Snapdragon Stadium hosted a highly anticipated Saturday Night matchup between the 1-1 San Diego State Aztecs of the PAC-12 and the 2-0 James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference, marking the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
To say the San Diego State Aztecs football program is at a low point would be an understatement. The team finds itself at 1-2 after a 26-13 loss to JMU last Saturday night. It is the first time they’ve been under .500 since the 2024 season, the first in the Sean Lewis era.
This loss marks the second consecutive loss of the 2026 season and the fourth straight loss to an FBS opponent, going back to last season. Their last win over an FBS opponent occurred on November 3rd, 2025, when they beat their then Mountain West Rival and in state opponent San Jose Spartans 25-3 on Senior Night.
It was also JMU’s first game in California and its longest regular-season road trip in program history. For SDSU, last night marked the dawn of the “Age of the Jaguar” alternate uniforms. Unfortunately, despite the urgency to bounce back and show out in the program’s first-ever alternate uniforms, the men in black and red suffered a deflating 13-26 loss, ending their seven-game home winning streak.
In this article, I will cover the good and the bad for the Aztecs and, in my final reflection, where they go from here.
The Good
The Aztecs’ offense finished with 401 total yards: 209 passing and 192 rushing. Averages were 5.2 yards per play, 4.4 yards per carry, and 6.3 yards per pass completion. On third down, SDSU went 7-17. Their time of possession totaled 29 minutes and 41 seconds.
Sophomore runningback and Nashville, Tennesse native Javion Kinnard was by far the Aztecs’ best offensive player tonight, filling in for the injured Lucky Sutton. Kinnard totaled 251 yards from scrimmage with 33 carries for 181 rushing yards, 1 touchdown his first as an Aztec, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and 4 receptions for 70 yards, averaging 17.5 yards per catch.
Regardless of when Lucky Sutton returns to action, Javion Kinnard has more than earned his role and touches on this offense
Senior wide receiver Nathan Acevedo also had a solid night, hauling in 6 receptions for 66 yards and a 14-yard circus touchdown catch that capped a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive at the 5:52 mark.
Senior quarterback turned wide reciever, Bert Emanuel Jr. also played well, recording 3 catches for 50 yards, with his best play coming on 2nd and 9 midway through the 3rd quarter. With the ball on the Dukes ’37 yard’ 37-yard line, Denegal found him deep for a 34-yard catch before being tackled at the 3 yard line. The catch set up 1st and goal and the first Aztec touchdown of the game.
The Aztec defensive unit is also a positive as they had another solid performance. However, they couldn’t replicate their Rose Bowl performance the week prior, as the unit once again did all it could, despite receiving no offensive support in the first half and much of the game.
After allowing the Dukes to score on their first three drives and falling behind 13-0, the Aztecs’ defense forced a punt at the 8:01 mark in the second quarter. Then, on 2nd and 9 at the Dukes’ 49-yard line, senior Aztec safety Josh Hunter forced a fumble on Dukes fifth-year senior running back George Pettaway, which safety Jelani McLaughlin recovered at the Aztec 44-yard line.
Junior edge rusher and Rutgers transfer Djibril Rahman recorded 4 solo tackles and two of the Aztecs’ three sacks on back-to-back plays. These sacks came on JMU’s second-to-last drive of the first half, on 1st and 10 at the Aztec 29-yard line.
Rahman sacked Duke’s senior quarterback Camden Coleman for a 9-yard loss. On the next play, Rahman sacked Coleman again for a 5-yard loss leading an incomplete pass on 3rd and 24 at the Aztec 38-yard line, The Dukes knocked out of field goal range were forced to punt.
Senior defensive back turned linebacker and Weber State transfer Sione Hala had another stellar game, recording 10 total tackles, 9 solo, 1 sack, 1 pass defense, and 1 tackle for loss, solidifying his on the field leadership role in Sumler’s first-year defensive unit.
Longtime Aztec and senior linebacker Tano Letuli finished the night with 10 total tackles, 6 solo, and 1 pass defense.
The Bad
For the second game in a row, the Aztecs’ offense recorded another abysmal performance, getting shut out in the first half again, despite finding themselves in Dukes territory on three of their seven first-half drives.
To put into perspective how bad the Aztecs’ offense has been this season, they have scored 23 points in their last two games. Last season, in Week 3 vs. the California Golden Bears, the San Diego State Aztecs scored 34 points alone.
The Aztecs offense got off to a promising start on their first drive after the defense allowed a quick touchdown. The Aztecs started at their own 16 yard line with a 10 yard rush up the middle from Javion Kinnard at the 12:04 mark, then a a Jayden Denegal rush right for 4 yards to the Aztec 30 yard line.
After a Denegal screen pass to Jaylon Hawkins for a 1 yard loss, the men in black and red found themselves with a 3rd and 7 at their own 29 yard line. That’s when Denegal escaped the grasp of multiple Dukes defensive lineman and rushed 7 yards to the Aztec 36 yard line and a first down at the 10:47 mark.
On 1st and 10 Kinnard rushed up the middle for a 9 yard gain to the Aztec 45 yard line. Then it was all Kinnard as he ran a 5 yard gain to the 50 yard line on 2nd and 1 and then a 2 yard gain to the Dukes 48 yard line on 1st and 10.
On the very next play Denegal would scramble left float the ball to Kinnard who caught the ball at the JMU 41 yard line and took it 27 yards to the Dukes 21 yard line.
At this point it was hard not to be optimistic that the Aztecs offense found themselves in Dukes territory on their first drive and were moving the ball efficiently. Even if it was done out of structure—they were on the cusp of responding with a score of their own—but what occurred on the next play would make even the most level headed Aztec football fan irate.
However, Jayden on 1st and 10 at the JMU 21 yard line scrambled left and rather than leading his receiver down the field in open space where only he could make a play on the ball, floated the ball in the direction Bert Emanuel Jr. hoping to emulate the previous play.
It was an irresponsible play with the ball and it landed safely into Dukes sophomore cornerback DJ Kelly’s arms.
That interception marked Denegal’s fourth consecutive game with a turnover in his last four starts, going back to last season. It’s something unlikely to see from a senior quarterback with a year of starting experience under his belt.
That play not only ended a very promising drive but also forced the Aztec defense back onto the field when they should have been on the sidelines adjusting and retooling after their bad start.
By the end of the Dukes’ next drive, the Aztecs were down 10-0 in a game that should’ve been tied 7-7 or 7-3 with JMU leading.
On their next four drives, the Aztecs’ offense would punt three times and turn the ball over on downs, running 18 plays for 70 yards and averaging an abysmal 3.89 yards per play. However, the Aztecs got a chance when the defense forced a Dukes punt.
Down 13-0 and starting at their own 5-yard line, the Aztecs advanced 15 yards to their own 20-yard line. On a 2nd and 10, Denegal dropped back and threw the ball right into the Dukes’ defensive line as junior defensive lineman Kevin Roberts tipped the all at the line of scrimmage before the ball fell into the hands of junior linebacker JT Hooten deep in SDSU territory.
James Madison would instantly capitalize on the turnover via a 7-yard Coleman pass to sixth-year tight end Cole Keller before failing the two point conversion.
Both teams would head into the halftime locker rooms with JMU up 19-0 and putting SDSU in a deep hole for the 2nd half.
Denegal’s play has been difficult to watch; the bad decisions, lack of efficiency, and his poor foot mechanics causes frequently misses opportunities that could change the course of the game.
Without showing the intangibles needed to lead his team effectively, the team looks disheartened and runs out of energy as the game goes on. His ability to step up and fulfill the expectations placed upon him, not just as a player but as a leader within the squad, is being doubted by many in Aztec Nation, myself included.
The Aztecs’ defensive unit fought hard but wasn’t perfect either. Now, it would have been ridiculous to ask the unit to replicate what they did a week prior at the Rose Bowl, especially with no offensive support again. But that doesn’t change the fact that James Madison moved the ball way too easily at times.
On the very first drive of the game, the Dukes went 6 plays and 75 yards, highlighted by a 54-yard pass from Coleman to senior wide receiver Braeden Wisloski. This big play led to a Coleman 4-yard touchdown run on a read option less than three minutes into the game. Aside from that, the Aztecs’ defense allowed JMU to score on their first three drives and four of their seven first-half drives.
Again, I can’t blame the defense given the circumstances they were given. Yes, I would have loved it if the unit had forced more consistent pressure on Coleman, didn’t give up easy plays in the pass game, and forced more turnovers.
Still, to their credit, the unit allowed only one touchdown in the second half, early in the fourth quarter to be exact, which was only possible because of a miraculous 4th-and-1 play a few plays earlier.
Discipline was also a problem for this Aztecs team, as they recorded 7 penalties for 55 yards. Starting in the first quarter, sophomore cornerback Mike Lindsay was flagged for defensive holding, which JMU declined due to a completion. That was followed shortly by an accepted defensive holding call against senior safety Josiah Cox that granted JMU an automatic first down.
The flags continued into the second quarter with a delay of game on quarterback Jayden Denegal and a false start by sophomore offensive lineman Evan Lawrence.
In the second half, the trend shifted to special teams mishaps as an offensive holding call wiped out a portion of a 40-yard kickoff return by Jaylon Hawkins, followed by another false start by junior offensive lineman Isaac Lucas and an illegal block above the waist during a Nathan Acevedo punt return.
Playcalling, as you’d expect, was a problem, and though I can’t fault the coaching staff for relying on Kinnard as much as they did, it would have been nice to see them bring in new looks and give the rest of the young backfield more touches.
Final Reflection
As much as I’d like to say otherwise, I don’t quite know where Aztec football goes from here and how they lift themselves out of this low point. Despite returning a good chunk of last season’s production and adding new pieces via the transfer portal, the entire offense, specifically the passing game, has regressed significantly.
Not to mention that the Aztecs found themselves down 6-0 at home to an FCS Portland State team led by their backup quarterback and didn’t score their first points until the very end of the first quarter.
Going into the season, there was a lot of hype surrounding the potential of the Aztecs’ offense in Year 3 of the Sean Lewis era, but the simple fact is that Aztec Fast has not returned the investment, and that becomes more apparent with each game.
Play-calling, quarterback change, scheme change, whatever the case—tough decisions and changes have to be made at 1-2 with conference play looming. The sense of urgency is at an all-time high.
On a positive note, I commend Lewis and the program on hiring Demetrius Sumler as defensive coordinator. This choice was a no-brainer, as he’s been with the program since 2016 and has been a catalyst for the top-tier NFL defensive back play coming out of the Mesa.
As the season goes along, it will be exciting to watch this unit gel and reach its full potential.
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