SAN DIEGO – After turning in a suffocating defensive performance for much of the second half, San Diego State weathered some anxious moments in the waning moments of a 28-21 upset over No. 23/25 Arizona State on Saturday night at SDCCU Stadium.
With the win, the Aztecs (2-1) defeated the Sun Devils for the second year in a row, improving to 4-1 against Pac-12 Conference teams since the start of the 2016 season after Parker Baldwin batted down a Hail Mary pass at the goal line.
SDSU shredded the nation's leading defense against the run, rushing for a 311 yards on 58 attempts after ASU (2-1) entered the contest yielding just an average of 32.5 yards in its previous two games. For the second straight outing, the Aztecs also controlled the ball over 12 minutes longer than the opposition (36:05-23:55) to help key their win.
Individually, Juwan Washington recorded a game-high 138 rushing yards on 27 carries with one touchdown, while Chase Jasmin added a career-best 112 yards on 19 attempts to go with one TD of his own, giving SDSU multiple 100-yard ground gainers for the 29th time in program history, as the Scarlet and Black improved to 28-1 all-time in that statistic.
However, it was the Aztec defense that played a pivotal role, seizing the momentum after a critical fourth down stop at the SDSU 11 with 1:41 remaining in the second quarter.
Trailing 14-7 after ASU scored on 1-yard sneak by quarterback Manny Wilkins, San Diego State managed just one first down before pinning the Sun Devils deep in their own territory on a 51-yard punt by Brandon Heicklen.
Setting up shop on its own five-yard line, ASU drove deep into Aztec territory, aided by 43-yard completion from Wilkins to wide receiver Frank Darby before the SDSU defense came to life. Wilkins, who threw for 227 yards on 17-of-22 passing up to that point, added another eight yards with a quick screen to Kyle Williams on third down. The Sun Devils passed up a short field-goal attempt, and Aztec defensive tackle Myles Cheatum made them pay with a four-yard sack of Wilkins on 4th-and-1.
Buoyed by its good fortune, SDSU methodically marched 85 yards in 11 plays, capped by Ryan Agnew's first career touchdown pass, a nine-yard strike to Tim Wilson Jr. in the right corner of the end zone with just eight ticks left before intermission, which knotted the score at 14-14.
Agnew, who was just 3-of-9 passing for 24 yards in his first career start up to that point, completed 6 of 9 throws for 77 yards on the game-tying drive after starting things off with an 8-yard scramble.
The Aztecs completely dominated the third quarter, limiting the Sun Devils to just 13 total yards and zero first downs on three possessions, maintaining a firm grip on the clock (10:33-4:27).
In the interim, SDSU took the lead for good at 17-14 when John Baron drilled a career-long 54 yard field-goal at the 7:46 mark of the period, which is tied for the second-longest in program history. Agnew had the Aztecs marching once again, threading a pair of 11-yard passes to tight end Parker Houston and fullback Isaac Lessard sandwiched around a 13-yard run by Washington. However, the Aztecs were unable to overcome a 7-yard sack, setting up Baron's long-distance boot.
Baron also connected from 36 yards out on SDSU's first foray of the fourth quarter, extending its advantage to 20-14 with 11:34 to go in the game. With the kick, Baron notched his second straight game with multiple field goals and the 13th time in his career. Washington rushed for 36 yards on the drive, including a four-yard burst on 4-and-1 at the ASU 35 to keep the advance alive.
After holding the Sun Devils to a three-and-out, the Aztecs looked to put the game out of reach as Jasmin took center stage, rushing 11 times for 76 yards on the team's 13-play drive, punctuated by a 3-yard touchdown. After Agnew hit Kahale Warring in the left corner of the end zone for the 2-point conversion, SDSU was seemingly in control 28-14 with just 4:14 left in contest.
ASU finally woke up from its offensive slumber with a quick 82-yard incursion downfield, as Wilkins hooked up with N'Keal Harry for a 7-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 28-21 with 1:39 to go.
After an unsuccessful onside kick, the Aztecs tried to run out the clock and Jasmin appeared to give the host school a clinching first down with a 20-yard run up the middle; however, the Sun Devils' Jay Jay Wilson stripped the ball just before Jasmin hit the ground and Aashari Crosswell recovered at the 23, giving the ASU one final hope with 43 seconds remaining.
The Sun Devils got to midfield and Wilkins appeared to hit Darby with a long throw down to the SDSU 2-yard line with six seconds to go, but a replay review on a Aztec targeting penalty revealed the ball fell incomplete. Then on the final play from the SDSU 35, Baldwin knocked down a Wilkins pass at the goal line, as the Aztec bench erupted in jubilation.
Kyahva Tezino led San Diego State with nine tackles, including two for loss and one sack, while Trenton Thompson (one sack) and Ron Smith added seven stops apiece. In addition, Kyree Woods got into the act with six tackles of his own to go with four pass break-ups.
Offensively, Agnew completed 12 of 24 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown, becoming the first quarterback from a non-Power 5 school to beat a nationally ranked team from a Power 5 conference in his starting quarterback debut since 2009. Warring finished with four catches for 30 yards, while Washington and Ethan Dedeaux added two receptions each.
Conversely, Wilkins paced the Sun Devils with 341 yards passing, completing 31 of 46 attempts for two touchdowns, while Harry hauled in nine receptions for 86 yards and one score. In addition, Frank Darby (5 rec.) led all players with 127 receiving yards, including a 51-yarder to help set up ASU's second touchdown of the night.
However, the Aztecs limited the Sun Devils to just 36 yards rushing, marking their third straight game holding an opponent under 55 yards on the ground.
Earlier, the teams alternated punts the first five possessions of the game before ASU dented the scoreboard on Wilkins' 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk with 41 seconds to go in the first quarter.
SDSU responded with a lengthy scoring march of its own, sustained when the Aztecs gambled on a 4th-and-2 situation from the Sun Devil 18. Agnew hooked up with Warring for a 5-yard gain on a play-action pass, while Washington found the end zone on the very next play with a 13-yard burst up the middle to even the score at 7-7 with 10:28 left in the second period.
THE NOTE
SDSU improved to 4-1 against the Pac-12 since the start of the 2016 season. Included in the four wins are two victories against ranked Pac-12 squads (No. 19/19 Stanford on Sept. 16, 2017 and tonight vs. No. 23/25 Arizona State).
THE NOTE II
Ryan Agnew became the first quarterback from a non-Power 5 school to beat a nationally ranked team from a Power 5 school in his starting debut since USF's B.J. Daniels against No. 18 Florida State on Sept. 26, 2009.
THE QUOTE
"You kick a field goal you're still behind, right? I mean it might have been different if we were playing a conference game. I might have done it differently. But this is a non-conference game and the most important thing to us is to try to win the conference championship. So you get a ranked team and you've got a chance to beat them. Don't be soft. Don't be scared." SDSU coach Rocky Long said.
UP NEXT
San Diego State concludes a three-game homestand with Eastern Michigan (2-1) next Saturday at SDCCU Stadium. The game will be the first meeting between the Aztecs and Eagles.
Aztecs Hold Off No. 23/25 Arizona State, 28-21
