Heading into week-5 San Diego State enters PAC-12 conference play at 1-3 and host the Texas State Bobcats (2-2) this Saturday. To say the out of conference portion of the schedule has been unsuccessful for the Aztecs would be putting it very, very mildly.
The hyped up offense was considered to be the strength of the team coming into the 2026 season with all their returning skill position players. Having 1-2 seasons of HC Sean Lewis’ AztecFast system under their belts, it was one of the most no-brainer assumptions carried by the media and experts in the pre-season.
What has been the reality is a quagmire of a quarterback situation—one that has seen QB1 Jayden Denegal regress unlike any other in recent memory. To add chaos to the situation, backup Stone Saunders suffered a broken collarbone in mop-up duty vs Portland State in week-1, and has been unavailable after undergoing surgery and rehab.
Yes, all their goals still stand in-front of them with conference play ready to begin. But now we take a closer look at the position group that needs to be solidified if the Aztecs are to regain any control of the season. Here are our arguments for why each player named should be QB1 by Saturday’s showdown vs Texas State.
Jayden Denegal
The incumbent has never been more unpopular since, well … we won’t go there. Denegal’s outing vs Toledo showed slight improvement in the first half. But what is slight improvement from a terd? Maybe a turd nugget?
He finished his day racking up at 19/31 for 206 yards 1 TD and 1 INT that ended up being a pick six. It was the kind of game that encapsulated his season so far. There were some incredible throws like the pass & catch to Jacob Bostik deep along the sideline and the side-peddling loft to the endzone that Ryan Wolfer hauled in for the score.
But the cold hard truth is that neither of those plays looked particularly impressive or intentional when you really look closely. The receivers had to make outstanding adjustments for balls that were either underthrown or put in dangerous spots that needed shielding from a defender.
Denegal’s numbers on the year stack up nationally like so:
597 yards (111th), 5 TDS (Tied-78th), 5 INT (Tied-119th), QBR 26.3 (136th)
These are not good. These are not reflective of a senior QB1 in the middle of his fifth season of college ball. These are not performances that should warrant the job here at San Diego State. And can we underline the word JOB. The position is a paid position these days. If you cannot perform at your job duties, you don’t get unlimited opportunities to do so.
Now breath Aztecs fans. This is supposed to be the part where we argue in favor of Denegal starting.
From what we’ve seen on the field, Denegal still has the ability to make the physical plays Lewis wants of him—even if he doesn’t do it consistently. The deep throw, escaping the pocket with his legs, check-down ability to his tight-ends are all things he did check off the list on Saturday.
When we look back on season’s end, the Aztecs coaching staff and GM’s Caleb Davis and Sam Popper may realize they played two conference champions (JMU of the Sun Belt, and Toledo of the MAC) and one greatly improved power four team with UCLA.
Each of these opponents the Aztecs lost to are all undefeated at this point in their out of conference schedule. Does that make me, Aztecs fan feel better? Absolutely not. If there was a season coming into, it’s SDSU who was supposed to be in that position.
But cooler heads should always prevail and understand the toughest part of the opponent list is behind them. Yes the PAC-12 is slate is going to be incredibly difficult to earn six wins out of to earn bowl eligible, but the caliber of opponent likely is not going to be on equal footing of what SDSU has just gone through.
Will that make Denegal’s trials & tribulations so far all more worth it in the end? Will the defenses he’s gone up against mean he is battle tested and ready for anything Texas State can throw at him? Maybe.
With no Lucky Sutton likely to return and Javion Kinnard questionable, having that senior leadership in whatever form it may take, could be key for the offense. The week in practice will need to be rock bottom for them and Denegal will need to show the consistency and focus that has eluded him against stiff competition.
Stone Saunders
As mentioned, the injured Saunders is undergoing his rehab back from a collarbone. By the end of his scheduled 6-8 week availability, it’s no idea on what kind of physical, mental or emotional status he will be in. Having his only FB1 snaps resulting in such an injury is not likely the recipe for being thrown out as an all of a sudden starter.
In a perfect world and dealing with Denegal’s inconsistency issues, Saunders would’ve been an ideal fix to try and repair the passing game mid-season. The Kentucky transfer was set to get possible reps after a strong showing in Spring. But it was in fall camp that the learning curve appeared to take a minor toll on Saunders sharpness. He never truly was in the running for over-taking Denegal’s spot as QB1 in the pre-season.
If Saunders is to get into any games again this season, it would be a very interesting one to keep an eye on his bounce back.
Draiden Trudeau
It was eleven years ago that a redshirt freshman QB led San Diego State to the first of their back to back conference championships. His name was Christian Chapman and he and his teammates from the 2016 season will be on hand at this Saturday’s game to honor the 2nd of those two conference championships.
This years redshirt freshman QB Draiden Trudeau’s only action as a D1 passer last Saturday, he completed 4/5 passes for 53 yards and a TD strike to WR Jaylon Hawkins. He made quick work in no huddle action, the kind of action Sean Lewis supposedly likes to see.
The young man looked poised, under control of the situation and had the tight spirals to make the pass look fast. With already a year in the system watching as a redshirt, he should have the awareness of the playbook and at least what coach Lewis is looking for.
Now Trudeau is obviously in a much different scenario than what Chapman had entered into. That 2015 team had Max Smith lead the team all season long until the very end when an injury cut his year short before the championship and bowl game. That team was a defensive juggernaut and had one of the most prolific rushing attacks of all-time on the Mesa.
Trudeau may not be in the same situation as Chapman, but if he could replicate the same attitude and effectiveness as he did on that final drive Saturday, it would do wonders for everyone.
The strength of Chapman in those years was playing within the offense, protecting the ball with few turnovers, and being cool as ever in leading a team that featured tons of seniors and upperclassmen.
Trudeau however may not have the luxury of that gameplan with such a limited run game to protect him with. Lewis has not shown he can be an effective play-caller in this difficult situation and so it bets us to ask if putting Trudeau in too early at this point could damage his confidence.
When it comes to Trudeau, there’s only one way to find out. Building off that final drive success he had vs Toledo could be a sneaky great move to play at home with your team and crowd at your side. Texas State isn’t exactly a defensive stalwart, so there may be tons of room for Trudeau to perform and learn quickly.
If Trudeau is in fact being considered to take over and earn a shot at QB1, it’s best if Lewis does it sooner than later. A tough trip to Corvallis looms next weekend agains the Beavers, in which the Aztecs have been unable to escape with a victory in.
Bert Emanuel Jr.
The backup QB from last season, Bert Emanuel Jr. has been repositioned to wideout this season and was one of our top players to keep an eye on. So far it has been just like everything else, hit & miss.
Emanuel Jr. shows great ability vs Portland State adjusting to a poorly under thrown ball to bring in an outstanding reception to get the offense going. But when you can’t get the ball, you have no opportunity to show what you can do.
Last weekend it was Emanuel Jr. who was unable to suit up and perhaps make the trip with the team. A report of players contracting the mumps virus made the rounds in the media and his not participating only leads those to speculate he was among that list.
If Emanuel Jr. is ready to go this week, he is our wild card to get the start and should be yours as well.
Last season he received very limited opportunities to get snaps behind center. But when he did in the New Mexico Bowl vs North Texas, he lit up our tv sets on fire. Rushing, passing, but mostly rushing were his break out plays. He is by no stretch a polished QB.
But this is where Lewis can actually gameplan against Texas State given the dire situation the Aztecs are in. With both top running backs likely out and Christian Washington off the team, Lewis is dependent upon freshman running backs.
The physicality and senior decision making that Emanuel Jr. can have is unmatched by any other QB in the position group. He has the ability to take a play 60 yards down the field untouched and should be able to make enough passes to keep the Bobcat defense honest.
We’ve only seen him start one game as an Aztecs QB and he performed very well until injury sidelined him in game. At this point, there is nothing to lose but to kickstart the offense with new ability and energy to the sideline.
In conclusion, we doubt anything changes. The good that Denegal may receive by starting the game on the bench could be just for him to settle in, watch the play with a different perspective, hit the reset button on his eyes and then get back out there is likely not going to happen.
Lewis likely remains with Denegal to move forward and push this thing as far as his line in the sand allows him to. If the Aztecs cannot generate offense against the Bobcats however, it has to make you wonder just where is Lewis’ boiling point.
Join us Monday evening as we recap the San Diego State vs Toledo loss and discuss in more detail about the program in Sons of Montezuma Livestream at 8pm PST.
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