- Following a 53-20 season-opening victory over Portland State last Saturday night, San Diego State hits the road for the first time of its inaugural Pac-12 season to take on UCLA Saturday at historic Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. PT and will air nationally on Big Ten Network, while also being on San Diego Sports 760, the flagship radio station of San Diego State athletics.
- On July 1, 2026, SDSU officially became a member of the new Pac-12 Conference along with league stalwarts Oregon State and Washington State, as well as Boise State, Colorado State, Gonzaga (for men’s basketball only), Fresno State, Texas State and Utah State.
- UCLA was a long-time member of the Pac-12 before leaving for the Big Ten Conference in 2024.
- The Aztecs (1-0) set a Snapdragon Stadium record with 53 points against the Vikings on Sept. 5.
- After spotting PSU two early field goals, SDSU scored the next 29 points to open a 29-6 lead at the half. San Diego State led, 43-13, after three quarters before largely emptying its bench. In all, 82 different Aztecs played in the game, believed to be a program record.
- SDSU had seven players earn their first career start at San Diego State, while 48 players saw their first action in the Scarlet & Black uniforms. The Aztecs played 14 true freshmen.
- Senior Lucky Sutton scored three rushing touchdowns, the first SDSU player to accomplish that feat since Juwan Washington scored three vs. Sacramento State on Sept. 8, 2018. Sutton has been named to three preseason NFCAA watch lists, including the Maxwell Award (college player of the year), Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award (most outstanding college running back).
- Playing in just his fifth career game, Jaylon Hawkins returned a kickoff 100 yards for his first career touchdown. It was San Diego State’s 15th kickoff return touchdown since 2015, the most in FBS play over that span, but first since Jordan Byrd had one vs. San Jose State on Nov. 12, 2022.
- The Aztecs also blocked two punts - Jelani McLaughlin and Oberhiri Eyafe - both which led to Sutton rushing touchdowns.
- SDSU became the first team in FBS play with two blocked punts and a kick return touchdown in the same game since at least the 2012 season.
- Jayden Denegal threw for an efficient 137 yards, going 12-for-17 with two touchdowns and an interception. Denegal became the first quarterback to start consecutive season openers for San Diego State since Christian Chapman started in three straight season openers from 2016-18. The last Aztec quarterback to start consecutive seasons before Chapman was Ryan Lindley from 2008-11.
- Nathan Acevedo and Justius Lowe each caught touchdown passes from Denegal, while Jordin Thomas scored on a 2-yard run in his first collegiate game.
- Sione Hala led the new-look SDSU defense under first-year defensive coordinator Demetrius Sumler with 10 tackles, while five others had five tackles apiece. Newcomers Mike Lindsay and Isaiah Green each added interceptions for San Diego State.
- The Aztecs return only one starter - DT Malachi Finau - on defense from last season’s team, which recorded an FBS-leading three shutouts. Note that two-time captain Tano Letuli started six games last season, but Owen Chambliss (13 starts) and Mister Williams (8 starts) are listed as the starters since they had the most at the linebacker position. Only six teams in the country returned fewer starters on defense according to a recent athletic communications survey, all with zero, including Colorado, Iowa State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Washington State.
- The victory over Portland State was the seventh consecutive home win for SDSU. The seven-game home win streak is tied for the 16th-longest active streak in the country, their longest since a seven-game win streak from Nov. 18, 2017-Oct. 20, 2018 (final two home games of 2017, first five home contests of 2018) and matches their longest since a 10-game home win streak from Oct. 3, 2015-Nov. 5, 2016.
- San Diego State is outscoring the opposition, 240-61, over the seven-game home winning streak, which averages out to a 34.3-8.7 score.
- This is the 25th meeting between San Diego State and UCLA, with the Bruins owning a 22-1-1 series advantage.
- The Aztecs snapped a 19-game losing streak in 2019 with a 23-14 win in their last visit to the Rose Bowl.
- The teams first met on Oct. 7, 1922, a 25-6 UCLA victory. That game was the 15th game played in SDSU history and the first contest against a current Division I team.
- The Bruins won the first two games in the series before a 13-13 tie at Balboa Stadium on Nov. 15, 1924. UCLA then won 19 straight until San Diego State beat the Bruins in 2019.
- UCLA then won the last meeting by a 35-10 score at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 9, 2023, the season before Sean Lewis became SDSU’s head coach.
- The only current Aztecs to play in that 2023 game were Brady Nassar and Jelani Whitmore. Neither player recorded a stat with Nassar playing a few snaps on defense and Whitmore on special teams.
- San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis began his head coaching career at Kent State in 2018, as the Golden Flashes went 2-10 in his first season at the helm. The following year, Lewis led Kent State to a 7-6 record, including a 6-2 mark in Mid-American Conference play and a berth in the MAC Championship game. The Golden Flashes then went on to win the Frisco Bowl over Utah State, 51-41, the program’s first bowl win in program history.
- Lewis departed Kent State to be the offensive coordinator at Colorado in 2023. Over the last three seasons without Lewis at the helm, the Golden Flashes are 6-31 with a 4-30 mark against FBS teams and a 4-20 record in MAC play. KSU snapped a 21-game losing streak on Aug. 30, 2025 with a 21-17 win over Merrimack out of the FCS.
- UCLA opened the Bob Chesney era with a 45-24 win over California in Berkeley.
San Diego State Set to Take on UCLA at the Rose Bowl
San Diego State meets UCLA at 4:15 p.m. PT Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
