SAN DIEGO – San Diego State's Jalen Mayden threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score to highlight a 52-point scoring bonanza at the Aztecs' annual Fan Fest Scrimmage on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium.
Mayden completed 14 of 26 passes for 154 yards and one interception, directing the Scarlet and Black to touchdowns on its first two offensive possessions, while Kenan Christon paced the SDSU ground attack with 77 yards on 13 carries.
On the Aztecs' opening snap, Mayden set the tone for the night by connecting with Brionne Penny for a 45-yard gain before hitting Mekhi Shaw for a 14-yard touchdown to cap a 5-play, 72-yard drive that consumed just 2:54 on the clock.
Shortly thereafter, Mayden found Phillippe Wesley II on a 14-yard scoring strike to polish off another 72-yard march. Earlier in the series, three straight rushes by Christon netted 21 yards, while Wesley gained 21 additional yards on a reverse.
With SDSU fine-tuning its offense during red zone situations in the fourth period, Mayden scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown and later found Mark Redman alone in the end zone on a six-yard scoring pass to close out the evening.
DJ Ralph also got into the act with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jay Rudolph during a goal-to-go situation after Jaylon Armstead scored on a five-yard run earlier in the same drill.
Armstead finished with 52 yards on 14 carries, while Martin Blake added 26 yards on the ground in nine attempts.
The Aztec scoring outburst also featured a pair of field goals by Jack Browning and Gabriel Plascencia. Browning was successful hit from 37 and 43 yards, while Plascencia split the uprights from 32 and 34 yards out.
SDSU defense also hit pay dirt on two occasions, as Dominic Oliver raced 18 yards to the end zone after scooping up quarterback Kyle Crum's fumble in the first quarter, while Noah Tumblin returned a Tobin O'Dell interception 13 yards for a touchdown late in the second period.
Cody Moon led all defenders with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, while DJ Bryant added eight tackles of his own, followed by Josh Hunter (four solos) and Cedarious Barfield (four solos) with seven apiece.
In all, the Aztec defense registered 16 tackles for loss and tallied four pass breakups. Along with Tumblin's theft, Dez Malone thwarted a drive with an interception of Mayden at the four-yard line, while Brady Anderson also picked off Ralph.
SDSU utilized five signal-callers on the night, combining for 297 yards on 32-of-54 passing with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Baylin Brooks led the Aztec receiving corps with 59 yards on three catches, while Shaw (36 yards) and Cam Davis (31 yards) had five receptions apiece.
San Diego State finished the 2022 season with a 7-6 record and its stretch of 13 consecutive years without a losing season is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
Five of SDSU's first six games will be against teams that made a bowl game in 2022, including four 10-win programs in Ohio (10-4), Oregon State (10-3), Boise State (10-4) and Air Force (10-3), along with UCLA (9-4).
The Aztecs kick off their season on Aug. 26 against Ohio at Snapdragon Stadium, starting at 4 p.m. PT.
Season tickets, single-game tickets and mini-plans are now on sale for the 2023 SDSU football season. Additionally, discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available by contacting the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-7378.
Offense Shines in Aztec Fan Fest Scrimmage
