SAN DIEGO — The San Diego State Aztecs get their home rematch against the Oregon State Beavers after the two programs met last season in Corvallis, Oregon. SDSU opened the season with a 45-14 home win over Texas A&M-Commerce, while Oregon State topped Idaho State 38-15 at home.
Game Information
Who: San Diego State Aztecs (1-0) vs. Oregon State Beavers (1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Live updates: https://thesportingtribune.com/team/sdsu/feed/p/1
Latest line: San Diego State +6.5 via BetMGM
TV: CBS Sports Network (cable); Paramount+ (streaming)
Radio: KGB-AM (760), Sirius XM Ch. 391
Aztecs on offense
Senior running back Marquez Cooper set a Snapdragon Stadium record with 223 rushing yards last week while notching two touchdowns — the NCAA's active career rushing leader topped the 100-yard plateau for the 18th time in his career. Freshman quarterback Danny O'Neil finished 22 of 33 passing, including 11 of 12 in the second half, for 214 yards with two touchdowns.
The Beavers defense limited ISU to 82 net rushing yards on 16 attempts and had three takeaways — two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Thomas Collins was tied for the national lead in QB pressures with seven, according to PFF College, as he recorded 0.5 sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss versus ISU.
Aztecs on defense
Two defensive touchdowns by sophomore linebacker Tano Letuli and senior strong safety JD Coffey III were highlights on a night where the Aztecs limited TAMUC to a Snapdragon Stadium-low 180 yards of total offense. They held the Lions to 63 yards rushing on 34 attempts, including minus-1 yards in the second half on the ground.
The Beavers ran the ball 78.3% of the time against the Bengals last week, 58 of 72 plays, and got 100-plus yard games from the running back duo of redshirt senior Jam Griffin (20 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns) and junior Anthony Hankerson (24 carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns). Redshirt junior Idaho transfer Gevani McCoy won the quarterback battle and completed 9 of 10 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown last week.
Prediction
SDSU has to deal with a major injury on their offensive line, as junior left tackle Joe Borjon was lost for the season with an ACL injury. Junior Christian Jones will slide over while junior Miles Murao will likely get the start at left guard (where he did six times last season), with both being vital to ensuring running room for Cooper and passing time for O'Neil. If Oregon State can establish their two running backs and avoid the big turnovers, they'll have a chance to limit SDSU's touches and shorten the game. Beavers by 3.