ALBUQUERQUE – San Diego State’s late comeback fell just short as the short-handed Aztecs lost a 49–47 shootout to North Texas in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl.
The Aztecs saw Bert Emanuel Jr get the starting nod at the quarterback position after Jayden Denegal got shoulder surgery after the Aztecs’ final regular season game against New Mexico on Nov. 24.
North Texas brings in one of the best offenses in college football, ranking first in total yards per game at 504.3 and second in passing yards per game at 323.2. They also have the best scoring offense in college football, averaging 45.1 points per game.
“They’re really good offensively. You don’t fall out of bed and become the number one scoring offense in the country,” head coach Sean Lewis said.
North Texas opened up the game and rolled down the field with running back Caleb Hawkins finding his way into the endzone to put North Texas on the scoreboard.
On SDSU’s opening drive, the Aztecs went 10 plays and 65 yards down the field and scored a touchdown courtesy of a Bert Emanuel Jr 8-yard rush. The Aztecs attempted a two-point conversion but failed, trailing 6-7.
The back-and-forth scoring affair continued with North Texas finding the endzone once again when Ashton Gray went 17 yards to the house, making the score 14-6 North Texas. Following an SDSU punt, North Texas scored another touchdown when quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Hawkins, pushing the score to 21-6, North Texas.
SDSU’s Emanuel Jr had another long run in the first half, a 69-yard run to get SDSU in the redzone. Emanuel Jr would rush for 11 carries and 170 yards with two touchdown runs before exiting the game with an injury. The Aztecs brought in third-string QB Kyle Crum, who hasn’t seen game action since 2022.
“I was prepared like I was going to be the starter all year long, regardless of the situation,” Crum said. “I was sad for him (Bert), but next man up mentality.”
At halftime, North Texas had an eight-point lead over the Aztecs, 28-20. San Diego State went scoreless in the third quarter after two defensive interceptions, resulting in zero Aztec points. Heading into the fourth quarter, SDSU found themselves down 42-20.
On the second SDSU offensive possession of the fourth quarter, the Aztecs went four plays and 71 yards, capped off with an 11-yard run from Crum into the endzone, making it 42-27.
Nathan Acevedo would take a punt from North Texas to the house on a 63-yard punt return touchdown, bringing the Aztecs back within eight points, 42-34. SDSU would find the endzone two more times, once on a Christian Washington 11-yard run into the endzone.
“Huge to get momentum back in our boundary,” Lewis said. “ Great job by him making the first level miss and being able to puncture.”
SDSU’s final touchdown came as time was nearly expired when Crum ran into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown of the game. Despite the Aztecs’ late effort, they would lose the game 49-47.
“What a game,” Lewis said postgame. “Tremendous fight by both teams, really entertaining.”
San Diego State ran the ball for 326 yards and five touchdowns on the day, with the Aztec quarterbacks Emanuel Jr and Crum both getting into the endzone twice.
The North Texas running back duo of Caleb Hawkins and Ashton Gray both totaled 350 yards rushing and four touchdown runs.
“They did a really nice job in their outside zone dressing up in different ways,” Lewis said. “But the fundamental skills of blocking and tackling are what this game comes down to.”
The loss marks the end of the 2025 season for the Aztecs, who finish 9-4 on the year. A surprise turnaround for the program that saw them go 3-9 under Sean Lewis in his first season in 2024. SDSU now looks towards 2026 as it is set to join the new Pac-12 conference.
“I’m excited about the trajectory of where our program is going,” Lewis said.
