San Diego State and Colorado State made a case for the “efense.”
No “D.” None whatsoever.
It was not a surprise.
Colorado State came into the game with the nation’s worst defense, ranking last (138th) in rushing defense (274.3 ypg), total defense (530.3 ypg) and scoring defense (43.2 ppg).
It made SDSU’s defense pretty by comparison. Well, at least not as ugly. The Aztecs were “only” allowing 172.4 rushing yards (127th), 449 total yards (133rd) and 33.3 points (127th).
Not that that was anything to brag about. In fact, both teams gave up 66 points to an opponent this season — Colorado State last week at Texas State and SDSU two weeks ago at Oregon State.
So was it shocking that the Aztecs and Rams combined for more than 1,000 yards in total offense and put more than 100 points on the scoreboard? No, it was not. The only question was which offense got tired first.
Or which one made the biggest mistake.
SDSU quarterback Stone Saunders, who replaced injured starter Jayden Denegal, threw for more than 300 yards, but he also threw two interceptions. The first one came late in the first half and was returned for a touchdown. That accounted for the margin of difference Saturday in the Aztecs’ 56-49 loss to Colorado State before an announced crowd of 33,720 at the Rams’ Canvas Stadium.
The Aztecs (3-5, 2-2 Pac-12) produced their biggest offensive night of the season in points (49) and yards (565) against an FBS opponent, but that wasn’t enough to prevent Colorado State (3-4,1-2 Pac-12) from ending its four-game losing streak.
Even in defeat, Saunders (23-for-33 passing, 369 yards, 2 TDs/2 INTs) made his first college start a memorable one, delivering the ball on targets short, long and in between. Jaylon Hawkins (six catches, 164 yards, TD) was his favorite target. Lucky Sutton (22 carries, 98 yards, 2 TDs) and Javion Kinnard (11 carries, 94 yards, 2 TDs) balanced the offense with their rushing.
San Diego State running back Javion Kinnard (21) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in Saturday’s game vs. Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo. (Justin Truong, SDSU athletics)
The SDSU defense allowed 549 yards in total offense, watching Colorado State quarterback Hauss Hejny pass for 333 yards and three touchdowns and run for another 85 yards and two TDs. CSU running back Durell Robinson gained 86 yards as the Rams finished with 216 yards on the ground.
Most puzzling, perhaps, was SDSU’s poor tackling.
“Obviously, we didn’t play well enough in all three phases to get the job done,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said after the game to San Diego Sports 760. “There were some untimely errors there that led to points and swings in momentum, so we’ve got to clean up and we’ve got to get better, with some bright spots to be excited about. Hard to be excited about certain things when the No. 1 goal is to win.”
Colorado State came out and sliced through the SDSU defense like a warm knife through butter, going 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. SDSU came right back with a 75-yard, six-play drive that concluded with running back Lucky Sutton’s 5-yard touchdown run to make it 7-7 seven minutes into the game.
That set the tone for a first half that included 583 yards in total offense and eight touchdowns.
The Rams have averaged 35 points a game this season. They had that by halftime, taking a 35-24 lead at intermission.
San Diego State quarterback Stone Saunders throws during the first half of Saturday’s game against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo. (Justin Truong, SDSU athletics)
An SDSU offense that has sputtered in the first half of games this season hummed during the first two quarters in Fort Collins. Was it a spark provided by Saunders, making the first start of his college career, or the fact the Aztecs were facing the nation’s worst defense? Probably some combination of both.
Saunders was backed by the rushing of Sutton and Kinnard, who scored twice in the first half for the Aztecs on runs of 19 and 32 yards. SDSU still had a problem: the Aztecs defense couldn’t stop Colorado State.
Hejny returned after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury and picked up like he hadn’t missed a down, completing 14 of 17 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Hejny finally made a mistake late in the second quarter when SDSU cornerback Mike Lindsay reached for a high throw and came away with an interception.
SDSU trailed 28-24 at the time and the pick gave the Aztecs the ball near midfield and an opportunity to regain the lead before going into the locker room.
Disaster struck two plays later, however, when Colorado State safety Tre’Shawn Moore jumped a short pass and returned the interception 38 yards for a touchdown that provided the Rams with an 11-point lead.
It dampened a solid starting debut for Saunders.
“He did a good job … I’ve got to help him and put him in a better position there at the end of the first half so that he doesn’t have that pick-six,” Lewis said. “The second (interception), he’s got to do a good job with the decision-making process. But all in all, he gave us a chance to win and did a really nice job of preparing for this opportunity.”
SDSU settled for Cooper DiLeva’s 46-yard field goal to open the second half. That made it 35-27, but it didn’t exactly mean the defenses were stiffening.
Colorado State came right back with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Hejny to Robinson. Score: CSU 42, SDSU 27.
Then Saunders dropped a 43-yard pass into the arms of Hawkins at the right corner of the end zone for an Aztecs touchdown. Score: CSU 42, SDSU 34.
Then Hejny scored on a 4-yard run. Score: CSU 49, SDSU 34.
That came eight seconds into the fourth quarter.
Then Saunders hit Jordan Napier with a 24-yard touchdown pass and followed it with a two-point conversion throw to Bert Emanuel Jr. Score: CSU 49, SDSU 42.
Then Hejny ran for a 30-yard touchdown. Yeah, his hamstring is healed. Score: CSU 56, SDSU 42.
Nearly nine minutes remained in the game.
SDSU was driving again when Saunders had a pass tip off Hawkins’ fingertips and into the arms of Colorado State’s D’Mon Brinson, who returned the interception to the SDSU 3-yard line. The Rams were in position to seal the deal, but Hejny fumbled the ball back to SDSU at the 1-yard line.
Then SDSU drove the length of the field — 99 yards in 16 plays — before scoring on a seven-yard run by Sutton. Score: CSU 56, SDSU 49.
And on its final drive, Colorado State rested. The Rams were content to run out the final 1minute, 57 seconds for the victory.
Notable
Saunders had SDSU’s first 300-yard passing game in more than 3 1/2 seasons. The previous one came in the 2022 Hawaii Bowl, when Jalen Mayden threw for 307 yards against Middle Tennessee.
Up next
SDSU hosts Washington State on Halloween, with a 4 p.m. kickoff at Snapdragon Stadium. The Cougars (1-7, 0-4) suffered their fifth straight loss, falling 31-10 at home to No.21 Boise State. Washington State was limited to 244 yards in total offense, including only 53 rushing yards.