San Diego State earned bowl eligibility with their big shut out victory over their rival, Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. The bowl birth is the first under head coach Sean Lewis and the program’s first since 2023.
The Aztecs now winners of five straight, have furthered their case for the Top-25 polls, boosted their place in the Mountain West standings, and have the nation on notice for potential College Football Playoffs possibilities.
There were many players that stepped up for this most recent dominant victory, but here are our 3 picks for Warriors of the Game.
Lucky Sutton
Sutton carried the ball 21 times for 131 yards, averaging above his season mark at about 6.2 yards per carry, and scored a short 1-yard rushing touchdown early in the game. The ground game for SDSU as a whole was strong rushing for 208 yards combined and Sutton was the engine behind it.
Sutton was the focal point to SDSU’s offensive success in this game. He always generates consistently positive yardage, kept the Fresno State defense honest and opened up the offense for other ways of moving the ball. His long 46-yard run not only produced big yards but forced the Bulldogs to respect the run, which helps in terms of balance and play-calling flexibility. The fact that he scored their only offensive touchdown underscores how vital his contribution was.
On the flip side, while his average was strong, the offense still had to rely heavily on him; leveraging his production further could open up other facets in the passing game, misdirection even more if all the parts can put it together at the same time.
Sutton’s ability to throw those ‘body punches’ also led to the 2nd half where he showed off his speed when he ripped off that long run. Proving he is more than just a short yardage workhorse, look for Sutton to break another long gain in the near future.
Dalesean Staley
Staley led the Aztecs’ defense with seven total tackles. He added a pair of pass breakups to go with that action as well. In a shutout game the defense as a unit dominated, and Staley’s contributions were crucial to that success.
Staley reflects strong consistency and discipline in a secondary that is absolutely loaded and on any given game someone can step up and stand out. Tackles are a basic metric, but the added pass breakups and tackle for loss show he was active not just in standard plays but also disruptive. In a game where SDSU held Fresno State to just 227 total yards and 45 rushing yards, the defensive front and second level were clearly working well.
For Staley, this game could serve as evidence of his ability to impact both run defense and pass coverage. It suggests he’s a reliable piece in the defense’s schematic execution. Going forward, maintaining that disruptive element of tackles for losses and pass breakups will elevate his value even more.
Gabriel Plascencia
Plascencia made three field goals in the game—from 42 yards, 50 yards, and 27 yards. His 50-yard kick stands out as a big special-teams play furthering his streak of consecutive field goals and setting a high benchmark in the conference.
Often special teams don’t get enough attention when a team wins comfortably, but Plascencia’s performance was important. First, converting three field goals gives SDSU scoring consistency when the offense wasn’t able to punch it in. Every score keeps pressure on the opponent and that feeds into the defenses ability to get after the QB.
The 50-yarder is especially noteworthy—it demonstrates range and confidence, and sends a message to opposing defenses about the cost of keeping them out of field goal range. Secondly, his streak of successful tries adds reliability; knowing you have a kicker you can trust lets a coach make more aggressive decisions like field goals in tricky situations instead of punting or going for it.
In this game, even though the offense scored a touchdown, the FGs made the margin more comfortable and maintained control. Plascencia continues to earn accolades for his performances and as the team continues to gain ground, look for his name to rise up the Lou Groza Award conversation.
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