Aztecs return fumble and interception for scores in rout of ACC opponent.
Aztec cornerback Chris Johnson returned an interception 97 yards for a score and safety Dwayne McDougle returned a fumble 35 yards for another score as San Diego State (2-1) dominated previously undefeated California (3-1) 34-0 Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium. An announced crowd of 31,369 witnessed the Aztecs with their first ever back to back home shutouts.
Johnson thwarted a third-quarter California drive by stepping in front
of freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagappolutele’s sideline pass at the three and sped down the near sideline untouched for a 27-0 lead. Prior to this, McDougle scooped up a Kendrick Raphael fumble and zipped to the endzone for a 20-0 lead. He had help by Dalesean Staley who knocked the ball loose and on one hop, McDougle found paydirt.
It was not just the defense that was shining. Quarterbck Jayden Denegal was 15/18 passing for 189 yards and a score. Jordan Napier had a breakout game with 9 receptions for 154 yards and a score. The Aztecs started scoring with Napier catching a 6 yard pass for a 7-0 Aztec lead in the second quarter. Napier had an 80 yard reception to the Cal 10 to set up the score. They added two Gabriel Plascencia field goals to take a 13-0 lead into halftime. It was a flipped script when the Aztec defense decided they wanted to contribute as well. Packaging McDougle’s fumble return with Johnson’s pick six and the Aztecs were coasting 27-0 heading into the fourth quarter. Lucky Sutton added a 3 yard score to close out the scoring. The highlight was of course the defense. They stopped the Bears on all 13 of their drives. They held them to downs twice, seven punts, a missed field goal, a fumble and two interceptions. The Aztecs have always prided themselves on a strong defense, but they’ve now taken it to new heights. They held the highly touted Sagapolutele to 17/38 passing for 208 yards and two interceptions. It didn’t help that Cal receivers dropped several nicely thrown balls. The Aztec line held Cal to 65 yards rushing on 31 carries. Total offense for Cal was a measly 289 yards, 70 of which the Bears earned on their first drive. Cal was led by LJ Johnson with 39 yards on the ground and Trond Grizzell with 91 receiving yards. The Bears committed several penalties that were ill-timed. Late in the second period, they were offside, nullifying an interception of Denegal. The ball would continue to not go Cal’s way this evening.
The Aztecs meanwhile enjoyed a game featuring a strong running game and effective passing game. While six players got into the rushing stats, only four showed up on the receiving end. Napier had 154 yards on the evening with nine receptions. Jacob Bostick added 25 more yards on four snags and Christian Washington and Jackson Ford each added one catch. One weakness is the lack of open targets. If Napier were shut down, the Aztecs might have cause for concern. This evening though this wasn’t to be. Napier ran all around the Cal secondary allowing Denegal to find him multiple times. On defense, the Aztecs had four sacks and five tackles for loss. Owen Chambliss led the way with 8 tackles. Trey White got onto the sack stats with his first of the year as well as a tackle for loss. August Salvati added two sacks and two more tackles for loss.
Coach Sean Lewis said “That’s a good team that played well on a good night,” referring to his
Aztecs. “I’m really proud of them. Lots of great emotional toughness they’ve shown during the past 14 days. They responded to coaching, situations and an incredible opportunity that they had tonight that they really capitalized on against a really good football team (California). We’re a good team.”
“The two weeks that we had off, we wanted it bad,” McDougle added. All the focus was on Sagapolutele and how he can make big plays.
“We’re just trying to be the best defense we can be. We want to be the number 1 defender so we;ve got to shut them down. Everybody was talking about him being the best freshman, All-American, the best QB i the nation. It was like OK, we’re gong to see about that,” McDougle added. AZTEC TAKEAWAYS
This game featured a total team effort. They can throw away the film against Washington State. That was an aberration. The Aztecs are real and are here. This was the first shutout against a power conference team since beating Oregon State 25-0 way back in 1975. It also was the largest margin of victory against a power conference team. They had beaten
Arizona 42-10 back in 1979. This is also the first consecutive home shutout in the Aztecs division 1 history. The Aztecs covered the spread by winning outright and the under was the winner with less than 46.5 points scored. The win continues the tradition of the home team continuing to win.
NEXT OPPONENT IS AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
The Aztecs travel to DeKalb Illinois to face a future Mountain West team in the Huskies. The Huskies are 1-2 with losses to Maryland and Mississippi State. They will need to contend with running back Chavon Wright who is an early leader in yard production. The Huskies have a 56% chance of victory. After seeing the Aztecs play and execute, this looks like San Diego State can turn the Huskies on their ears. The game is 2:30 Central time as Husky Stadium.
AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST
There was another full slate of games featuring Mountain West teams. The highlight was far and away the Aztec win. Next up was Boise State beating Air Force 49-37 to open conference play. In other conference play Fresno State held on to beat Hawaii out in the islands 23-21. The Bulldogs have won four straight games and are looking to be a contender. UNLV held on to beat Miami-Ohio on a late field goal to remain undefeated. Colorado State dropped a close one against UTEP when they failed on a two-point conversion. Utah State handled McNeese State 48-7. San Jose State got into the win column with a last second field goal against Idaho, winning 31-28. Wyoming dropped their game against Colorado 37-20 and Nevada showed they will be the basement dweller with a 31-16 loss at Western Kentucky.Next week featured several more out of conference games as well as a conference game. Utah State travels to SEC opponent Vanderbilt. The Commodores are a 94.5% favorite, but I wouldn’t write the Aggies off just yet. If they can keep offensive momentum, they might control the clock. New Mexico State travels to New Mexico in a continuation of the Rio Grande/Battle of I-25 Rivalry. These two teams first met in 1894. This is their 115th meeting. Washington State travels to Colorado State. The Rams are needing a strong performance against a slacking Cougars team. Boise State is at home against 2-1 App State. The Mountaineers will be coming off of a 38-22 loss to Southern Miss. San Jose travels up the road to The Farm at Stanford to take on a reeling Cardinal. The Spartans won last year’s game in San Jose and look to surprise the Cardinal again this year. Early analytics show Stanford as a 74.5% victor. I might find disagreement on that as it looks like the Spartans have found their offensive footing. Finally is a conference matchup with Hawaii travelling to Air Force. The Falcons have found their offense, but are struggling on defense. This should be an entertaining game with Air Force having the slight nod.
Coach Lewis has finally achieved the program’s signature win. The Aztecs look like they are going to model their season on strong defense. If the offense can continue it’s workman-like ways, they might surprise the conference this season. This defensive performance was exciting and unexpected, so it was a pleasant surprise. They have shown they are ready to play tough, and it’s perfect timing as they near conference play. The game against Colorado State on October 3, will be the first conference game and will be a tell-tale indicator of just how far the Aztecs have come.
