Fresh off a fierce season-opening victory, the Aztecs head to Pullman to take on future PAC-12 conference mates the Washington State Cougars, who opened 2025 barely escaping the FCS Idaho Vandals with a last-minute 13-10 win.
WEEK 2: San Diego State Aztecs vs. Washington State Cougars
WHEN: Saturday, September 6th, 2025, 7:15 PM PST | 10:15 PM EST
WHERE: Martin Stadium; Pullman, Washington (32,952)
TV: The CW
STREAM: Mountain West Network (www.themw.com)
SERIES RECORD: WSU leads 2-1. Last: Sept. 1, 2024. WSU won 29-26.
ODDS: San Diego State +1.5
Pullman, Washington– The SDSU Aztecs (1-0, 0-0 Mountain West) travel north to face the Washington State Cougars (1-0, 0-0 PAC-12) in their second game and first FBS match of the season. After SDSU’s rough 2024 final 3-9 record, there were high expectations for second-year head coach Sean Lewis, to exhibit improvement, notably by hammering Stony Brook. Lewis and the Aztecs delivered big time with a 42-0 rout, showing a seriousness that lacked last season. Meanwhile, the Cougars appeared rickety in their 2025 season opener against the FCS Big Sky Conference Idaho Vandals, where they narrowly managed a 13-10 win.
After week 1, SDSU appears stronger and more capable than pre-season projections. Conversely, Washington State resembles a rebuild project. A strong performance in Pullman against a respected Power 5 team could help SDSU build vital momentum for 2025 and beyond. Meanwhile, Wazzu fans only hope and pray that last week was a fluke.
Let’s take a closer look at Washington State, and their 2025 Cougars squad.
GET TO KNOW THE COUGS
The Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are led by new coach Jimmy Rogers, who added 75 transfers, including 15 who followed him from his former program at South Dakota State. Only three starters return for Washington State, which experienced a mass exodus last year. Rogers might face similar challenges this season to what Lewis faced last year.
On offense, the Cougs have exhibited major issues. First, there was big concern over the offensive line’s visible porosity against the Vandals. This should be of keen interest to the Aztecs.
Next, Coach Rogers turned heads when graduate Zevi Eckhaus, the most experienced quarterback competing for QB1 was passed up for Jaxon Potter, a 6’5” redshirt sophomore from Huntington Beach. Potter nonetheless went 23-for-30 and 208 yards in his debut.
After that, Rogers blamed Wazzu’s appalling first quarter, that failed to convert one first down, on poor communication and offensive line errors. The Cougs adjusted in the second quarter and Potter went 6/6 for 75 yards on an 8-play drive leading to a 6-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Meredith. Potter then went through the motions until the game’s last two minutes where his drive enabled placekicker Jack Stevens to clinch a desperate 32-yard field goal for the win.
Redshirt freshman 6’3” QB2 Julian Dugger, got play time after the Cougs recovered an Idaho fumble at the Vandals’ 18-yard line. Wazzu managed a 30-yard field goal on the drive. Dugger, however, went 0-for-1 in passing with four carries for minus-14 yards before they pulled him out.
Meanwhile, Eckhouse who is listed as 3rd string(?) stayed sidelined. Fans are vexed, considering in the Holiday Bowl last season against Syracuse, Eckhouse threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns. He did so minus a head coach (and 2 dozen players who dove into the portal) as coach Jake Dickert gracelessly abandoned WSU one week prior for Wake Forest.
The Cougs survived last week’s game largely by making two fumble recoveries: one in the first half by Raam Stevenson, the other in the second half by Kyle Peterson. In both cases, dangerous and legitimate scoring drives were halted.
During the game, receiver Josh Meredith made two receptions for 31 yards. Wide receiver Tony Freeman had 7 catches for 64 yards, and Jeremiah Noga managed 5 catches for 54 yards.
Running back Kirby Vorhees made 5 catches for 18 yards, and 6 carries for 19 yards. Running back Angel Johnson had 10 carries for 2 yards.
Against the FCS Vandals, the Cougs’ running game netted just three yards on 22 carries.
Defensively, the Cougs allowed 221 yards of total offense against Idaho, with 188 coming from the ground. Despite the Cougs failing to contain Idaho quarterback Joshua Wood, who rushed 12 times for 101 yards, with no sacks, Wazzu survived thanks to those critical fumble recoveries.
Cougs defense did allow a late Idaho drive that produced a field goal for the 10-10 tie before they pulled a game-winning field-goal rabbit out of their hat in the final seconds.
Grad linebacker Caleb Francl led the Cougs with 11 tackles. Redshirt freshman linebacker Anthony Palano and senior safety Matthew Durrance also added nine tackles apiece.
The rebuilding Cougs are talented, but did not play last week as a highly organized team, and they almost registered an unacceptable loss against a FCS team. There are recognizable weaknesses that the visiting Aztecs can carefully exploit.
THE AZTECS AFTER WEEK ONE
The rebooted, upgraded Aztecs include over 40 new players by way of recruiting and the transfer portal. They appear to be a formidable squad for 2025, and last week they produced a 42-0 victory to fans’ delight and relief.
So, who shone the brightest, then?
Aztec tailback Lucky Sutton rushed for a career-high 100 yards and scored two touchdowns last week. Along with Sutton’s performance, starting quarterback Jayden Denegal completed 13-of-25 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown in his Aztec debut, connecting with nine separate receivers.
In the first quarter, Denegal connected for 16 yards with Jackson Ford to the Seawolves 3. Sutton then scored from a yard out to give the Aztecs their first points and a permanent lead.
After defense quickly forced the Seawolves to punt, Denegal executed a 13-play, 75-yard drive, leading to a 25-yard scoring pass over the middle to Jacob Bostick on 3rd-and-12.
In the second quarter, Gabriel Plascencia booted field goals from 42 and 35 yards out, respectively, extending his streak to 14 consecutive field goals. Once again, Aztecs special teams shine brightly.
After the half, with a 20-0 lead, Denegal pegged Donovan Brown with a 44-yard completion on the first play of a late drive, putting SDSU at the Stony Brook 10. Sutton then added a second touchdown with 1:40 left in the third quarter on a two-yard end zone run. The Aztecs dazzled with a two-point conversion as DJ Herman passed to Brady Anderson in the end zone.
Christian Washington turned heads in the fourth quarter after a 9-play, 61-yard advance and a 1-yard touchdown drive, increasing the Aztec lead to 35-0. Earlier in the same drive, Washington blew through the right side of the Seawolf defense for 27 yards. Nathan Acevedo positioned the Aztecs on the next snap making a pinpoint 17-yard completion from QB2 Bert Emanuel Jr.
Toward the end, Parker Threatt closed out Aztec scoring with a five-yard touchdown on a rocket toss to close out an 8-play, 44-yard drive. Backup kicker Nick Clegg then nailed the extra point.
SDSU rushed for 228 yards on 53 carries, improving to 58-2 in its last 60 games when gaining 200 yards on the ground.
Bostick finished with three catches for a game-high 56 yards to lead the Aztec receiving squad, while Brown, Sutton, Acevedo, Jerry McClure and Jordan Napier each had two receptions.
Defensively, Owen Chambliss and Tano Letuli tied for a high five tackles each. Chambliss made a sack in one of his four solo stops, while Trey White with 3 tackles poured on major pressure with two quarterback hurries.
Thursday’s win was the Aztecs’ largest shutout margin since their 55-0 rout of Hawaii at home on Nov. 5, 2016.
KEYS TO A SAN DIEGO STATE VICTORY
1. Overwhelm Coug Offensive Line With Swarm Defense
The Cougs’ offensive line last week was demonstrably not ready for prime time. The Vandals cruised right past key o-line members killing Wazzu’s run game. If opposing defense is upgraded to SDSU’s swarm D featuring Trey White, Tano Letuli, Owen Chambliss and Co., the Cougs could be rocked to their core.
The Aztecs must recognize that this game, with WSU’s rebuilding, spells opportunity. Tackles for loss, forced fumbles and pick-sixes could be significant if the Cougs suffer the same shortfalls as last week. This game could be a stat builder like last week’s Stony Brook rout.
2. Precise A.F. Execution
Be it Aztec Fast, or simply A.F., if the Aztecs play precise A.F. they will outhustle the Cougs who struggled last week from repeated miscommunications, errors, and general confusion. If the Aztecs crisply understand their roles and responsibilities, they can rush formations and start plays like an offensive blitz as the Cougs struggle to keep pace. This is what Sean Lewis had envisioned with Aztec Fast, so with strong preparation and few/no false starts SDSU might just get the jump on Wazzu.
3. Early Scoring Run
If superior organization and strong play on offense and defense come together, the Aztecs could score more efficiently than the Cougs. An early one-two punch could force the Cougs into a catchup situation for the remainder of the game. If unanswered scoring persists, this game could again manifest into a disproportionate situation for the Aztecs’ opponents, which would eventually demoralize them.
PREDICTION
The Aztecs have a huge opportunity with this game. WSU’s first match against a lightweight opponent showed unpreparedness and exploitable weaknesses. This is a FBS match against an established PAC-12 program. It is quite possible Washington State will be less prepared to wage victory than SDSU, who executed impressively in this season’s first match.
If SDSU blows past the Cougs’ apparent swiss-cheese offensive line, Jaxon Potter could become seriously rattled. With less play time and a collapsing pocket, and with Trey White gunning for sacks: Potter and his proxies could be increasingly prone to errors, tackles for loss and turnovers.
If Aztec defense halts the Cougs’ offense, and if the Aztecs continue to carefully run on all cylinders, they will have the upper hand in this match, and like last week’s FCS opponents, this match could boost the Aztecs’ play statistics.
Based on the Cougs’ week one exhibition, it’s likely the Aztecs will register a strong W.
FINAL SCORE
San Diego State 31, Washington State 13
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