The SDSU Aztecs run out to the field led by QB Jayden Denegal with the Warrior Shield. Credit: Brandon Pollard/EVT
GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, November 1
Location: San Diego, Snapdragon Stadium
Kickoff: 4:00 PM PT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760
Bowl-Bound and back in town. SDSU is back home for the first time in 30 days. They are coming off back-to-back road wins that extended their current win streak to five. This week is also Homecoming on the Mesa, and with the time between the last home game, this could be a very large crowd in Mission Valley.
“Good to be back home on the mesa, excited for a historic homecoming week and to be back in front of our great city and our great crowd with a rivalry trophy back in the building,” Lewis stated on his Monday press conference after returning to San Diego with the “Old Oil Can”. “Obviously, a lot went into that, not just the past couple of weeks as we prepared, but ever since we got here, the guys embraced it. Went all in with it. We talked a ton about how that game, like all rivalry games, was going to be its own unique journey of 1000 individual steps. I thought our kids did a great job. The staff did a great job of weathering the ups and downs of the game.”
This season has been a complete 180 in many areas. Most notably, what the fans care most about is the win column. At 6-1, the Red and Black are tied for first place in the Mountain West with Boise State. The Broncos (6-2) have played one more game than SDSU so far, and they are set to have a bye week after this week’s matchup with Fresno State. The two teams will face off at Snapdragon Stadium on November 15th in a game that could be for first place in the conference.
This week, though, Wyoming is coming to Snapdragon Stadium for an early 4:00 kickoff time. The Cowboys play a tough style of complementary offense with a split between ground and pound and an aerial attack.
“Wyoming does a great job of playing complementary offense,” Lewis stated of the Cowboys’ offensive ability. “They have a tremendous downhill run game with inside zone and counter schemes. They do a really good job of matching and marrying their downfield play-action shots off of that. It’s hard, especially if you’re not in a situation where the schedule is advantageous to you, where you know that it’s going to be more pass-heavy, which their offense does a tremendous job of staying on schedule and then presenting the same as window dressing or post-snap configuration.”
On defense, they are tough up front with a good rush and have a secondary that can make plays on the football and create turnovers, as they have seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries so far.
Last season, SDSU only had one win on the road. That win came in Wyoming in a back-and-forth game that the Aztecs won 27-24 after a game-winning field goal from Gabriel Plascencia. Jordan Napier also had a great game as he caught four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
This matchup will be a tough-fought game that will be won by the team that can play well in all three phases of the game and protect the football. Snapdragon should be loud with lots of fans hyped off the success of this year’s team so far, and the homecoming festivities.
Credit: Don De Mars/ EVT Sports
Keys To The Game
With the physical style of running the Cowboys will be bringing Saturday, it will be a top priority to slow it down early and often. The run game is the head of the dragon, and if you can cut off the head, the rest of the body will die.
“We have to do a good job with our keys. We have to do a good job stopping the run first and foremost, and then converting to a pass rush,” Lewis said on how to slow down the offense. “It’s going to take all 11 guys playing collectively together to generate the rush that’s needed and to be sticking in coverage and be great with our eyes in the back end because of all the lookalikes that they do have.”
Freshman Phenom Samuel Harris leads the backfield for Wyoming. The star running back has 430 rushing yards and one touchdown so far. He’s also coming off back-to-back weeks being named the Old Trapper Mountain West Freshman of the Week.
He isn’t alone in the backfield, though, as Sam Scott and Terron Kellman both have impressive stats as well. Scott has rushed for 346 yards and two touchdowns, and Kellman leads the running backs with four touchdowns and 302 yards.
SDSU has held opponents’ rushing attacks to an average of 88.4 yards per game. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have been averaging 157.8 yards per game, nearly double.
If the Aztecs can continue to stuff the run against this Wyoming team, that will halt the rest of the offense that is set up on the success of the run.
The next key to the game goes hand-in-hand with the first, and that is to apply pressure on the quarterback once they can force the pass game more.
Sophomore quarterback Kaden Anderson is the shot caller for the offense. Through eight games, he is seventh in the Mountain West Conference for passing yards per game with 204.25. Anderson has thrown for 1,634 yards, 11touchdowns and six interceptions.
With Anderson’s lack of good decision-making when the run game breaks down, the secondary for SDSU could be in for a huge night if the big guys up front, like Trey White, August Salvati, and company, can get to the quarterback.
“We’re just going to do our thing. There’s nothing really that we have to game plan too heavily for one player because they do spread the ball around,” Senior safety Eric Butler explained of what they will focus on. “We are just going to play our defense, read our keys, do our job.”
San Diego State has three shutouts this season, with two of them being at home against Stony Brook, a team with a preseason All-American running back and a high-powered offense in the University of California. The team has shown its ability to shut down specific facets of an offense to render it useless, and this week, they will be asked to do that again in front of a large crowd for homecoming.
Chris Johnson pauses after a big hit. (PJ Panebianco/EVT)
Players To Watch
Johnson was just named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation’s most outstanding defensive back. He has had an excellent year so far, as he has amassed 33 total tackles, three interceptions, and a forced fumble. He has been great in coverage and has been one of the highest-rated cornerbacks week in and week out.
Johnson uses his size and speed to blanket receivers and break up passes. His ability to make open field tackles and tackles for loss makes him a big-time impact player on defense. Not only can he make the tough tackles, but has the ability to knock the ball loose and force turnovers. Last season, he forced three fumbles and has done it once already with six games remaining, including the bowl game.
His most impressive play this season came on a 97-yard “pick six” against the Golden Bears when he intercepted Sagapolutele Jaron-Keawe in the third quarter. His other two interceptions came against Northern Illinois and Nevada.
If the defense can apply pressure and get to Anderson, look for Johnson to be in for a big night. His ability to break on the ball and put himself in positions to make big plays shows in every contest, and this quarterback may give him a few opportunities to do so.
On the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys, Johnson is a one-man wrecking crew. Standing at 6’3 and weighing in at 248 pounds, the senior linebacker can do major damage.
He has a total of 49 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. He can cover the field sideline to sideline, does well in coverage, and plugs up holes to stop the run or pressure the quarterback.
This season, the Red and Black offensive line has been much better than last season in overall performance and health. The line this week will have its hands full with the Cowboys.
“Both the biggest thing from this year to last year is the continuity,” Lewis said as the most contributing factor to the O-line’s success this year. “Last year in the 12 games, we played seven or eight different combinations, so it’s hard for those guys to play as one. When guys were banged up. They were up at practice. They were down at practice. Some guys started games. Some guys couldn’t finish games. The biggest piece this year has been the continuity of all five of those guys remaining healthy and continuing to grow and develop and get better each and every single day.”
Accounting for Johnson and other playmakers on the defense for Wyoming will be the building blocks for setting up the offense for success this week. Picking up blitzes and being on the same page will allow Jayden Denegal the time he needs to survey the field and make the best decision with his throws.
Johnny is born and raised in San Diego and a diehard fan of all his hometown teams. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia that help paint a picture of the history of sports in San Diego. He spends a lot of his time attending sports games across San Diego county and enjoys studying the history and spreading knowledge of San Diego’s diverse sports.
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