So many questions are needing to be answered heading into the season.
Will the AztecFast offense produce results?
Will the Aztecs play disciplined ball and avoid penalties?
Will the Defense play up to its preseason billing?
How will new quarterback Jayden Denegal respond to his leadership role?
GAME INFO:
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA.
Date/Time: Thursday, August 28th at 7:00 (Pacific Time)
Television: None
Streaming: Mountain West Network
Radio: San Diego Sports 760
Betting Line: San Diego State
a 16 point favorite with the over/under being 53.5 points
Matchup: This is the first meeting between San Diego State and Stony Brook
THE OPPOSITION: Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook travels from upstate New York to the sunny shores of Southern California for this 2025 season opener. This will be the first meeting between the teams. Last year the Seawolves went 8-4 and 5-3 in Coastal Athletic Association play. Early indications are that Stony Brook will be a tough candidate. They are slotted at the #24 place in the State Perform FCS preseason top 25 poll. They are one of five CAA teams to earn preseason recognition.
Second year head coach Billy Cosh will be trying to build upon that momentum after securing a turnaround from an 0-10 season the year before. They had the second-highest scoring offense in conference play last year. They were led by All-American running back Roland Dempster who finished with 1,332 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He will be the workhorse for the Seawolves. Incoming North Texas transfer Ikaika Ragsdale will help provide backup. The Seawolves lost starting quarterback Tyler Loop to graduation and will be looking for an answer at that position. The leading contenders are Casey Case and Hampton transfer Chris Zellous. Both have game experience, with Case playing in 2023 and Zellous having two years being a dual-threat at Hampton, albeit with severe inconsistencies including 23 interceptions over that time. At the wide out, they return two of their top four players in Jayce Freeman and Dez Williams. Also returning is Tight end Cole Bunicci. Incoming transfers Marqeese Dietz from Albany, Nolan Slykwa (SUNY Brockport) ande Jayden Flood-Brown (Barton) will help to provide some depth. All were high performers in their sub-Division 1 schools. It remains to be seen how that experience will translate. The offensive line is well suited with three returning starters. All have excellent size and an average weight of 320 lbs. Quite large for an FCS program. They added two transfers with Tommy Inge (Virginia Military) and Christian Forbes (Howard). Forbes will be the instant step in player as he did not allow a sack in over 500 snaps last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, there are some serious issues that are probably job one for coach Cosh. The Seawolves allowed 30 or more points in all four of their losses, including giving up 55 in their season finale loss against Monmouth. Key returners include linebackers Anthony Ferrelli and AJ Roberts. Holy Cross transfer Ryan Ruane is a big pick up as he can provide support at both the linebacker and safety position. In the pass rushing scenario, outside linebacker Chayce Chalmers and Defensive end Rodney Faulk both return after combining for 16.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Two returning tackles Sebastian Regis and Dyshier Clary will need to step up into a larger role this season. Regis is a sophomore and had flashes of potential, earning freshman All-American honors. The Seawolves were depleted in the secondary and have relied on transfers to help fill the need. Maine transfer Alhaji Kamara brings extensive game experience. NAIA transfer Shamar Askin was a two-time All-Conference player and Adewale Obayanjhu has 32 games of experience in Division II. At safety, again transfers will need to step in. Richmond transfer Bryson Parker has three years experience in which he had 110 tackles, six pass breakups and three interceptions. Long Island transfer Joseph Garcia and Saint Francis transfer DeMario Crawford will compete for starting roles.
Will the Aztecs be able to start fast and finish strong?
Now that Jayden Denegal has been named the starter, he is getting the majority of snaps during practices. It is expected that this increase of repetitions will provide the gateway to a renewed Aztec success. Denegal will be key to move the offense fast and to score fast. When it clicks it’s exciting. When it doesn’t it generally ends up in a three-and-out, resulting in the defense returning to the field again, too soon. This year Coach Lewis has been able to put pieces together, that given the right chemistry, should be able to begin to produce the desired results. Returning 14 starters including 10 on defense, give some welcome relief. There is more experience especially with the help of the transfer portal. Denegal will be pushed by backup Bert Emanuel Jr. Having two talented players will help with the AztecFAST style of play. The offensive line heading into the first game, looks to be fairly solid with Christian Jones and Ross Ulugalu-Maseuli returning and transfers Dallas Fincher (Michigan State) and Bay Kannike (Utah Tech) adding experience and stepping in. Experience is limited in the skills position with only Lucky Sutton returning in the backfield and Jordan Napier as wide receiver and returns. Again a few transfers will be required to step in immediately. Coastal Carolina’s Christian Washington and Texas A&M Jacob Bostick will be names to watch for any potential breakout.
The defense looks to be the strongest unit, as mentioned earlier, with 10 returners. As Trey White goes, so will the Aztecs. An All-American and All-Conference candidate, White will set the edge and is expecting to improve upon his season numbers from last season. He tallied 12.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. Across from his is Brady Nassar, who might have a strong year while other teams key on White. Anchoring the rest of the line are Teivis Tuioti, Krishna clay and Hawaii transfer Malachi Finau. Returning linebacker Tanu Letuili will stabilize the linebacker position along with Owen Chambliss and Incarnate Word transfer Mister Williams. The secondary might have the opportunity to facilitate havoc and create turnovers. Cornerback Chris Johnson may be one of the best Mountain West corners. Safeties Eric Butler and Dalesean Staley are capable, strengthening this position group as perhaps one of the best in the Conference.
What will likely happen?
Prognostication time. First games are always full of unpleasant surprises. Stony Brook is coming into the season with high expectations and the talent to prove they are a contender in the Coastal Athletic Association. Playing a Division 1 opponent though is not an apples to apples comparison. The Aztecs should dominate across most areas of the game. One area that might work out well for the Seawolves is the running game behind Roland Dempster. The Aztecs will need to contain him on the edges and allow the backers to fill the gaps and stop him for little gain. If the running game gets shut down, enter AztecFAST offense. The Aztecs as a team will work on reducing or eliminating penalties and gaining 2 or more turnovers. I expect the Aztecs to cover the spread and beat the Seawolves 31-10. They won’t cover the spread, so the under will be the winner. This will be a great opening game for the Aztecs to really get game speed experience as they will next head up to Pullman Washington for the following game against Washington State.
Around the Mountain West Conference
By the time the Aztecs play, there will already have been three games played in Week 0. A brief review shows UNLV hosting Idaho State. This should be a convincing win for the Rebels. Next up is Fresno State travelling to Kansas. The Bulldogs have a history of playing well against Power Conference teams, but the Jayhawks look to be a bit stronger than the Bulldogs. A loss for Fresno State in game one. The last one is a very interesting game as Stanford travels to Hawaii. Both teams are going in opposite directions and I would not be surprised to see Hawaii sneak away with a strong win. Conference play gets started in earnest the following week with a full slate. On Thursday we have the Aztecs and Seawolves. This is followed by Central Michigan travelling to San Jose State. The Spartans look to be a very good team this season and should handle the Chippewas. Victory Sparta. On Saturday Air Force plays Bucknell. Win for Air Force. Boise State and South Florida. In a very tight game, Boise State prevails. Colorado State playing Washington will show that the Rams still have lots of room for improvement. Win for the Huskies. Fresno is back for game two of their season playing Georgia Southern. They emerge victorious in this game. Hawaii is next with a road game in Tucson against the Arizona Wildcats. They are a tougher opponent than Stanford, but have their own internal issues. This is a toss up, but I look for Hawaii to lose in a close one. The next one is pretty high profile with Nevada travelling to Penn State. This is a big money game for the Wolfpack as they have no chance to garner a win against the nation’s number two ranked team. Same with the next game as New Mexico travels to Michigan. Big payout, big loss. UNLV follows up their Idaho State win with a roadtrip to take on Sam Houston State down in Houston. They are playing the game away from the small confines of the BearKatz stadium. Either way, UNLV handles Sam Houston. Next to last is Utah State and future Mountain West member UTEP. Pretty close on paper, but I think the Miners will sneak one out. Finally, the Wyoming Cowboys travel to Akron in an intriguing matchup. The Cowboys look to have better talent and as long as they play error free ball, expect a Wyoming victory.
It’s great to finally have football out the front window. Expect a few upsets, great plays, and inevitable change. I will add, with finality, that the Pac-12 and Mountain West not merging was an expensive mistake and hugely disappointing. Sad cooler heads didn’t prevail. Instead of having one great conference, united in focus, we have two conferences, struggling for identity and for a share of the revenue pot. What could have been one large pot has been divided.
