SDSU Holds Fan Fest Scrimmage

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State held its annual Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium, marking the squad’s ninth practice of fall camp and second in full pads.

Defense stole the spotlight in the first half, posting two interceptions and two sacks while limiting the offense to a pair of field goals.

Chris Johnson intercepted Danny O'Neil to thwart the Aztecs’ opening possession, while Jelani Whitmore added a pick of AJ Duffy late in the second quarter to halt another advance.

The offense opened the scoring on its third drive of the evening but was forced to settle for Gabe Plascencia’s 20-yard field goal to cap an eight-play, 94-yard march. Following Kenan Christon’s 16-yard run on a 3rd-and-1 situation, Duffy connected with Baylin Brooks for an electrifying 58-yard gain down to the two.

However, the defense stuffed Jaylon Armstead for a two-yard loss, while two subsequent runs netted just two additional yards, prompting the field-goal attempt.

Later, Nick Lopez split the uprights from 29-yards out to punctuate an 11-play, 63-yard foray under the guidance of O’Neil. The Aztec true freshman kept the drive alive with a 31-yard strike to Jordan Napier on a 4th-and-6 play, while Cam Davis followed with a seven-yard run to get the offense close.

Greater offensive consistency was on display in the second half, as the Scarlet and Black strung together three touchdown drives.

On the Aztecs’ second march of the third quarter and sixth play overall, Armstead burst through a seam on the left side and rumbled 40 yards to the end zone.

Moments later, Jerry McClure hauled in a 26-yard scoring pass from Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson to highlight a 6-play, 53-yard advance.

Tupou’ata-Johnson also directed SDSU’s final touchdown of the scrimmage, as Lucky Sutton rushed four times for 37 yards on the drive, including the final seven yards to pay dirt.

The offense worked on a pair of late-game situations to conclude the festivities. Josh Hunter intercepted O’Neil to stymie that first possession, while Lopez drilled a 38-yard field goal to complete the second. The offense got close for Lopez’s kick thanks to a key 45-yard pass from Duffy to McClure on 3rd-and-15 from its own 32.

SDSU utilized five quarterbacks on the night, as Duffy completed 7 of 12 attempts for 144 yards, while Tupou’ata-Johnson finished with 82 yards on 5-for-9 passing.

Collectively, the Aztecs gained 223 yards on 58 rushing attempts, led by Sutton’s 79 yards on 15 carries, while Armstead ran eight times for 45 yards.

Brooks paced the SDSU receiving corps with six catches for 92 yards, while McClure grabbed five passes for 100 yards.

Defensively, Ezekiel Larry, William Nimmo Jr. and Dalesean Staley finished with six tackles apiece, while Johnson racked up five solo stops.

Larry and Trey White each contributed two sacks, while Sam Benjamin, Kirshna Clay and Jared Badie finished with one apiece.

Tickets are on sale for all six Aztec home games, including season tickets, two or three-game mini-plans and single-game tickets.

The Aug. 31 opener against Texas A&M - Commerce is set for 5 p.m. PT.