GAME INFORMATION

Date: Saturday, September 27

Location: DeKalb, IL, Huskie Stadium

Kickoff: 12:30 PM PT

TV: ESPN+

Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760

Sean Lewis takes his team on the road for the second time this season, hoping to get into the win column in an away stadium. The Aztecs are 2-1, with the one loss being on the road against Washington State. 

Following the loss to the Cougars, the Red and Black bounced back in a big way as they shut out undefeated Cal 34-0 in front of over 31,000 loud fans in Snapdragon Stadium.

“Tremendous effort by the whole community, showing up and showing out,” Lewis excitedly boasted during his Monday presser. “Again, ticketing, marketing staff, I mean everyone that are the behind-the-scenes heroes to make that happen. I think everyone who was there walked away with a tremendous experience, right? That they’re going to tell everyone about and come back to, and we get to do it again, not this Friday, but next Friday.”

While Lewis praised the shutout victory last week, he pointed out the team had 24 hours to enjoy the win, and then it was onto the next opponent.

“Happy, normal, seven-day prep week, week four of the season. We’re finally getting one of these, which is nice. Got the boys back this morning, put, obviously, the great win to bed, and turn the page to a really tough opponent that’s battle tested,” Lewis said of this week’s prep for Northern Illinois. “They’ve played two power four teams in Maryland and Mississippi State, with Northern Illinois coach Hammock and his staff run a great program. They do it the right way, and they do a tremendous job of getting the most out of their kids, and they historically get better and better and better with every single week. So, excited about the opportunity to go do what good teams do and earn the right to win on the road.”

The Huskies are 1-2. After winning their season opener vs Holy Cross, they lost their last two away games by a combined score of 58-19. They are hoping to get back to .500 at home.

The offense is a balanced attack of rushing and passing. In the last game, they ran the ball 27 times and attempted 25 passes. Quarterback Josh Holst leads the offense, but may be the least effective quarterback the Aztecs have faced so far. Running backs Chavon Wright and Telly Johnson Jr have combined for 413 rushing yards and a touchdown each.

On defense, the Huskies are led by redshirt senior linebacker Quinn Urwiler, who is leading the MAC in tackles per game with 11.3. The secondary is quick to tackle and break up passes, with seven different Huskies having a pass breakup so far this season. Safety Jasper Beeler is the standout in the secondary as he has 17 total tackles, .5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

This is the seventh meeting between the two schools, and SDSU is 6-0 so far, with three games played in San Diego and three played in Illinois. 

Keys To The Game

• Continue To Play Physical Defense

The defense has yet to give up a single point at Snapdragon Stadium this season. The road game vs Washington was their worst performance, but was quickly forgotten after the Cal shutout.

The Huskies have struggled to put up points on offense, averaging 12.7 per game. They have only four touchdowns, three rushing and one passing. This offense could be just what the Aztecs’ defense needs to continue its streak.

The secondary for SDSU has been playing at its best in the Sean Lewis era. Last week’s shutout was their best game of the season as they produced three turnovers and two returned for touchdowns.

Lewis spoke on the maturity of the secondary and their growth during his Monday press conference.

“I’m impressed by their maturity, especially since they started to play together, and as you alluded to, you know, the middle of last year, as they, really kind of got comfortable with one another, the maturity that they’ve shown.”

With this being the last game before conference play, this could be a huge boost for the defense to get a road win and potentially another shutout against possibly the weakest offense they have faced so far.

• Control The Clock

This season has seen a much more balanced offense for the Aztec Fast offense. Last season was a run-first team that wore down defenses and took advantage of the passing opportunities that running the ball produced.

This season, the running game is spread amongst the backs, and this has allowed a more balanced offensive attack with Jayden Denegal as the leader.

The Huskies are strongest against the pass as their secondary is able to cover well, and the defensive line applies pressure.

The way to control that defensive line and slow them down will be to run straight at them. With three healthy running backs that can make that possible, expect the offense to wear down the Huskies’ pass rush to give Denegal more time.

The key for the offense this week is to take advantage of the opportunities given by NIU, gain a sizeable lead, and work the clock. 

Lucky Sutton and company can allow the offense to drain the clock, keep the defense fresh to keep making plays, and get out of Illinois with the first road win of the season.

Players To Watch

• Running backs – Chavon Wright and Telly Johnson Jr

SDSU has only given up an average of 84.3 rushing yards per game and only one rushing touchdown.

The offensive players to watch for NIU will be the running back duo. If the Aztec defense wants to continue its domination from last week, it will start with the big guys up front. Shutting down the run and forcing Holst to pass more than he is used to is the way they can force turnovers and throw off the Huskies’ rhythm.

Wright and Johnson Jr are the foundation of the offense. Despite a balanced attack, it relies on the running game to set up the passing game, and if Trey White and the guys up front can contain and shut them down, the defense can have a big night.

The defensive line has been solid so far this season and had a breakout game last week vs Cal. August Salvati is leading the team with 3.5 sacks. White got his first sack last week and has been heating up.

“The big piece of it was to win first and second down so that we could get into an advantageous situation on third down to get those four defensive ends on the field collectively together,” Lewis said of the defensive lines performance last week. “We feel, we knew going into that one, Cal [California] had tremendous success on early downs, and it really put themselves in a favorable position to be third and short and third and manageable, to where, you know, it’s kind of a mixed bag. And then, depending on where you are in the field, it’s like, well, is this really third down, or is it two down territory? Again, the competitive advantage swings to them.”

Watch for the Aztecs to shut down the run early Saturday morning.

• Jayden Denegal

Denegal has progressed well so far this season. He has completed 58 percent of his passes for 526 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers. He has been a refreshing sight at quarterback after Lewis’s first season with his Aztec Fast motto.

For Aztec fans, he’s the player to watch as he will be looking to continue his success and keep his hot streak alive going into Mountain West play.

“I thought he was really, really efficient with the football again; his decision-making process was really good. I think as he continues to take strides, you know, that the down the field shots will continue to grow,” Lewis said on the progression of Denegal’s game. “We didn’t ask him to do a ton of that, but obviously, we hit the one that we did, which was huge, because then they went from a whole lot of one high to two high, which opened up the run game. Then he did a really good job with the RPO reads that we asked him to do. I thought the development of his ability to run the ball was good to see, so there’s tremendous room and growth for him.”

The main objective for Denegal this week will be to take advantage of what defense gives him and not force the football. His defense should provide him with enough opportunities. The offense should be looking to run efficiently and keep the game in its hands.

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.