SAN DIEGO – The wins keep coming for San Diego State, as the Aztecs earned their sixth straight victory — and seventh of the season — with a 24-7 win over Wyoming on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
With the victory, SDSU now stands alone as the only undefeated team in Mountain West Conference play following Boise State’s loss to Fresno State earlier in the day. For head coach Sean Lewis, the Aztecs’ 7-1 start ties the program’s best eight-game stretch since 1975.
"It's great to have another one, six in a row, as we go into the fourth quarter of the season and to be in the pole position that we are," Lewis said. "Ultimately, that doesn't matter. We've got to get a heck of a lot better as we go forward."
Despite the comfortable final score, it wasn’t the cleanest win of the season. The Aztecs overcame a few offensive miscues thanks to another dominant defensive effort, who entered the game third in the nation in total defense and allowed Wyoming to only have 185 yards for the game. One of the nation’s most consistent units, SDSU’s defense forced four turnovers against the Cowboys.
The Scarlet and Black allowed a touchdown on Wyoming’s opening possession, just the second time all season they’ve surrendered points on an opening drive and the first time they’ve allowed a touchdown, before shutting the door the rest of the way. The Cowboys managed 63 yards on their other eight drives combined in the first half.
"We know we've got each other's backs and we know that's not acceptable," SDSU edge Trey White said on Wyoming's opening drive. "Once we settled in, we just locked in and (gave up) zero points after that."
San Diego State’s first 17 points were set up by a pair of interceptions from senior Bryce Phillips and junior Dwayne McDougle, along with a missed Wyoming field goal. The Aztecs capitalized with a six-play, 67-yard drive capped by a 7-yard rushing touchdown from wideout Jordan Napier.
"We really thrive off the defense's energy," SDSU running back Lucky Sutton said. "When they make a play, we're like we have to make a play now. We're really, really thankful for this defense. They do a great job and we're really appreciative of them."
Linebacker Owen Chambliss, who led the team with 13 tackles, grabbed SDSU’s third interception just before halftime. The final turnover came in the fourth quarter when defensive tackle Malachi Finau forced a fumble with a crushing hit on quarterback Michael Fitzgerald.
Sutton was the offensive star of the night, setting career highs with 28 carries and 158 rushing yards. He sealed the win late in the fourth quarter with a 50-yard touchdown run, the longest scoring play of the season for the Aztecs.
Quarterback Jayden Denegal endured an uneven performance, throwing two interceptions and completing just 50% of his passes (11-for-22) for 194 yards and a touchdown. Despite a sack-free night from the offensive line, Denegal struggled with decision-making and accuracy at times.
Napier, who added a rushing touchdown, caught four passes for 43 yards on eight targets. Wide receiver Donovan Brown and running back Byron Cardwell Jr. each outgained him, with Cardwell taking a 24-yard screen pass to the end zone for SDSU’s opening score.
Defensively, the Aztecs recorded three sacks, two from White, who now leads the team with six, and one from Ryan Henderson.
Kicker Gabriel Plascencia extended his streak to 26 consecutive made field goals with a 34-yarder before narrowly missing a 23-yard attempt, ending the nation’s longest active streak.
Now sitting atop the Mountain West, the Aztecs face two pivotal matchups that could decide the conference race, at Hawaii next week before returning home to host Boise State. With their consistency and 7-1 record, SDSU is eyeing a potential spot in the national top 25.
"They best thing about that is we're 7-1 and we still haven't played a complete game as a team in all three phases," White said. "The locker room wasn't as excited as it usually is because we know we can play so much better."
Kickoff against Hawaii is scheduled for 8 p.m.