San Diego State begins the second half of the season with Saturday afternoon\u2019s game against Fresno State, a school that also has plenty to play for down the stretch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe great work that our kids have done has positioned us for a really cool back half of the season,\u201d SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. \u201cIt\u2019s why these guys came here, to restore pride in the program and to come on the back stretch here to kick this thing off with this opponent this week, and a game of this magnitude, is really, really cool.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcited for the stage that our kids get to play on with the game, getting moved to the 12:30 local kick. I\u2019m excited for the environment and all that lays ahead. The guys did a great job during the work week last week, refining the plan, getting healthy, continuing to develop our skills, and are eager for the second half of the climb here. We\u2019re just getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n
While college football is changing at warp speed, Lewis remains excited for moments like this one against a Fresno State team the Aztecs to a man refer to as \u201cThe Team Up North.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the weeks that make college football special, regardless of all the other things that we talk about with the transfer portal and NIL, which are cool, the way the game has evolved,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cAt the core of it are these rivalry games that you get to be a part of that are bigger than yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty humbling when you get to step into a chapter in the history of this rivalry that\u2019s been going on since 1923 and to leave a mark that will be remembered for a long time. I\u2019m excited for the opportunity, excited for the kids, most importantly, and really excited for the work that lays ahead so we can go earn the right to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Aztecs (5-1, 2-0 MW) are 3-point favorites over Fresno State (5-2, 2-1 MW). Here are five things to watch:<\/p>\n
1. Fast start<\/p>\n
SDSU would do well to follow the blueprint from its first two Mountain West games this season \u2014 start fast.<\/p>\n
The Aztecs scored 28 first-half points against Colorado State and 35 points in the opening two periods against Nevada.<\/p>\n
SDSU\u2019s offense came alive against the Rams, producing two passing and two rushing touchdowns. The Aztecs were active in all three phases against the Wolf Pack, scoring on a punt return, an interception return, a pair of passes and a run.<\/p>\n
Such a showing against Fresno State would make the Bulldogs one-dimensional, forcing them to abandon a productive running game led by sophomore Bryson Donelson (85 carries, 405 yards, 3 TDs) and junior Rayshon \u201cSpeedy\u201d Luke (59-384, 5 TDs).<\/p>\n
Colorado State proved as much in its 49-21 win over the Bulldogs, taking a 35-7 first-half lead. Fresno State ended up rushing for only 119 yards on 31 attempts. Quarterback E.J. Warner threw for 350 yards, but the Bulldogs weren\u2019t able to pass themselves back into the game.<\/p>\n
2. SDSU\u2019s QB1<\/p>\n
SDSU quarterback Jayden Denegal has progressed with each passing week, showing more poise and precision while stacking solid performances.<\/p>\n
He has completed 77% of his passes during SDSU\u2019s four-game winning streak, with a passer rating of 190.1. That would rank No. 1 in the nation over a full season.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust through the snaps throughout the year, I\u2019ve just gotten more and more comfortable,\u201d Denegal said. \u201cReally, through our process in practice, having good practice to have the confidence to go out there and do it on game day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denegal has protected the football, throwing only two intrerceptions (both at Northern Illinois). He also has benefited from not being asked to do too much, aided by a solid running game as well as one of the nation\u2019s best defenses.<\/p>\n
3. Availability<\/p>\n
SDSU\u2019s offensive depth could be tested with wide receiver Jacob Bostick and running back Christian Washington both listed as questionable on Thursday night\u2019s availability report. Their status will be updated three hours before kickoff.<\/p>\n
Bostick (11 catches, 157 yards, 3 TDs) is the team\u2019s third-leading receiver and Washington (49 carries, 201 yards, 2 TDs) is its third-leading running back.<\/p>\n
Lucky Sutton (105-531, 6 TDs) and Byron Cardwell (32-202, 2 TDs) are capable of shouldering the rushing load.<\/p>\n
If Bostick can\u2019t go, perhaps Myles Kitt-Denton will fill the void. Kitt-Denton made an impact in spring ball and fall camp, but had only one reception during the season\u2019s first six games. SDSU\u2019s leading receivers are Jordan Napier (37 catches, 553 yards, 2 TD) and Donovan Brown (16-198, TD).<\/p>\n
SDSU linebacker Brady Anderson must sit out for the first half of the game because of a targeting ejection in the second half against Nevada. Linebacker Tano Letuli, sidelined last game with an upper body injury, was not listed on the report and expected to return to the lineup.<\/p>\n
Fresno State could be without starting safety Ryan Wilson (14 tackles) and wide receiver Ezekiel Avit (19 catches, 197 yards), who were both listed as questionable. Bulldogs linebacker K\u2019Vion Thunderbird is out after starting seven straight games at linebacker. He\u2019s second on the team in tackles (32) and shares the team lead with two interceptions.<\/p>\n
![\"Fresno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761334508_341_SUT-L-azfoot-1022-02.jpg\")
Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner (13) passes while under pressure from Kansas defensive end Justice Finkley, left, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)
\n4.Turnovers<\/p>\n
Fresno State is among half a dozen Mountain West teams troubled by turnovers. The Aztecs play all six of them \u2014 San Jose State (12), Wyoming (12), Fresno State (14), Hawaii (14), Nevada (16) and New Mexico (16).<\/p>\n
The six teams rank among the bottom 20 nationally in giveaways.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs have thrown nine interceptions. Only five teams in the country have had more passes picked off. Fresno State\u2019s five lost fumbles rank tied for 97th. Fresno State had four turnovers in its 49-21 loss to Colorado State. Warner was responsible for all of them, with three interceptions and a lost fumble that was returned for a touchdown.<\/p>\n
The Aztecs have committed only two turnovers this season. Only Temple and UConn, with one apiece, have protected the ball better.<\/p>\n
5. What a win means<\/p>\n
An SDSU victory would give the Aztecs the requisite six wins necessary for bowl eligibility. SDSU was bowl eligible for a school-record 13 straight years from 2010-2022 before going 4-8 and 3-9 the past two seasons.<\/p>\n
Twenty-five schools have already reached six wins this season, including UNLV and Hawaii from the Mountain West. Twenty-eight others are a win away, including the Aztecs, Fresno State and Boise State in the MW.<\/p>\n
There are 35 bowl games this season, not including those used for the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 12-team playoff.<\/p>\n
The Mountain West champion has a chance to earn a playoff bid if the MW is among the five highest-rated conferences. A team from the AAC has the edge for the G5 berth at this point.<\/p>\n
The Mountain West has postseason tie-ins with the Arizona Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, L.A. Bowl and New Mexico Bowl as well as a backup position for the Rate Bowl if the Big Ten or Big 12 can\u2019t fulfill commitments.<\/p>\n
The Rainbow Warriors are expected to stay in Honolulu to play in the Hawaii Bowl. It is too early to guess how the other slots could be filled, although that won\u2019t stop the predictions.<\/p>\n
San Diego State (5-1, 2-0) vs. Fresno State (5-2, 2-1)<\/p>\n
When:\u00a012:30 p.m. Saturday<\/p>\n
Where:\u00a0Valley Children\u2019s Stadium, Fresno<\/p>\n
TV:\u00a0Fox Sports 1<\/p>\n
Radio:\u00a0760-AM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Diego State begins the second half of the season with Saturday afternoon\u2019s game against Fresno State, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21817,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[1327,112,114,113,181,305,127,1696],"class_list":{"0":"post-21816","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-college-sports","9":"tag-fresno","10":"tag-fresno-headlines","11":"tag-fresno-news","12":"tag-latest-headlines","13":"tag-sdsu-aztecs","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-top-stories-sdut"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}