With two minutes left in the first quarter, the Aztecs trailed 6-0 at home to a team it was favored to beat by 40 points.

The fans at Snapdragon Stadium were getting a bit restless.

Starting QB Jayden Denegal had already thrown a pick, and RB Lucky Sutton had failed to rack up double-digit yards against the Portland State rush defense. 

“Trying to kick the butterflies out,” surmised Sutton postgame about the slow start. “Try to mess with our operations for our first game, a lot to clean up on film, and we need to start out faster.” 

“(We) have a ton to clean up,” added head coach Sean Lewis about the rocky start. “Not even close to our best effort and how good we can be.” 

Not to worry, Aztec fans. The team bounced back in a hurry, fueled by big plays from all three phases, and won convincingly, 53-20, over the Vikings (0-2). 

Denegal (12/17, 137 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT) and Sutton (18 car, 58 yds, 3 TD) threw and ran for two touchdowns apiece in the first half to put the game away. Sutton became the first Aztec to rush for three touchdowns in a game since Juwan Washington in 2018.  

The offense was ignited by newcomer Javion “Chop” Kinnard on its third drive. Kinnard (8 car, 79 yds), who took a handoff, bounced off his own lineman in a pile at the line of scrimmage, broke out on the right side, and rushed for 55 yards before he was caught from behind. Two plays later, Nathan Acevedo (4 rec, 47 yds, 1 TD) caught a shovel pass from Denegal and ran it down the left sideline and into the end zone to get the Aztecs on the scoreboard. 

Next up was special teams.

Jelani McLaughlin ran in untouched and blocked a punt in the end zone that was recovered by Parker Threatt at the one-yard line. The offense only needed one play to get that one yard. Sutton took the snap and ran up the middle into the end zone to give the Aztecs the 14-6 lead. 

“It just brings a lot of energy to our sideline and to our team as a whole,” Sutton responded when asked about the impact of big plays on special teams. 

The defense began to make its mark as well. The Vikings’ drive into SDSU territory ended when QB Gabe Downing ran into his own player after taking a snap on a fourth-and-1 attempt and was taken down behind the line of scrimmage. 

“There is a lot of momentum built off multiple phases of the game (and) everything just started turning as soon as we got to that point,” Sutton said about the game-changing plays on defense and special teams.   

Denegal found Acevedo for 29 yards on a third and 12 and Justius Lowe for a 40-yard touchdown on the ensuing play. It was the Oregon transfer’s first reception as an Aztec. 

“It’s more of a matter of time,” Lewis said regarding the slow start. “I’m very confident in our offense. The work that they have done the whole offseason, and what we have shown consistently through camp and spring ball. The staff did a good job reeling the guys in.”

Bert Emanuel Jr took the handoff on the extra point attempt and dove into the end zone for the two-point conversion. 

Mike Lindsay and Isaiah Green hauled in interceptions to once again thwart promising Viking drives. 

Sutton’s 13-yard scamper capped off the first half scoring, helping the Aztecs take a 29-6 lead into halftime.

The Vikings opened the scoring on a 14-play drive that lasted over five and a half minutes. Joshua Hossmann Lees knocked in a 22-yard attempt to cap off their first drive and added a 35-yarder after Isaac Redford’s pick of Denegal. 

After a blunder by special teams (a muffed punt by Acevedo) gifted the Vikings the ball inside the SDSU ten, Gabe Downing (31/52, 280 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT) found Terrence Loville (10 rec, 119 yds, 1 TD) for the score to cut the lead to 16 early in the third quarter. 

But special teams more than made up for their mistake. 

Jaylon Hawkins returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the score to reclaim the 23-point lead. It is the first kick return touchdown by an Aztec since Jordan Byrd in 2022. 

Oberhiri Eyafe blocked the second punt of the game and gave the Aztecs the ball at the Vikings’ 30. 

SDSU became the first team in FBS with two blocked punts and a kick return for a touchdown in the same game since at least the 2012 season. 

“We invest a lot of time in special teams,” Lewis noted. “Our special teams do special things.”

Sutton’s third rushing score of the game (5-yarder) increased the SDSU lead to 30. 

Jordin Thomas rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown on five carries to cap off the scoring in the game. True freshman Josiah Lucas took over after Thomas and added 30 rushing yards on four carries, but could not get it in the end zone from one yard out. 

Delon Thompson led the Vikings with 80 rushing yards (on 20 carries). Downing added a one-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter. 

LB Sione Hala (team-high 10 tackles) attributed the slow defensive start to having a lot of new guys on that side of the ball, including himself.

“It’s not easy bringing them all together,” he said. “This is just the start of something great that we are doing here.”

Quick Notes

• Luq Barcoo was the first Honorary Warrior of the season; the CB had an outstanding senior season in 2019, totaling a SDSU Division I record nine interceptions 
• Captain Max Garrison led the team out of the locker room, holding the Warrior Shield 
• The announced attendance was 26,913
• Charlton Luniewski started at RG, but Michael Leville Watkins took over on the second drive and stayed in the game
• LB Dean Harrington took over DJ Herman’s fullback role in the T-formation on offense; Herman is currently a starting fullback for the Miami Dolphins
• DT Malachi Finau also took snaps as an additional blocker in short-yardage situations
• Three members of the SDSU roster played for Portland State last year: S Isaiah Green, DB Carsten Mamaril, and DT Tuaoa Tauili’ili
• EDGE Nate Henrich recorded the first sack by an Aztec on the season
• S Cammeron Purnell recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter
• PK Cooper DiLeva made his only field goal attempt from 31 yards out
• P Tashi Dorje averaged 47 yards per punt on two attempts
• RB Christian Washington lost a fumble on his second carry of the night in the fourth quarter
• QB Stone Saunders entered the game to replace Denegal in the fourth quarter; he completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards
• 53 points is the most points scored in a game at Snapdragon Stadium history

The Aztecs travel to Pasadena next Saturday to take on the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl. Kickoff is at 4:15 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.