SAN DIEGO – John Baron kicked three field goals, including the eventual game-winner from 51 yards out with 4:36 left, as San Diego State held on for a 16-13 triumph over pesky San José State on Homecoming Night at SDCCU Stadium.
With the victory, the Aztecs (6-1, 3-0 MW) escaped with their sixth win in a row, which is tied for the eighth-longest streak in FBS play, while becoming bowl eligible for the ninth consecutive season.
Baron's clutch kick was set up by safety Tariq Thompson, who intercepted Josh Love's high-arcing pass at the SDSU 9 and returned it 41 yards before a personal foul penalty on the subsequent tackle put the Aztecs in business at the Spartans' 35-yard line.
However, a false start penalty and a five-yard loss on a screen pass put SDSU's good fortune in serious jeopardy until Baron salvaged three points with his end-over-end attempt that skipped just over the crossbar, keeping him a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts over 50 yards this season.
The Spartans (0-7, 0-3 MW) reached the Aztec 36 on the ensuing drive, but Anthony Luke and Chibe Onyeukwu combined to stuff running back Malike Roberson's run on 4th and 2 with 1:45 remaining. SJSU got the ball once again following a punt, but could not advance past its own 20 before time ran out.
San Diego State maintained a 207-62 advantage in rushing yardage, with redshirt freshman Chance Bell gaining a team-high 81 yards on 15 carries in his first collegiate appearance, while Chase Jasmin added 79 yards and one touchdown on 19 attempts. As a result, the Aztecs are now 41-1 in the last 42 games they have rushed for at least 200 yards as a team.
SDSU spotted the Spartans a 6-0 lead as Bryce Crawford kicked field goals of 42 and 24 yards within the first nine minutes of the first quarter. San José State's second score was set up by Jesse Osuna's recovery of a Kaegun Williams fumble at the Aztec 35-yard line. The visitors drove to the SDSU 1, but Kyahva Tezino and Troy Cassidy came up huge, nailing Tyler Nevens for a one-yard loss on third down.
The Aztecs responded with a 17-play, 75-yard march that consumed 8:20 on the clock, punctuated by Jasmin's 1-yard burst that gave the hosts a slim 7-6 lead with 13:11 left in the second quarter. SDSU overcame two 2nd-and-long situations, as Ryan Agnew hit tight end Kahale Warring for a 10-yard gain, before hooking up with Jasmin on a screen pass that went for 23 yards down to the SJSU 14.
Late in the second quarter, the Aztecs engineered another lengthy advance, rumbling 74 yards in 13 plays before Baron drilled a 36-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining in the half. Bell helped get the Scarlet and Black out of a hole with a 20-yard scamper, while Agnew connected with Fred Trevillion for a 20-yard completion on a 3-and-12 play down to the Spartan 22.
San Diego State extended the margin to 13-6 on its first drive of the second half on Baron's second field goal of the night, a chip shot from 22 yards out with 7:09 to go in the third quarter. Jasmin helped get the Aztecs within striking distance, thanks to runs of 23 and 22 yards, the latter of which gave SDSU a 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line. However, the SJSU defense stymied two straight runs, while an Agnew pass to Warring fell incomplete in the left corner of the end zone.
The Spartans responded with their longest march of the night, a 14-play, 65-yard foray, culminating in Roberson's 1-yard touchdown plunge with just under a minute left in the period. SJSU benefited from an out-of-bounds kickoff, while Love hit Tre Hartley for a key 21-yard completion on a 2nd-and-6 situation from the Aztec 44.
After an SDSU punt, the Spartans crossed midfield once again following Tre Walker's 28-yard reception that gave the visitors a first down at the Aztec 40. However, the momentum quickly swung in favor of the Scarlet and Black after Nevens lost seven yards recovering his own fumble, while Thompson came through with his pivotal interception.
Agnew improved to 5-0 as the Aztecs' starting quarterback after completing 7-of-11 passes for 86 yards, while Trevillion, Jasmin and Warring finished with two catches apiece.
Tezino led the SDSU defensive charge with 12 tackles (8 solo), marking his third game this season with double-digit stops and fifth of his career.
SJSU maintained a slim 295-293 advantage in total offense; however, the Aztecs still managed to raise their record to 34-4 since the start of the 2015 season when holding the opposition below 400 yards.
NOTES
- San Diego State is bowl eligible for a ninth consecutive season. The Aztecs have played in a bowl game in a school-record eight straight years.
- SDSU won its sixth consecutive game, which is tied for the eighth-longest active streak in FBS play.
- San Diego State has at least a six-game winning streak in each of the last four seasons (2015-18). Only the Aztecs, Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State have recorded at least a six-game winning streak in every season since 2015.
- This marked Rocky Long's 100th game as the head coach at San Diego State. He is 70-30 (.700) since taking over the program in 2011 and amazingly 45-13 (.776) in conference play (47-13 (.783)) if you count the conference championship games).
UP NEXT
San Diego State travels to Nevada (3-4, 1-2 Mountain West) for a 7:30 p.m. PT contest next Saturday, Oct. 20. The game will broadcast live on ESPNU and Fox Sports San Diego XTRA 1360.