SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego State relied on a stifling defense and timely special-teams plays to grind out a 25–3 victory over San Jose State on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium, closing out its home schedule with one of its most complete performances of the season.
The Aztecs (9-2 Overall 6-1 Conference) held the Spartans without a touchdown, limited them to a single first-half field goal and created constant backfield pressure, setting the tone early in a game dominated by field position. San Jose State (record not provided) struggled to sustain drives, crossing midfield only twice after halftime and finishing with fewer than 250 total yards.
San Diego State opened the scoring with a first-quarter safety, the result of a botched exchange that the Spartans were forced to fall on in their own end zone. The Aztecs capitalized on the ensuing possession, driving 54 yards to set up a short touchdown run that stretched the lead to 9–0. They never trailed.
A pair of second-quarter field goals pushed the margin to 15–3 at halftime, and SDSU’s defense handled the rest. Early in the third quarter, the Aztecs blocked a punt, recovering at the San Jose State 11-yard line. Three plays later, a quick slant for a touchdown made it 22–3. A late field goal in the fourth quarter sealed the final margin.
Head coach Sean Lewis praised the defense’s physicality and discipline, noting that the group “dictated the tempo from the opening snap.” He added, “When we’re flying around like that—tight coverage, smart pressure, winning first down—our whole team feeds off it. This was the identity game we’ve been pushing toward.”
Linebacker Miles Brooks, who led the Aztecs with nine tackles and a forced fumble, said the unit came in motivated. “All week we talked about closing out at home the right way,” Brooks said. “We wanted to make a statement, and I think we did. Everyone trusted the call, trusted each other, and it showed.”
San Diego State now turns its attention to its regular-season finale traveling to New Mexico to faceoff with the Lobos at 12:30pm. San Jose State will look to regroup after one of its lowest offensive outputs of the year as they host a tough Fresno St Bulldogs to end the season at 7:30pm kickoff.
