SDSU football looks to get back on track vs No. 16 Oregon State

The Aztecs face the undefeated Beavers in a crucial matchup before beginning Conference play

by Trevor Speetzen, Contributor • September 16, 2023

San Diego State students make noise during action at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9.

After being handed their first loss of the season by UCLA, San Diego State (2-1) looks ahead to their game against No. 16 Oregon State (2-0).

MATCHUP:

San Diego State will be on the road for the first time this season after playing their first three games at Snapdragon Stadium. They enter their matchup against Oregon State after losing to the UCLA Bruins 35-10. The Aztecs are currently fourth in the Mountain West Conference.

Oregon State enters the game undefeated and is ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press College Football Poll. They remain at home for the second consecutive week after beating UC Davis 55-7. They’re currently fourth in the Pac-12 standings.

This will be the sixth ever game between SDSU and OSU with the Beavers leading the all-time series 3-2. SDSU enters the game with an all-time record of 10-65 against top 25 ranked teams and 7-5 against Pac-12 teams since 2016. SDSU head coach Brady Hoke spoke about the keys to winning the game at a Tuesday press conference.

“We can’t give up big plays, number one, from a defensive standpoint,” Hoke said. “The rushing game wasn’t great last week, so we’ve got to do a better job there at the point of attack.”

KEY STATS:

SDSU’s offense currently ranks 115th in the country with an average of 322 yards per game. On defense, SDSU is currently tied for first in the nation with Liberty University for the most turnovers forced, eight for each team. On special teams, Jack Browning’s punt average continues to drop — from 56.3 yards per punt in game one — to 42.3 ypp in game two and then 42 ypp in game three.

OSU’s offense is at the moment unstoppable; they’re averaging 48.5 points per game, 233 rushing yards per game and 461.5 ypg. Their offense has also yet to turn the ball over this season. The defense has only allowed an average of 324 ypg and currently ranks 11th in the country in total defense and sixth in rush defense, allowing only 51.5 ypg. On special teams, their punt returner, Silas Bolden, is one of six players to return a punt for a touchdown this season.

KEY PLAYERS:

SDSU linebacker Zyrus Fiaseu is coming off an amazing game in the loss against UCLA. He had seven tackles in the first half and then finished off the game with 12 tackles. He also forced two fumbles, recovering one of his own, had two tackles for loss and his Pro Football Focus grade 90.5. After having arguably the best game of his career, look for Fiaseu to be a difference-maker on defense against OSU.

OSU running back Damien Martinez entered his sophomore season as the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. After rushing for 982 yards last season, in both games for OSU this season he rushed for over 100 yards, doing so on only seven carries last week against UC Davis. With a current rushing average of 10 yards per carry this season, look for Martinez to try and run through the SDSU defensive line. Coach Hoke spoke highly of Martinez in his press conference.

“He is very impressive,” Hoke said. “He’s a guy who’s very physical, but he’s quick, (with) really good balance, can get in and out of his burst really smoothly and then he’s a physical guy too. He’s not afraid to put it down and run through you.”

Kickoff for SDSU against Oregon State is at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

About the Contributor

Isabella Biunno, '23-24 Photo Editor

Isabella Biunno (she/her/hers) is a photographer for The Daily Aztec. She is originally from Las Vegas, Nevada where she was a part of yearbook and publications for nearly six years. She is a first-year Psychology major with an emphasis in neuroscience, and she plans to go to graduate school for Occupational Therapy. She loves photography, editing, and creating, and she can’t wait to continue shooting content for the DA. One thing she is passionate about outside of photojournalism is being involved in the disability/Autism community. She is a part of SDSU’s Adapted Athletics club, and she worked as an Instructor at a company back home called Inclusion Fusion where she was able to work with people with disabilities. Although her career-related passions fall in the healthcare field, she enjoys taking pictures and covering photo events just as much. She looks forward to expanding her experience as a photographer as well as capturing some astounding shots this year.