Yet another dominant defensive performance defined San Diego State’s (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) seventh win last week against a quality Wyoming (4-5, 2-3 Mountain West) team.
The Aztecs forced four turnovers in the victory over the Cowboys, but now the team heads into enemy territory, looking to keep the win streak alive.
This week’s road matchup against Hawaii (6-3, 3-2 Mountain West) will truly test the Aztecs’ ascension to the peak of the Mountain West.
The Rainbow Warriors sport a decent offense, averaging 28.63 points per game to this point, with much of the production coming from their passing attack.
Hawaii loves to throw it, ranking third in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in passing percentage. It’s not pure volume either, as they rank fifth in the nation in redzone scoring percentage with a mark of 96.77%.
Much of the stress on opposing defenses comes from Hawaii’s two standout receivers. Both Jackson Harris and Pofele Ashlock have surpassed the 580-yard mark this season, with 13 receiving touchdowns between the two of them.
Head coach Sean Lewis sang their praises in a press conference on Monday: “They got some dynamic playmakers out on the edge, and the quarterback really makes them go.”
(Ryan Olenyn )
As Lewis mentioned, Hawaii is not lacking at the quarterback position. Redshirt freshman Micah Alejado has already thrown for over 2,000 yards this season. Still, Lewis is aware the Aztec defense will be tested at every level.
“[They’ll] stress you with the space, they stress you with their speed, their decision making and ball placement,” he said.
Despite the offensive success, Hawaii might just be running into an immovable object. San Diego State’s defense ranks second in the FBS in opponent points per game, only to be outdone by the number one team in the nation, Ohio State.
“I think [we] just [have] a bend don’t break mentality,” linebacker Owen Chambliss said when asked what has given this defense the ability to stomp out so many offenses.
The sophomore linebacker also displayed the team’s confidence, bluntly stating, “Passing isn’t the best strategy against this defense.”
Even with the defensive dominance, the other side of the ball will have to step up to bring a win back to the Mesa.
“Offensively, there’s some moments that are really, really good, some moments that are really, really bad. We need to have a greater level of consistency as we go,” Lewis said.
(Ryan Olenyn)
Offensive consistency will be key on the road against Hawaii. The Aztecs have displayed above-average ability in the ground game, but the passing attack has fallen behind, leaving the offense feeling one-dimensional at times — a sentiment that cannot last deep into conference play.
This upcoming matchup against Hawaii is vital to the Aztecs’ national recognition.
For the past two weeks, SDSU has been on the cusp of an illustrious AP poll top-25 appearance. Receiving as many as 30 votes in the most recent polling, a dominant victory over a high-quality conference opponent might push them into the rankings.
The Aztecs have not fielded a ranked football team since 2021, yet coach Lewis considers in-house focus to be more important than national acclaim.
“It’s good that we’re being talked about in that conversation; we continue to receive more and more votes,” Lewis said. “At the end of the day, it’s all external noise.”
The playoff position is more than just external noise to Lewis; the coach sees it as no surprise.
“Yeah, that’s where we should be, that’s the standard, that’s the expectation,” he said.
Putting the brakes on Hawaii’s passing attack while cementing some aerial assaults of their own will be vital for the Aztecs to break back into that AP top-25, finally.
The Scarlet and Black will look to get it done on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m.
