SAN DIEGO, CA – Behind another dominant defensive showing and a career night from sophomore running back Lucky Sutton, the San Diego State Aztecs extended their winning streak to six games with a 24-7 Homecoming victory over Wyoming on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
Sutton ran for a career-high 158 yards, including a game-sealing 50-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that put the Aztecs (7–1, 4–0 MW) comfortably ahead. It marked the second straight week Sutton has set a career rushing high after running for 131 yards in last week’s shutout at Fresno State. The San Diego native now has four 100-yard games this season and 289 rushing yards with two touchdowns in his last two contests.
“Good win, another dominant performance by the defense. Aside from that opening drive, I think Wyoming had 49 yards in the second half, which is outstanding,” said head coach Sean Lewis, “Another great step by our players.”
Defense Dominates Once Again
After allowing an early touchdown drive, the Aztec defense clamped down for the remainder of the game, forcing four turnovers and holding the Cowboys (4–5, 2–3 MW) to just 110 total yards after their opening possession. Wyoming failed to score again following its first-quarter touchdown.
Linebacker Owen Chambliss led the defensive effort with a career-high 13 tackles, while Trey White added two sacks to continue his strong campaign as the Mountain West preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
The Aztecs’ defense has now limited opponents to an average of 7.3 points per game over their six-game winning streak, outscoring them 176–44 during that span.
Aztecs Capitalize on Turnovers
San Diego State turned two first-half interceptions into points.
In the first quarter, Brice Phillips picked off a pass to give SDSU possession at the Wyoming 24-yard line. Quarterback Jayden Denegal quickly connected with Byron Cardwell Jr. for a touchdown to tie the game at 7–7.
Early in the second quarter, Dwayne McDougle intercepted another Cowboy pass, setting up a 34-yard field goal by Gabe Plascencia to give the Aztecs a 10–7 lead they would not relinquish.
Later in the half, Jordan Napier scored on a 7-yard rushing touchdown, his first career rushing score, to make it 17–7. Napier has now scored in three different ways for the Aztecs — rushing, receiving, and punt return — and even threw for a touchdown last season.
Sutton’s Late Heroics Seal It
After several defensive stands and missed field goals by Wyoming, the Aztecs turned to Sutton to close the game. With under three minutes remaining, facing 1st-and-15, Sutton broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career, bringing the Homecoming crowd to its feet and putting the game out of reach at 24–7.
Denegal, returning from injury, completed 11 of 22 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown, while guiding SDSU’s balanced attack.
Home Sweet Home
The win keeps San Diego State undefeated at home (4–0) this season, where they’ve outscored opponents 145–31. The Aztecs’ victory also places them in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West during their final season in the conference.
SDSU’s 4–0 start in league play marks just the third time in program history they’ve achieved that milestone (2015 and 2016), both previous seasons culminating in Mountain West championships.
“There’s going to be lots of cleanup this week, because we have to go play a really good Hawaii team and
other future opponents,” said coach Lewis.
Up Next
San Diego State continues its pursuit of another conference title with two more home games remaining at Snapdragon Stadium, where the Aztecs have proven nearly unbeatable this season.
