SAN DIEGO – San Diego State ushered in a new era of Aztec football with a convincing 53-20 victory over Portland State on a warm Saturday evening at Snapdragon Stadium.
In its first game as Pac-12 Conference members, SDSU flashed its big-play capability, scoring 29 points on four straight possessions in just over a quarter of play to emerge triumphant for the 11th time in its last 12 home openers.
The opportunistic Aztecs capitalized on two blocked punts and an interception while adding a 100-yard kickoff return to record their highest point-total since a 55-0 shellacking of Hawai’i on Nov. 5, 2016 at Qualcomm Stadium.
Despite trailing in time of possession (33:25 to 26:35), SDSU maintained a 394-375 advantage in total offense, including a 237-95 spread in rushing yardage to raise its record to 62-3 in the last 65 games it has collectively run for 200 yards or more.
Individually, Javion Kinnard led the Aztecs’ ground attack with 79 yards on eight carries, while Lucky Sutton added 58 yards on 18 attempts, becoming the first SDSU back to score three rushing touchdowns since Juwan Washington accomplished the feat vs. Sacramento State on Sept. 8, 2018.
After spotting the Vikings (0-2) two first-quarter field goals, the Aztecs stole the momentum on the second play of their third drive and never looked back, as Kinnard weaved his way through a line of tacklers and rambled 55 yards to the PSU 9. Two snaps later, Jayden Denegal connected with Nathan Acevedo on a nine-yard scoring strike to put the Scarlet and Black in front for good, 7-6.
With the Vikings pinned deep on their next possession early in the second quarter, the Aztecs forced a three-and-out, as Jelani McLaughlin broke through to block Emiliano Rodriguez Montanez’s punt. Parker Threatt alertly pounced on the ball at the 1-yard line, while Lucky Sutton scored shortly thereafter on a direct snap to give the hosts a 14-6 advantage.
Portland State answered with a 58-yard advance to the SDSU 17 on its next foray down the field; however, Gavriel Lightfoot threw Delon Thompson for a two-yard loss on a busted fourth-down play to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.
Buoyed by their good fortune, the Aztecs hit pay dirt six plays later when Justius Lowe got behind the defense and hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Denegal, while Bert Emanuel rushed for the ensuing two-point conversion to increase the lead to 22-6 with 8:40 remaining in the period.
SDSU continued its scoring bonanza after Mike Lindsay’s interception of a Gabe Downing pass at the Aztec 46 on the Vikings’ next possession. Emanuel later kept the drive alive with a seven-yard run on a 4th-and-1 situation from the PSU 24 before Sutton scored his second touchdown on a 13-yard sweep, punctuated by a dive across the right pylon, as the Scarlet and Black reveled in a 29-6 lead heading into halftime.
The Vikings, who gained one first down on the first drive of the second half, caught a break of their own when Colton Kennedy recovered a muffed punt at the SDSU 10. Two plays later, Downing hit Terence Loville with 10-yard touchdown pass, trimming the deficit to 29-13.
However, Portland State’s faint comeback hopes were quickly dashed on the ensuing kickoff when Jaylon Hawkins outraced the Viking pursuit for 100-yard touchdown, breaking free along the right sideline before cutting across the field en route to the end zone to give the Aztecs an insurmountable 36-13 advantage. In addition, Hawkins’ heroics provided SDSU with its first kickoff return for a touchdown since Jordan Byrd’s 95-yard scamper against San José State on Nov. 12, 2022.
The resourceful Aztecs created another scoring chance after Oberhiri Eyafe blocked another PSU punt, putting the host school in business at the Viking 30. Given a short field, Sutton quickly extended the SDSU lead to 43-13 when he burst through the left side from five yards out for his third touchdown of the game. The senior running back accounted for 20 yards on the drive, with the Aztecs benefiting from a pass interference penalty as well.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, SDSU tacked on another three points when Cooper DiLeva booted a 31-yard field goal to cap an eight-play, 61 drive. Highlighting the march was Lowe’s 16-yard reception from Denegal and Kinnard’s 11-yard run, sandwiched around another defensive pass interference penalty.
The teams traded touchdowns later in the period when Downing scored on a one-yard run for PSU, while the Aztecs’ Jordin Thomas found the end zone from two yards out, as reserve quarterback Stone Saunders directed a seven-play, 65-yard drive to account for the 53-20 final margin
Denegal finished with 137 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing with one interception, while Saunders completed 2-of-4 attempts for 20 yards.
In addition, Acevedo led the SDSU receiving corps with four catches for 47 yards and one score, while Lowe (56 yds, 1 TD), Donovan Brown (24 yds) and Daishun Davis (18 yds) finished with two receptions each.
Defensively, the Aztecs were paced by Sione Hala’s game-high 10 tackles, including six solo stops, while Lightfoot, McLaughlin, Josiah Cox, Tano Letuli and Carsten Mamaril totaled five tackles apiece.
San Diego State hits the road next week when it battles UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Aztecs-Bruins clash will air live on the Big Ten Network, starting at 4 :15 p.m. PT.