In two years, games between SDSU and Washington State will count in the conference standings. 

Fortunately for the Aztecs (3-4, 2-0), they do not in 2024. The Aztecs lost to the Cougars (7-1), 29-26, and finished the non-conference season with four losses in five games.

The Aztecs rallied from an eight-point deficit in the first half with 20 unanswered points to take a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter but wilted the remainder of the game as the Cougars scored the final 15 points of the contest. 

SDSU head coach Sean Lewis said postgame he wanted his players to feel the joy of coming up with a big win tonight, but they didn’t do enough to get it done.

“We got to finish, carry it over, and do it in the fourth quarter as well,” Coach Lewis remarked. 

John Mateer (19/27, 257 yds, 2 TDs) ran it in from two yards out for the winning score, his fourth touchdown of the game, and caught a pass in the end zone for the two-point conversion for the final score of the game. Mateer also led the Cougars with 42 rushing yards. 

Danny O’Neil (22/34, 195 yds, 0 TD/1 INT) returned from a left upper arm injury in the final two minutes of the first half and guided the Aztecs three-touchdown streak into the fourth quarter. His interception in the fourth quarter, with the Aztecs looking to at least kick a field goal to take an eight-point advantage, proved costly. It was only O’Neil’s second interception of the season. 

Marquez Cooper led the Aztecs with 78 rushing yards and his 40th and 41st career touchdowns, the 13th time he has recorded two or more in a game. 

Ja-Shaun Poke’s ten receptions and 80 yards paced the Aztecs’ passing attack, which outgained the Cougars in total offense (414 to 371). Eight penalties for 78 yards hurt the Aztecs at inopportune times. 

The first half saw the teams combine for five fourth-down conversion attempts (two successful), a double-reverse flea-flicker for a touchdown, and a botched two-point conversion attempt. 

After the Aztecs punted on the first drive of the game, the Cougars marched down the field and scored on the flea-flicker attempt. Mateer found Cooper Mathers wide-open down the right sideline for the 26-yard score. 

The Aztecs’ fourth down conversion was on a fake punt, with LB DJ Herman shoveling a forward pass to Ja’Shaun Poke, who came in motion and ran for the first down. Gabriel Plascencia knocked in the first of two field goals in the half from 46 yards out. 

The Aztecs defense held a ‘break, but don’t bend’ mentality on the ensuing drive, allowing the Cougars to drive into Aztec territory but holding Mateer short of the sticks on a fourth and 4 run.

Injuries began racking up for the Red and Black, as O’Neil (left shoulder/arm) and RG Tyler McMahan (left lower leg) both were knocked out of the game on the same drive. Cam Davis broke off a 38-yard scamper into Cougar territory, which led to Plascencia’s second conversion of the half (28 yards) to cut the Cougars lead to one. 

Javance Tupou’ata Johnson replaced O’Neil for the rest of the drive and two more before O’Neil returned for the final drive of the half and the rest of the game. Saipale Fuimaana replaced McMahan on two different occasions and finished out the game at RG, then RT when Nate Williams had to be helped off the field due to an injury late in the game. 

The Cougar’s lone fourth down conversion of the half was a big one, a QB sneak by Mateer from the one to extend the lead to 14-6. 

The teams traded failed fourth down attempts before the Aztecs took the final full drive of the half down the field and scored on a 7-yard run by Cooper. A trick formation on the two-point attempt did not work so well for the Aztecs, as the snap was air-mailed over Tyler Pastula’s head and downed. 

Jelani Whitmore recovered a muffed punt by Tony Freeman at the WSU 43 midway through the third quarter to give the Aztec offense a golden opportunity to take the lead. 

The offense did not let the special teams unit down, getting in the end zone on three plays in 1:06. The score came on another trick play, a double-reverse pass from Jordan Napier to Nate Bennett for a 27-yard score to give the Aztecs their first lead of the game at 19-14.

Cooper scored his second touchdown of the night from one yard out to extend the lead to 26-14, the Aztecs’ final points of the night. 

The Cougars fought back, driving 80 yards in four plays and scoring on a 34-yard touchdown reception by Carlos Hernandez. 

Then came O’Neil’s first mistake of the night, throwing an errant third-down pass into the hands of Taariq Al-Uqdah, who dropped back into the area that Mekhi Shaw was running a slant into. An incomplete pass would have given the Aztecs an opportunity to take an eight-point lead on a 39-yard attempt. Instead, Al-Ugdah returned it to the WSU 37 and led to Mateer’s fourth touchdown with 5:03 remaining. 

“I want that call back,” Lewis said of the third down call that led to the interception. “I need to lead better. 

Offensive starters WR Louis Brown IV and TE Jude Wolfe did not dress for violating team rules this past week. Lewis said postgame that it was a coach’s decision not to play the guys. 

“Each individual knows (what they did), and it was handled in-house,” Lewis added. 

The Cougar’s Ansel Din-Mbuh recorded three sacks in the game. Tano Letuli returned after missing two games for the Aztecs and had a team-high ten tackles. 

The announced attendance at Snapdragon Stadium was 26,937 for the annual Homecoming game. 

The Aztecs head to Boise next weekend, still undefeated in conference play, to face the ranked Broncos on Friday night. Kickoff is at 5 pm.

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.