HONOLULU — When it rains, it pours, especially for the San Diego State Aztecs, who were completely dominated by the Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors, 38–6, on Saturday at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
In a massive spot, the Aztecs dropped the ball, literally and figuratively. Few could have expected this outcome. San Diego State entered the game riding a six-game winning streak and as the only remaining undefeated team in the Mountain West Conference.
They knew how important this game was, not only to maintain momentum by beating a quality Hawai‘i team, but to take another big step toward clinching the top spot in the conference. Head coach Sean Lewis said after last weekend’s win that a victory in Honolulu could be enough to finally convince the College Football Playoff committee to rank the Aztecs in the Top 25.
Instead, they suffered arguably their worst loss of the season, even more lopsided than their Week 2 defeat to Washington State (36–13). It was the first time all year they were thoroughly outplayed in all four quarters.
After punting on their opening drive, the Aztecs’ defense struck first with a sack from linebacker Owen Chambliss and an interception that led to Gabriel Plascencia’s 42-yard field goal. Chambliss again recorded a sack on the opening play of Hawai‘i’s next drive, but it didn’t slow the Warriors, who answered with a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a nine-yard strike to Jackson Harris in the corner of the end zone.
Quarterback Micah Alejado and Harris continued to torch the Aztecs’ secondary, connecting for two more touchdowns, from 34 and 35 yards out, on Hawai‘i’s next two possessions. Harris surpassed 100 receiving yards before halftime, as the Warriors outgained the Aztecs 300–90 in total yards and held them to 0-for-7 on third downs in the first half.
Playing through a steady downpour, San Diego State’s offense was completely out of sync and failed to score a touchdown for the second time this season, the other being their defensive slugfest win over Northern Illinois.
The Aztecs totaled just 276 yards of offense (135 rushing, 132 passing), much of it coming in garbage time. Something to worry about moving forward is whether this is what the team will look like when the defense isn’t able to deliver the stout, consistent performances it has for most of the season.
Quarterback Jayden Denegal endured his worst game of the season, completing only 37% of his passes (10-for-27) and committing three turnovers, including a pick-six late in the third quarter and a fumble on his final drive before being replaced by Bert Emanuel Jr.
Running back Lucky Sutton led the team with 78 yards on 18 carries, though most came with the game already out of reach. Backs Bryon Cardwell Jr. and Christian Washington combined for just 21 yards on five attempts.
Wide receiver Donovan Brown paced the passing attack with three catches for 60 yards. Leading receiver Jordan Napier was quiet most of the night, recording his first reception early in the third quarter and finishing with three catches for 41 yards.
Defensively, the Aztecs no-showed in their biggest game of the season and failed to hold up their end of complementary football. Early on, the defense had a chance to get off the field on 3rd-and-17, but after forcing an incompletion, CB Bryce Phillips was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, gifting Hawai‘i an easy first down and eventually seven points on the same drive.
Chambliss was the lone bright spot with two sacks, while senior Deshawn McCuin, starting in place of injured cornerback Chris Johnson, had the team’s only interception. Johnson, listed as questionable, ultimately did not play, which allowed Alejado to pick on Phillips, who was beat on two of Harris’ three touchdown receptions.
The Aztecs will look to rebound from this crushing loss when they return to the Mesa next Saturday to host Boise State. As disappointing as this one was, next week’s matchup could determine which team secures the top spot in the Mountain West. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium, with television coverage on CBS Sports Network.