Team Effort Propels Aztecs Past Colorado State, 45-24

SAN DIEGO – After mustering just two field goals last week, San Diego State’s offense came to life on Friday, scoring touchdowns on four straight drives in the first half to highlight a 45-24 triumph over Colorado State in the Mountain West opener for both teams at Snapdragon Stadium.

With the victory, the Aztecs improve to 4-1 overall, eclipsing their win-total from the entire 2024 campaign (3-9) in head coach Sean Lewis’ first year at the helm. SDSU also won its conference opener for the 10th time in the last 13 years.

In addition, San Diego State remains unbeaten at home with a 3-0 mark, outscoring the opposition 121-24 in that stretch, as the Rams drop to 1-4 on the season.

The Aztecs outgained CSU on Friday, 540-355, marking the first time the Scarlet and Black produced over 500 yards of total offense since a 38-7 rout at Utah State on Oct. 31, 2020. In addition, SDSU maintained a decisive edge on the ground, 281-149, winning its 18th straight game when rushing for over 200 yards.

In a contest featuring a series of superlative performances, Byron Cardwell Jr. led all players with a career-high 129 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown, all in the second half, while Lucky Sutton set a collegiate best as well, rushing for 113 yards on 21 attempts with a pair of scores.

With their efforts, Cardwell and Sutton gave the SDSU its first pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game since for the first time since Sept. 14, 2019, when Jordan Byrd (118) and Chance Bell (116) accomplished the feat at New Mexico State.

Jayden Denegal also helped direct a balanced offense, passing for a career-high 256 yards with two touchdowns after completing 13-of-16 attempts. Jordan Napier was Denegal’s favorite target, hauling in seven receptions for a collegiate-best 153 yards and one touchdown.

Not to be outdone, the Aztec defense flashed its mettle with eight tackles for 44 yards in losses, including four sacks.

SDSU’s big-play potential was on full display in the first half, as Denegal connected with a streaking Donovan Brown on a 45-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline on the Aztecs’ second possession of the game.

SDSU extended its lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter when Christian Washington barreled across the goal line from two yards out, capping a 13-play, 64-yard march. Washington rushed for 28 yards on the drive, while Denegal hit Ryan Wolfer for a 19-yard completion on a 3rd-and-10 situation, which put the ball in the red zone at the Ram 15.

The teams traded scores on their next four possessions, with CSU trimming the deficit to 14-7 courtesy of Jackson Brousseau’s 49-yard scoring strike to Armani Winfield.

However, the Aztecs quickly drove 73 yards in seven plays, culminating in Denegal’s 42-yard touchdown bomb to Napier, which restored their two-touchdown advantage at 21-7.

The Rams followed with a lengthy 15-play march, converting a pair of fourth downs on the drive, including a 10-yard pass from Brousseau to Lavon Brown, which advanced the ball to the SDSU 27. Shortly thereafter, CSU reached the Aztec 9, but on 1st-and-goal, Jalen Dupree was thrown for a four-yard loss by Mister Williams and Owen Chambliss, while Brousseau threw two straight incompletions, before Isaiah Hankins salvaged three points with a 30-yard field goal.

SDSU wasted no time on its next foray down the field, consuming just 41 seconds of clock in three plays before Sutton scampered up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown run, giving the Scarlet and Black a 28-10 cushion with under a minute remaining before halftime Sutton’s scoring burst was set up on the previous play when Denegal connected with Napier on a 61-yard completion.

The Aztecs played ball control in the second half, out-rushing the Rams, 194-46, while maintaining the edge in time of possession (17:35-12:25).

Gabriel Plascencia split the uprights from a career-long 53-yards out on the SDSU’s first possession of the second half for his school-record 19th consecutive field goal, surpassing the previous standard of 18 set by Chris O’Brien in 1984-85.

Following a three-and-out, the Aztecs extended their advantage to 38-10 when Sutton scored his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run, punctuating a 12-play, 75-yard advance. Save for a 10-yard completion from Denegal to Brown, SDSU rushed for 65 yards on the drive, with Sutton (33) and Cardwell (32) getting equal opportunity.

CSU finally responded to the Scarlet and Black’s 17-0 blitz, when Brousseau scrambled four yards for a touchdown at the 12:35 mark of the fourth quarter, with a subsequent two-point conversion narrowing the gap to 38-18.

Cardwell stole the spotlight on SDSU’s ensuing possession, accounting for all 59 yards in four carries, capped by a 20-yard touchdown run that gave the Aztecs an insurmountable 45-18 lead.

The final margin was later settled when Ram backup quarterback Darius Curry found Kory Hall on a 12-yard touchdown pass as time expired.

Defensively, SDSU was paced by Chambliss, who recorded seven tackles, including six solo stops, while Trey White and Niles King recorded two sacks apiece.

The Aztecs did not commit a turnover for the sixth time in the last seven games, improving to 40-8 since 2012 when accomplishing the feat.

Conversely, Dupree finished with 103 yards on 16 carries for CSU, while Brousseau completed 13-of-25 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown in the loss.

San Diego State hits the road next weekend when it travels to the Silver State for a Mountain West showdown with Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada. The Aztecs-Wolf Pack clash will air live on CBS Sports Network with a scheduled kickoff of 7:30 p.m. PT.