Aztecs with their third shutout on the season. Hold Bulldogs scoreless at home for first time since 1980.
Lucky Sutton rushes for 131 yards and a score while the Defense carries the day.
Aztecs now 6-1 as they are in second in the conference standings at 3-0 in Mountain West play.
It’s a new day, it’s a new season. The Aztecs have peaked and have been able to sustain themselves through seven games. Three shutouts plus a three point game have been highlights of the Aztec defense. Saturday afternoon the Aztecs brought
their brand of football to rivals Fresno State and a packed crowd of 41,535 at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno. San Diego State (6-1, 3-0 MWC) had the Bulldogs (5-3, 2-2 MWC) number from the outset, led by Lucky Sutton. Sutton rushed for 131 yards and a score, helping to lead a combined 208 yard ground attack. On defense, linebacker Tano Letuli had a 31-yard interception return which helped to close out the dominating effort. Gabriel Plascencia made three field goals adding to his career records. The game didn’t feature many big plays as the Bulldogs’ offense did not have a single play of at least 15 yards. Sutton broke off a 46 yard run and fellow back Byron Cardwell had a 54-yard reception in what one would say was a controlled game. This is the first time the Aztecs have accomplished three shutouts in a season since their began Division 1 play in 1969. With the win the Aztecs become bowl eligible, for the first time in three seasons. The Aztecs are undefeated in conference play along with Boise State. The two teams will meet at Snapdragon Stadium on November 15, which has the makings of a titanic matchup. The Aztecs take possession of the game trophy, the Old Oil Can.
Quarterback Jayden Denegal was again a very effective 11/19 passing for 124 yards and one interception. He also rushed eight times for 30 yards. Byron Cardwell Jr. had 59 yards while Jordan Napier was relatively quiet with 14 yards on four catches. He also struggled with holding the ball as he fumbled twice, losing one. Fresno State changed their starting quarterback, benching the nation’s active career yardage leader E.J. Warner in favor of Sacramento State sophomore transfer Carson Conklin. He threw for over 3,600 yards while playing for the Hornets. The 6’1” signal caller was making his first start for the Bulldogs and he wound up 20/42 for 182 yards and two interceptions. He threw the backbreaking interception to Tano Letuli who returned it 31 yards for the final score of 23-0. The Bulldogs struggled to gain momentum. They only managed 45 yards rushing paced by Rayshon Luke and Bryson Donelson, both with 23 yards on a combined 12 carries. On defense for the Aztecs, Dalesean Staley was shining bright as he had seven tackles, a pair of pass breakups and a tackle for loss. August Salvati had the other Aztec interception off of a deflection.
The Aztecs were well prepared for whatever the Bulldogs decided to throw at them. Fresno State started the game with an 11 play drive which churned out 40 yards, but the drive fizzled and led to a punt. Over the course of the next four possessions, the Bulldogs totaled only 41 yards with the drives ending in two punts, an interception and a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, the Aztecs were scoring on the back of Lucky Sutton with a 1 yard run. This was set up by a 54 yard pass play from Denegal to Byron Cardwell as he nearly took it to the house. This was followed by two Gabriel Plascencia field goals to put the Aztecs up 13-0 at halftime. He has made 25 straight field goals, setting a new Mountain West record, breaking Air Force’s Luke Strebel who made 22 in a row from 2015 – 2016.
Despite playing well, Denegal did have moments of humanity as he threw a goal line interception to Al’zillion Henderson. Moments later, Conklin returned the pressure, while under pressure from Trey White, he gifted August Salvati with a deflected pick. The Aztecs dominated the line of scrimmage on offense and the defensive line when the Bulldogs had the ball. Questions abound for Fresno State as they prepare to take on Boise State next week up in Idaho. Which quarterback will they use and can they establish a running game. While showing signs of potential this season, Fresno has now dropped back to back games in convincing fashion. They have a week to figure out what ails them.
AZTEC TAKEAWAYS
The Aztecs continued their defensive scoring prowess as they returned yet another interception for a score. This is their third this season. The Aztecs continue to grow their point differential in conference play. In three games they have scored 112 points while giving up 34. On the season they have scored 207 points while yielding only 73. They are also bowl eligible, well ahead of most people’s expectations. If they continue their winning ways, it’s likely that they may play Boise State twice this season, both in season and in the conference championship game. They do not play UNLV and the rest of their schedule looks favorable.
NEXT UP ARE THE COWBOYS OF WYOMING AT SNAPDRAGON STADIUM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1.
The Cowboys will travel to San Diego to take on the Aztecs next Saturday. The Cowboys are on their way towards a victory as they are leading a spiraling Colorado State team in the Border War game. Assuming they hold onto their 21-0 win, the Cowboys will be 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in conference play. They are an outside shot at being bowl eligible, needing to win two of their last four games. They have San Diego State, on the road at Fresno, back home against Nevada and on the road in Hawaii to end the season. The Cowboys have an offense that will kill you with a thousand cuts, equally balanced between the rush and the pass. Kaden Anderson leads the Cowboys at quarterback, having thrown for 1,480 yards heading into this game. At running back, they have senior Sam Scott with 278 yards and freshman Samuel Harris with 398. Expect the Cowboys to try and control the line of scrimmage and pound the ball. If for no other reason than to avoid interceptions. Anderson has thrown six picks on the year so far. The Cowboys and Aztecs have met 39 previous times with the Aztecs leading 20-19. They also own a current three game winning streak against the Pokes. San Diego State moves off to the Pac-12 next season while Wyoming remains in the Mountain West Conference. There are no future plans to continue playing at this time.
AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST
This weekend was light with games featuring only four games. Friday night, Boise State took care of Nevada 24-3 in a game that was close throughout. Boise will be home next week hosting Fresno State. New Mexico continues to surprise everyone with a convincing home win against Utah State, 33-14. The Lobos have two conference wins against two losses but have to only win one more game to be bowl eligible. So far the conference has four bowl eligible teams: Boise State, San Diego State, Hawaii and UNLV. New Mexico and Fresno are just outside with five wins. Next week Air Force is home taking on Army in an academy rivalry matchup. UNLV is home against New Mexico. This has some interesting matchups and should be an entertaining game. The Aztecs host Wyoming and San Jose State is back in action, needing a win at home against a resurgent Hawaii team. Finally, Fresno State at Boise State could eliminate Fresno from the conference championship picture. This upcoming week will be a must win for San Jose, Wyoming and Air Force to try to get towards bowl eligibility. If there is an upset to be had, I would look to New Mexico to take down UNLV, who suffered their first loss last week to Boise State. One final surprise will be San Jose State with the upset over Hawaii. To start the season, this was to be expected, but the Warriors have found ways to win while the Spartans have found ways to lose. Anticipate that to switch next week. All in all the Aztecs are the surprise team of the Conference this season. With a dynamite defense and a capable offense, they are showing that the path to the conference championship might run through San Diego.
