5 Things to Watch: Aztecs closing in on conference crown as struggling San Jose State comes calling
San Diego State can move one step closer to a Mountain West championship on Saturday night in its final home game of the regular season against San Jose State.
SDSU, which leads the Mountain West with two games remaining in the regular season, put more than 40 points on the scoreboard in two of its conference victories while limiting opponents to a touchdown or less in its three other wins.
Offensive challenges have made the Aztecs rely more on their defense and special teams in recent weeks.
“We’ve won a lot of different ways since I’ve been here,” said SDSU coach Sean Lewis, who evened his Aztecs record at 11-11 with last week’s victory over Boise State. “We’ve had some games this year where we’ve thrown the ball a bunch and we’ve had some high scores, but at the end of the day, what the Aztecs (are) all about, is a team that’s focused, accountable, smart and tough. That’s who we are. That’s what we’re going to be.
“We control our own destiny, and we’ll continue to find ways to win with the personnel that we have, with the way that the availability report looks, and how we’re able to do things week in and week out. It’s our job as coaches to put our kids in position to win.”
San Jose State also has produced fewer points as the season has progressed, but the Spartans’ defense hasn’t been able to make the stops necessary to prevent losses from piling up.
Here are five things to watch when the Aztecs (8-2, 5-1) host the Spartans (6-3, 4-1) at 7:30 p.m.:
1. Team in turmoil?
San Jose State is coming off a 55-10 loss to Nevada, the Mountain West’s last-place team.
Spartans coach Ken Niumatalolo opened his midweek meeting with the media by saying: “I’m surprised there’s people here after our abysmal performance. In my 17 years as a head coach, it’s probably the worst game I’ve ever been involved in.”
“I apologize,” Niumatalolo added. “I’m the head coach, and that’s not the kind of team that I want to put out there. We’re going to work our butts off to get that fixed. The task doesn’t get any easier. … We played the worst team, record-wise, in our conference and we get pummeled. Now we play the best team in our conference. It’s a great challenge for us.”
Part of the challenge is interim defensive coordinator Bojay Filimeatu, who coached at SDSU in 2023. He took over as DC after Derrick Odum was fired on Monday. Special teams coordinator Joe Palcic was also dismissed.
The question is, how do the Spartans respond on defense and special teams? Sometimes players rally together and have their best game of the season. Sometimes they’re just done.
2. Run, run, run
With SDSU quarterback Jayden Denegal banged up and starting wide receivers Jordan Napier and Jacob Bostick out for the season with knee injuries, expect the Aztecs to lean on the run more than ever.
This is no secret.
San Jose State knows it. So did Boise State last week, and SDSU rushed for a season-high 277 yards.
Denegal attempted only 10 passes, due in part to the rainy conditions. SDSU had been averaging 22 passes a game. It’s conceivable that pass attempts will be in single digits if the Spartans do not show an ability to stop the run.
San Jose State ranks in the middle of the Mountain West in rushing defense with 146.5 yards a game.
The Aztecs are averaging 189.7 yards a game, with Mountain West rushing leader Lucky Sutton (197 carries, 1,048 yards, 8 TD) leading the way. Teammates Christian Washington (67-339, 2 TD) and Byron Cardwell Jr. (45-253, TD) have helped carry the load.
Cardwell also has been productive turning screen passes into big gains, with five catches for 108 yards, including a 54-yarder against Fresno State.
3. SJSU’s QB
Week in and week out, the top task for the SDSU defense is stopping the opponent’s running game. But San Jose State’s biggest weapon is quarterback Walker Eget.
Eget, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Santa Clarita, is second in the nation with 301.5 passing yards a game, so putting pressure on him also will be a priority. He has completed 228 of 385 passes (59.2%) for 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Three of the picks came last week against Nevada, when Eget was replaced after completing 11 of 23 passes for 74 yards.
“He’s really, really accurate and he knows the system really well,” Lewis said. “The kid knows the system intimately. He’s got really good touch. He’s got really good ball velocity. You can’t relax when he gets outside the pocket.”
Eget’s favorite target far and away is sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero, who leads the nation in receiving yards (1,155), is tied for third in touchdowns (10) and fifth in receptions (72).
4. Turnovers
Four interceptions and a lost fumble against Nevada spelled disaster for San Jose State.
The Wolf Pack scored 24 points off the turnovers, including a 66-yard touchdown on an interception return (Nevada also had a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD).
One reason for San Jose State’s overall struggles this season is that the Spartans have more giveaways (20) than takeaways (11), with their minus-9 turnover margin ranking tied for 123rd in the nation.
SDSU ranks tied for 37th in the category at plus-3. The Aztecs have 13 takeaways (11 interceptions, 2 fumbles) and 10 giveaways (7 interceptions, 3 fumbles). The margin would be even better but for SDSU’s loss at Hawaii, where the Aztecs committed four of their 10 turnovers.
5. Food for thought
A “Throwback to the Classics” promotion will be evident in a couple ways.
First on food, where special prices will be offered on hot dogs ($2.75), nachos ($3.50), popcorn ($2), 12-ounce sodas ($4) and 12-ounce beers ($10) at Ultra Classics concession stands.
It’ll also be noticeable on the field, where markings will be simpler, representative of different decades of home games. A side benefit is that Snapdragon Stadium’s transformation to soccer will be easier. San Diego FC hosts Minnesota United in Monday night’s Major League Soccer playoff game.
San Diego State (8-2, 5-1) vs San Jose State (3-7, 2-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: 760-AM
