San Diego State with their 6th win in a row. Take over the lead in the Mountain West Conference.
Lucky Sutton rushes for 158 yards to spark the offense.
Aztecs defense among the nation’s best allowed the Cowboys
only 185 yards for the game.
Aztecs 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in Mountain West play show they have crossed into elite territory.
It seems like eons ago that San Diego State, fresh off their embarrassing 36-13 loss to Washington State. Coach Sean Lewis was on the hot seat. Fans were calling for a change. The team was spiraling, destined to meet early pre-season low expectations. Following a week off, the Aztecs began what people say was their recommitment of the process. Don’t settle. Fight through adversity. Play for one another. Expect greatness and you will achieve it. Since that week, the Aztecs have won six in a row, hae an overall 7-1 record and sit 4-0 atop the Mountain West Conference standings. Those wins have included two shutouts, and a game where they only gave up a field goal. They have allowed only five touchdowns in those six games, averaging 7.3 points given up per game while averaging over 29 points per contest. Saturday was more of the same as the Aztecs dominated Wyoming with a 24-7 victory. Things were a little suspect to start. Fans had barely gotten themselves in their seats at Snapdragon Stadium, only to witness the Cowboys take their first drive 75 yards and a score 4 ½ minutes into the game. Wyoming backup quarterback Landon Sims, threw a 3-yard pass to running back Sam Scott and the Cowboys were up 7-0. This was the first time that the Aztecs trailed in more than a month since allowing a first quarter field goal against Northern Illinois. Some thought this game would be different, but the Aztecs defense would have the final say on the day. On a day that the offense was efficient and productive, it was the defense which continues to shine. The Aztecs picked off three passes by Wyoming Quarterback Kaden Anderson all in the first half as well as a fumble recovery in the second half to highlight the Aztecs 24-7 win in front of 24,325 announced fans at Snapdragon on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s great to have another win, six in a row, as we go into the fourth quarter of the season and to be in the pole position that we are,” Aztec head coach Sean Lewis said after the game. “Ultimately, that doesn’t matter. We’ve got to get a heck of a lot better as we go forward.”
Spoken like a true coach who is truly not satisfied with the winning effort. This sentiment is echoed among the players as well.
“We know we’ve got each other;s backs and we know that’s not acceptable,” said Trey White of Wyoming’s opening drive. “Once we settled in, we just locked in and allowed zero points after that. The best thing about that is we’re 7-1 and we still haven’t played a complete game as a team in all three phases. The locker room wasn’t as excited as it usually is because we know we can play so much better. We’re a really hungry team, and we know we have a lot of play ahead of us… We have so much to work for, and that’s what’s exciting.”
After the Cowboys took the lead, the Aztecs were slow to respond as they punted on their first two drives. The next Cowboys drive saw Aztec cornerback Bryce Phillips intercepting Anderson’s high pass and returning it 28 yards to the Cowboy’s 24-yard line. The next play, San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal found running back Byron Cardwll Jr. for a short pass who took it the distance for a score and a tie at 7-7 with 3:32 left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter the Aztecs intercepted another Anderson pass and started their new drive from the Wyoming 36. The drive stalled and resulted in a Gabriel Plascencia 34 yard field goal giving the Aztecs a 10-7 lead. This was his 26th straight field goal. The streak would end there as he missed a 23 yard attempt in the third period. Later the Aztecs would turn the ball over on a mis exchange between Denegal and receiver Jordan Napier. Wyoming’s drive would stall and kicker Erik Sandvik would miss a 50-yard field goal attempt. The Aztecs next drive would result in a touchdown as Napier scored on a seven yard run giving the Aztecs a 17-7 lead at halftime. Wyoming would sputter most of the second half and the Aztecs would thwart their best attempt at another score when receiver Michael Fitzerald fumbled after a big hit by Malachi Finau. The Aztec defense would rise up again and stop the next Wyoming drive which also resulted in a missed 50-yard field goal attempt. The defense has been the bellwether mark on the Aztec team forcing the rest of the team to rise up. The offense acknowledged them as such.
“We really thrive off the defense’s energy,” Aztec running back Lucky Sutton said.”When they make a play, we’re like we have to make a play now. We’re really, really thankful for this defense. They do a great job, and we’re really appreciative of them.”
Sutton would finish with 158 yards and end the Aztec scoring with a 50-yard touchdown scamper with 2:57 remaining to cap the Aztecs 24-7 victory. He anchored the rushing efforts which amounted for 196 yards on the ground. The Aztecs would wind up with 390 yards in total offense. With both of these team segments clicking, the Aztecs are going to be hard to beat in coming weeks.
AZTEC TAKEAWAYS
Offense – check. Defense – check. Special teams – check. The Aztecs are definitely clicking on all cylinders as they head into the remaining four conference games of the season. They are bowl eligible and are now trying to position themselves for the best bowl possible. Despite their success and momentum, there is still the black spot on their schedule, being the 36-13 thrashing to Washington State in week 2. That loss will resonate with any of the College Football Playoff committee as they decide who is worthy to represent the Group of Five in the post season. The American Conference is strong and might be most likely to send a representative to the post season. Navy, Memphis and North Texas are all fine representatives. people’s expectations. One can only control what they can. The Aztecs might run the table, wind up in the conference championship game, win that and have a 12-1 record and have to settle for a regular bowl game. Take care of business and they’ll have to see where the cards fall.
NEXT UP ARE THE WARRIORS OF HAWAII AT CLARENCE T.C. CHING ATHLETICS COMPLEX IN HONOLULU ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 8.
The Aztecs travel to Hawaii to take on a Warriors team that had been on a three game winning streak until they were defeated by San Jose State. Hawaii is led by super star quarterback Micah Alejado and his plethora of dynamic receivers. Hawaii played the Spartans on Saturday and were on the losing end of a 45-38 thriller. Alejado threw for 367 yards on 31/46 yards passing and three scores. He was only sacked one time by the Spartans. Alejado has a fantastic view of the field and can usually find an open receiver. His corp includes Jackson Harris, Pofele Ashlock and Brandon White who very nearly beat the Spartans. Some say this was an upset, that Hawaii, 6-2 coming into the game, was the superior team. They ran into the conference’s top offense with the Spartans behind quarterback Walker Eget and the nation’s leading receiver Danny Scudero. After falling behind by 17, they nearly pulled even, but some time management issues late in the fourth period allowed the Spartans to hold onto the win. The Aztecs will take on San Jose later this month in San Diego. That will be a dynamite showdown. First, the Aztecs will need to find a way to first contain Alejado and second, provide tight coverage of his receivers. Alejado has thrown for 2,124 yards on the year including 15 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He is susceptible to pressure and has been injured in two previous games. Harris and Ashlock both have combined for 1,200 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns. The key to victory is to shut them down. The two teams have met 39 previous times with the Aztecs holding a 26-11-2 advantage. They first played in 1939 with Hawaii winning 13-0. They’ve met frequently through the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. The Aztecs hold a five game win streak including a close 27-24 game last season in San Diego. They have also won 20 of the last 24 contests. On paper, this looks like the Aztecs should pull out the win. Early lines show the Aztecs a 5.5 point favorite. Hawaii is a Mountain West member staying in the conference after this season and there are no immediate plans to continue playing at this time.
AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST
This weekend featured several key games, including losses of three of the top teams. First, Air Force lost in dramatic fashion to Academy rival Army, 20-17. Army avoided a tie by hitting a game-winning field goal on the last play of the game. In Las Vegas, the visiting New Mexico Lobos surprised the host Rebels 40-35. The Lobo’s have been one of the pleasant surprises of the season behind first-year coach Jason Eck. The Lobos are bowl eligible and many consider them the conference darlings. UNLV has dropped two conference games now and are on the outside looking in for a spot in the conference championship game. Fresno State traveled to Boise State and was completely dominating over the Broncos, winning 30-7. Boise State quarterback Maddox Madsen left the game early with an early and did not return and his replacement Max Cutforth performed dismally against a rejuvenated Bulldogs squad. Fresno State became bowl eligible with the victory. The late game on the docket was the Hawaii matchup in San Jose, won by the Spartans 45-38. The Spartans have been disappointing this season, after having been picked third in many pre-season polls. The Spartans very well could be 7-1, but their inability to both keep a lead and close out the fourth quarter has been their demise. Four losses have been by a combined 15 points. Except for the loss to Texas, they have been in every game and should have won them. This could be the turning point for San Jose as they have the conference’s top offense and are led by quarterback Walker Eget who has thrown for over 2,600 yards and 17 touchdowns against only three interceptions, and exciting wideout Danny Scudero who has 1,085 yards receiving with 10 scores on 63 catches. Scudero had 7 catches for 215 yards and two scores against Hawaii. Eget lit up the Warriors secondary for 458 yards, most of that in the first half. This is a glaring weakness for the Hawaii team and can be exploited. The Aztecs are not a surprise team anymore. They are dominant and have learned how to win. Keep winning and they will be the favorite to win the conference and host a championship game. Players have bought into coach Lewis’s system. They expect more and won’t be satisfied until they have given it their all and have had a complete game. That’s what football is about. Team, effort and always striving to be better. The Aztecs have done that in spades. One hopes the San Diego fans appreciate what they have and turn better crowds in the weeks ahead.
