- Fresh off a hard-fought 26-23 rivalry victory over Fresno State, San Diego State travels to Fort Collins to play Colorado State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. MT (3:30 p.m. PT) and will air on the CW and San Diego Sports 760, the flagship radio station of San Diego State athletics.
- The Aztecs (3-4) are in sole possession of third place in the Pac-12 standings with a 2-1 league record, trailing only Oregon State (3-0) and Boise State (2-0).
- On Saturday for Homecoming at Snapdragon Stadium, Cooper DiLeva nailed a career-long 53-yard field goal with 57 seconds left as SDSU retained the Old Oil Can trophy with a 26-23 win over the Bulldogs (4-3, 1-2 Pac-12).
- It was one of a program-tying four field goals for DiLeva, who entered with four career field goals in his first six games. The 53-yarder was the longest by an Aztec kicker in the fourth quarter of a one-score game in program history and tied for the seventh-longest field goal in program history. He was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
- It was the third consecutive win in the series for San Diego State, its longest streak since winning four straight from 1995-98.
- The Aztecs outgained Fresno State, 384-276, and led for 40 minutes, 12 seconds of the game.
- SDSU had a season-high six “explosive plays” (scrimmage plays of at least 20 yards) and allowed a season-low two.
- Lucky Sutton, who had missed three of the previous four games with an injury, ran for a season-high 110 yards on 18 carries (6.1 avg.). It was the seventh 100-yard game of his career.
- Javion Kinnard chipped in with 77 yards on 14 attempts (5.5 avg.) as San Diego State rushed for 204 yards, improving to 59-1 in its last 60 regular-season games when rushing for at least 200 yards.
- Quarterback Jayden Denegal was an efficient 7-for-10 for 112 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions before exiting in the second quarter with an injury, while backup quarterback Stone Saunders finished 6 of 11 for 61 yards.
- Jaylon Hawkins posted career highs of six catches and 84 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown.
- Three-time captain Tano Letuli led the Aztec defense with 11 tackles, including one of a season-high six sacks for SDSU as the 276 yards allowed were its fewest this season.
- Kai Wallin had the first three sacks of his career, the most by a San Diego State player since Trey White had three vs. Hawai’i on Oct. 5, 2024, and tied for the fifth most in a game in program history. Wallin was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
- San Diego State went 1-3 in its non-conference play, facing a difficult schedule. After beating Portland State, 53-20, with the most points in Snapdragon Stadium history in the opener on Sept. 5, San Diego State fell to UCLA, 28-10, at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 12. The Aztecs held the Bruins scoreless in the first half, the first non-conference opponent to do that at the Rose Bowl since Tennessee on Sept. 9, 1989. UCLA, which at 6-0 is ranked ninth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, finished with 365 yards and 28 points vs. SDSU. In their other five games this season, the Bruins are averaging 462.0 points and 37.0 points per game.
- San Diego State then returned to Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 19 and saw its seven-game home winning streak snapped in a 26-13 loss to James Madison. Playing without three offensive starters in LG Kalan Ellis (now 33 career starts), WR Donovan Brown (now 21 career starts) and RB Lucky Sutton (now 17 career starts), the Aztecs struggled out of the gate with two turnovers in the first half and allowing the Dukes to score on their first three possessions. After trailing, 19-0, at the half where it was outgained, 281-163, SDSU regrouped in the second half, outgaining JMU, 238-136, before eventually falling, 26-13. James Madison is 7-0 this season, receiving votes in both national polls, has won 19 of its last 21 games (19-2) and made the College Football Playoff in 2025.
- San Diego State then made the trip to the Eastern Time Zone to Toledo, Ohio, falling to the Rockets, 41-16. Toledo, which has the 18th-best overall winning percentage in FBS play since 2015 at .660 (95-49) and only trailing Boise State (.730), Appalachian State (.689) and Memphis (.685) among the non-Power 4 schools, extended its home winning streak to nine games (average winning margin of 34.2 points). It was tied for the 10th-longest active home winning streak in the country after the win. The Rockets are now 5-2.
- The Aztecs’ three FBS non-conference opponents have combined to go 18-2, including a 15-2 record in games not involving SDSU.
- SDSU only returned one starter from a defense that posted an FBS-leading three shutouts a year ago in DT Malachi Finau (note that 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 in the 5-2-3 defense). The one returning starter is tied for the seventh-fewest in the country on defense with only Colorado, Iowa State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Washington State returning zero defensive starters.
- Linebacker Sione Hala leads the Pac-12 with 68 tackles, while Letuli, the first three-time Aztec captain since current Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was a four-time captain from 2004-07, is second with 60 stops.
- Offensively, San Diego State has struggled to find consistency. A year after being just one of eight schools to start the same starting five on the offensive line in every regular season game (also Duke, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Old Dominion and Texas Tech), the Aztecs have already started five different offensive lines in seven games this year.
- SDSU running backs Lucky Sutton and Javion Kinnard have shown their resilience in the backfield. Last year, Sutton rushed for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to being named a Doak Walker Award semifinalist for the most outstanding college running back. 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. He enters the weekend with 1,757 yards and 15 touchdowns on 354 attempts (5.0 avg.). Sutton is ranked 19th all-time at San Diego State in rushing yards and just outside the top 20 in rushing touchdowns. Sutton missed the James Madison game, snapping a streak of 16 consecutive starts, and then exited early at Toledo after earning the start before not suiting up against Texas State on Oct. 3 or at Oregon State Oct. 10. He had 110 yards in his return last week vs. Fresno State.
- Kinnard, meanwhile, had a breakout game against James Madison on Sept. 19, running for 181 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries (5.5 avg.). The 181 rushing yards are the most by an Aztec since Marquez Cooper had 223 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce in the 2024 opener. His 251 all-purpose yards are tied for the ninth most in a game this season, most by a SDSU player in Snapdragon Stadium history, second most in Snapdragon Stadium (Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty had 254 on Sept. 22, 2023) and most by an Aztec since Rashaad Penny had 283 in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl against Army West Point. He also left the Toledo game early and did not play vs. Texas State, before coming off the bench to carry 11 times for 43 yards at OSU and 14 times for 77 yards (5.5 avg.) last week vs. Fresno State.
- Against Texas State on Oct. 3, Josiah Lucas, who entered the season fifth on the depth chart, became the first San Diego State true freshman running back to start (and get at least one carry) since Donnel Pumphrey in 2013. He ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the first Aztec true freshman with a 100-yard game since Pumphrey did it three times in 2013.
- Jayden Denegal is 12-7 as the team’s starting quarterback. The two-time captain is 83-for-151 (55.0 pct.) for 899 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions for a 113.7 pass efficiency rating.
- SDSU has started six different wide receivers with Nathan Acevedo leading the way with 17 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns.
- Overall, San Diego State has had 34 different players earn starts through seven games for various reasons, including 20 on offense and 14 on defense.
- Saturday is the 39th meeting between the Aztecs and Colorado State with SDSU owning a 23-15 advantage.
- San Diego State has won eight of the last 10 games in the series and 11 of the last 14 meetings.
- The Rams (2-4, 0-2 Pac-12) have lost four straight games after starting 2-0.
- CSU last played on Oct. 15 at Texas State, a 66-27 loss, and has only played twice in the month of October (also a 66-26 loss to Oregon State on Oct. 3).
San Diego State Travels to Fort Collins to Meet Colorado State on Saturday
The Aztecs (3-4, 2-1 Pac-12) and Rams (2-4, 0-2 Pac-12) kickoff at 4:30 p.m. MT (3:30 p.m. PT) on Saturday in Fort Collins, Colorado.
