Oregon State team that won their opening game as well, defeating Idaho State 38-15. Similar to the Aztecs, the Beavers had a slow first half, putting up 17 points and giving up nine.

The Beavers made mistakes early, with a Jam Griffin fumble on the team’s first possession and giving up two points off of a safety on their third possession. But, like Lewis’ Aztecs, they finished strong. They scored three touchdowns and only allowed one to finish the game 38-15.

Lewis and his squad will have to be firing on all cylinders Saturday and can’t afford another slow start against an opponent like this. Beaver running backs Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson combined for 315 rushing yards and four of the team’s five touchdowns. The offensive line for Oregon St. does a great job run blocking and can make key blocks downfield. OSU has three former Colorado Buffaloes who played with Lewis last season: OL Van Wells, Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, and Hankerson.

“They can control the line of scrimmage. They had two backs who went over 150 yards,” Lewis said. “They’re big up front, the head coach has been there so he knows the personnel and has built it to his image with the turnover that they have had. They’re going to lean on the run game and possess the ball.”

Players to watch: Anthony Hankerson and Jam Griffin

The battering Beaver run game will be key in this Mountain West/Pac-12 matchup. Griffin and Hankerson are a powerful backfield combo. After last week’s outing, SDSU has plenty of film to dissect and prepare to slow down the rush.

Both players are very similar in skill sets and almost identical in size. Griffin measures in at 5-foot-9, 208 pounds, and Hankerson at 5-foot-8, 203 pounds. They can run between the tackles well but also have the speed to bounce it outside and quickly fly down the sideline. The EDGE position will be busy containing the two of them and will have its first true test of the season.

“They’re both dynamic and can hurt you in a lot of different ways,” Lewis said. “They both have short-area quickness and find dirty yards and really help them stay on schedule with everything they’re doing. They’re both unique in their own way but both complement each other well with how they utilize them and their skill sets.”

The OSU O-line has plenty of experience, Christian-Lichtenhan and Joshua Gray are both redshirt seniors and stand at 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-4, respectively. Similar to 5-foot-8 Marquez Cooper being difficult to spot behind SDSU’s O-line, the same can be said for the Beavers’ duo. The defense will need to be on its toes to fill holes swiftly.

Both backs can keep their legs moving after contact and bounce off defenders. It will be important for the Aztecs to swarm to the ball as fast as possible to avoid broken tackles. The biggest test for the defense will be open-field tackling if these backs can get to the outside.

“We got long, rangy guys with really good ball skills that can cover a lot of ground and fly to the football,” Lewis confidently said of his defense’s speed.

“We have to do a good job of playing with great knee bend, hand strike, tearing off our blocks, winning one-on-ones and fly to the football so we can gang tackle their talented ball carriers,” he added later in the press conference.

Key to an SDSU victory: Fast and Efficient Offense

Offensively, SDSU will need to start faster. A 42-point second half is great, but the first half needs to be productive. Falling behind a team that can control the clock will prove difficult to overcome. O’Neil showed great poise in the second half against the Lions. Hopefully, he can continue that production at the start of this game.

Running the ball will still be the key to success. Expect the Aztecs to lean on that to open up the rest of the offense. If they can continue to run the ball, they should be able to take more shots downfield.

That plan of attack will prove more difficult this week as OSU has a solid defense. Last season, they allowed only 15 points per game, though many of those players are no longer on the team.

Another important area of the game will be eliminating penalties. Last game, multiple drives were stalled due to penalties. If the team can limit those, that would allow the offense more opportunities to get points on the board.

“The number of penalties are inexcusable,” Lewis said. “They were major contributors to extending drives and hurting our own drives. So that’s something that we really need to put a great deal of emphasis on.”

Lastly, the offensive line will be tested as the Beavers do a good job of bringing pressure to the quarterback. In their game against Idaho State, they intercepted the Tigers twice off of quarterback hits.

It will be crucial to give O’Neil time in the pocket to go through his progressions and make the right decision, as well as run block for Cooper to have a productive game on the ground.

Highlights of @AztecFB‘s 45-14 win in @TheHC_CoachLew‘s debut as SDSU’s head coach.

Video by @jstcevisuals pic.twitter.com/TEAtVlSIWm

— East Village Times (@EVT_News) September 2, 2024

Key Stats

• This is the first of three games this season against teams who were in the PAC-12 last year, including Oregon State on Saturday, at California on Sep 14, and vs Washington State on Oct 26.
• This is the back end of a home-and-home series between the teams.
• San Diego State is 57-2 the last 59 times it has rushed for 200 yards. The Aztecs did so in the season opener against Texas A&M Commerce.
• Ten of the 11 starters on defense in the opener against Texas A&M Commerce were making their first career FBS start.
• SDSU has an advantage in time of possession in 39 of the last 60 games. Since 2011, The Aztecs are 36-8 when possessing the football for at least 35 minutes.
• SDSU’s 156 interceptions since the 2014 season are tied for most in the country over that span.
• SDSU has gone 16 straight games without allowing more than seven points in the first quarter.

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.