A pair of ambitious junior players have had to be patient in finding a home to play D1 NCAA Football. In addition to playing football at different programs before San Diego State, wide receiver Jacob Bostick and safety Dalesean Staley both share the ambition to take on the next opponent, the Washington State Cougars. 

“We come in every week with a game prep. We go over routines and look at them. Throughout the week, we’ll prepare for it because we got a good team and good coaching staff who will figure those out. We’ll be prepared for it,” Staley said in Monday’s press conference. 

Staley tallied two pass breakups against FCS program Stony Brook in a blowout 42-0 victory. The upcoming opponent for the Aztecs, Washington State, also known as Wazzu, played in a close contest last week at home against FCS school Idaho. 

“It was just a team that wanted it more. Idaho-Wazzu was a good game. Idaho put up a good fight against them (Washington State) and it just had to come to the end of, ‘which team wanted it more?’ With that example, Wazzu wanted it more,” Staley said as the Cougars ended up victorious 13-10. 

28,243 fans attended Martin Stadium to watch last week’s defensive-dominated meeting. It was the second-highest attended home opener at Martin Stadium since 2018. 

“Personally, I love that. I don’t think anybody on our team shies away from a big fanbase. So we know going into it that they’ll be ready to go, so it’s our job to be prepared,” Bostick said regarding playing in a lively Martin Stadium on Saturday. 

“Big (amounts of) fans, it’s more eyes on you. More eyes to get the opportunity to see who you are and see what your team is made of. The more eyes the better,” Staley said, sharing the same sentiment with his teammate. 

Last week, the Aztecs and Bostick had fans out of their seats at Snapdragon Stadium. Three grabs for 56 yards, along with a touchdown, all occurred in the same drive in the second quarter. 

“I think that was just the whole offense executing at a high level. We had practiced that, we were ready. We can control what we can control. They jumped offside and then JD (Jayden Denegal) found me on the seam, so it was pretty exciting,” Bostick said of the 25-yard touchdown against Stony Brook. 

This season is the wideout’s first at the Mesa. His road to the 619 has not been linear. He faced minimal to no playing time from 2022 to 2023 at Iowa. Then, transferring to Texas A&M, he primarily saw action as a special teamer at College Station. 

“Ever since I came in, I’ve felt like these guys have welcomed me with open arms. I’m super blessed and thankful to be here,” Bostick said on his path and welcomed to San Diego State. “Obviously, it’s been an up-and-down roller coaster just with injuries and my career. All you can do is control what you can control, definitely from a different perspective and a whole lot of gratitude just for being on the field in every instance.” 

Meanwhile, this roster is made of players who wore the red and black last season and perhaps beyond. Staley is one of those individuals, as 2025 is his second season calling San Diego home.

“This is year two for all of us; we have majority of our starters back. So everybody is locked in, we have communication to where everything is simplified down to where everyone can play much faster,” Staley said of this season being his second as an Aztec.“With us being at State for two years in a row, it for sure helps us be more connected and more communicated out there on the field.”

Washington State played at Snapdragon Stadium last year, defeating the Aztecs in a close 29-26 contest. A 15-point fourth quarter by the Cougars was the difference. Dalesean Staley, who tallied four tackles in that game, one of them a solo tackle, does not forget the defeat.  

“Whenever you lose against a team in a tight game, you always want to get back to it. This year, it’s a team that’s going to be more focused and right now we’re just focused on the next game, the next opponent and it has to be Wazzu. So right now we’re just focused on getting back in and just being there as a team. As we’re focused and staying consistent, results are going to happen,” Staley said on playing a familiar foe a year later. 

One can catch the Aztecs on The CW, or listen live on San Diego Sports 760 at 7:15 p.m. as they’ll take on the Cougars on Saturday, Sept. 6.