The Aztecs’ Resurgent Season Finishes Just Shy of MWC Title Tilt
On Sunday, the Mountain West Conference, with the help of a complex, computer-ranking-based tie breaker, announced that Boise State and UNLV will meet in the MWC football championship game.
Four teams finished tied atop the MWC standings with identical 6-2 league records, Boise St, UNLV, San Diego State, and New Mexico. The rankings favored the two teams that have been tops in the league for several years now.
Friday’s title game will be played in Boise, marking the third consecutive season the Broncos and Rebels will battle for the league’s crown. And while many predicted the Boise St. vs UNLV matchup before the season started, including the Sons of Montezuma, what we didn’t see coming was the success the Aztecs would enjoy this year.
A 9-3 overall finish, a league co-championship, and a sure-to-be bowl game appearance provided a nice bounce back campaign for Coach Sean Lewis and his staff in their second year in charge on the Mesa.
The team made obvious progress in several areas, and yet still has some work to do if they want to sit atop the new Pac-12 conference next season.
Coming into 2025, SDSU knew it would be led by its defense. The unit surpassed those lofty expectations. Defensive coordinator Rob Aurich’s side posted three shutouts, including an impressive 34-0 outing against Cal at home, and four more games where they gave up only one score.
The defense, behind leaders Trey White, Owen Chambliss, and Chris Johnson, dominated at times, especially against lesser competition. The team finished as the best overall defense in the conference allowing a paltry 12.58 points per game, nearly seven points better than the second-best squad.
Junior EDGE Trey White and senior cornerback Chris Johnson set the tone for the SDSU defense all season. White, the local standout from Eastlake High School, finished tied for the team lead in sacks with seven, but his disruptive presence allowed others to showcase their talents for the Red & Black.
Ryan Henderson, a junior from Las Vegas, tied with White for a team-best seven sacks on the year, with senior EDGE Niles King adding another six sacks offering the team multiple excellent defenders on the line.
Behind the front, the linebackers and secondary made the most of opportunities to make plays.
Sophomore linebacker Owen Chambliss shined as opposing offensive coaches leaned protections to White’s side of the field. Chambliss finished the regular season with a team high 106 tackles with four sacks. His speed and vision bode well for him being a defensive leader next season.
Also leaving his mark on opposing ball carriers was Incarnate Word transfer Mister Williams. The senior linebacker stepped up when injuries sidelined standout Tano Letuli. Williams brought physicality and intensity to the Aztecs’ defense and he finished third on the team with 54 total tackles.
With solid play up front, the back end of the SDSU defense took advantage of the pressure on the quarterback to make momentum-shifting plays.
The secondary tallied 13 interceptions with Johnson topping the team with four. The talented corner, who we will see playing on Sundays next year, also added 49 tackles, good for fourth-best on the team. In October, Johnson was named as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award, which goes out to college football’s best cornerback. His presence and leadership were sorely missed as evidenced by the defense struggling mightily in the loss to Hawaii.
For the defense, much was made of unfinished business from the long list of returning players. Though the Mountain West Championship crown won’t be won for 2025, consider their performance certainly as a job well done for this group of Aztecs warriors.
It will be interesting to see just how GM Caleb Davis, HC Sean Lewis, and DC Rob Aurich move forward with this unit next season. 15 seniors comprised this record-breaking defense and many of the names listed above fall into that departing class. Filling those vacancies and holding to the new standard they set will be a challenge during this new NIL/Transfer era.
Indeed more importantly will be if the program can hold onto Aurich after such a breakout season. No doubt his name will be floated around for many job considerations elsewhere. If counted as a return to the Mesa, there’s should be no doubt that these Aztecs will be looked upon for another solid defense next year.
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