San Diego State kept the Old Oil Can last Saturday on a 53-yard field goal in the final minute. Now the Aztecs head to Fort Collins to face a Colorado State team that has lost four straight and is giving up more points than anyone in the country, with a chance to get back to .500 and stay high in Pac-12 standings.
WEEK 8: San Diego State Aztecs at Colorado State Rams
WHEN: Saturday, October 24, 2026, 3:30 PM PST | 6:30 PM EST
WHERE: Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium (36,500); Fort Collins, CO
TV: The CW
RADIO: San Diego Sports 760
SERIES RECORD: San Diego State leads 23-15
LAST MATCH: San Diego State 45, Colorado State 24 (2025)
ODDS: San Diego State -2.5 (O/U 60.5)
Fort Collins, CO– The SDSU Aztecs (3-4, 2-1 Pac-12) visit the Colorado State Rams (2-4, 0-2 Pac-12) in the 39th meeting between the former Mountain West rivals and their first as Pac-12 members. The two teams arrive heading in opposite directions. SDSU beat Fresno State 26-23 in a back-and-forth rivalry game, with help from Cooper DiLeva’s career-long 53-yard field goal with 57 seconds left. Colorado State, in contrast, was run over 66-27 at Texas State last Thursday, giving up a school record 503 rushing yards to the Bobcats.
The Rams won the last Fort Collins meeting, 22-19 in 2023. The Aztecs responded with a 45-24 rout in San Diego last October.
Get to Know the 2026 Rams
Jim Mora’s first season started well. The Rams beat Wyoming 35-13 in the Border War and routed Southern Utah 58-24, matching their 2025 win total in two weeks. Since then, they have lost four straight to BYU, UTSA, Oregon State and Texas State, giving up 41, 59, 56 and 66 points.
Mora fired defensive coordinator Tyson Summers during the Oregon State loss, and co-coordinator Kenny McClendon now calls their defense. Through the Texas State game, Colorado State was allowing 44.8 points per game, the most in FBS.
The offense is a whole different story. The Rams average 35.7 points and 445.3 yards per game, putting them inside the top 25% of FBS.
Offensive Leaders
Quarterback Hauss Hejny, an Oklahoma State transfer, is expected to return after missing three games with a hamstring injury he suffered against BYU. He accounted for 10 touchdowns in the first two games, with 539 passing yards and 124 rushing yards, and threw five touchdown passes against Wyoming.
K’saan Farrar, who followed Mora from UConn, kept the offense rolling in his place and threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns at Texas State. Running back Mel Brown has 431 yards at 9.2 yards per carry, and Durell Robinson leads the team with six touchdowns.
Receiver Reginald Vick Jr. has 24 catches for 367 yards and four scores, and Terrence Smith Jr. gives the Rams a second threat on the outside.
Defensive Standouts
Linebacker Oumar Diomande, another UConn transfer, leads the Pac-12 in tackles per game and has more than 50 on the season. Cornerback CJ Blocker has three interceptions, and defensive end Kenyon Agurs is the Rams’ best bet for a game-changing sack or forced fumble.
Beyond that, the numbers are rough. Colorado State ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, total defense and run defense, and Texas State scored touchdowns on six straight possessions last week.
Your 2026 Pac-12 Aztecs
SDSU beat Fresno State the way it won nine games last season: field position, defense and special teams. DiLeva made four field goals, punter Tashi Dorje pinned the Bulldogs deep with a 60-yard punt, and the defense recorded a season-high six sacks.
The Aztecs outgained Fresno State 384-276 and led for most of the night, and they did it after losing starting quarterback Jayden Denegal to a right leg injury in the second quarter.
Key Offensive Players
Denegal was 7-of-10 for 112 yards before the injury, including a 52-yard touchdown to Jaylon Hawkins. Sean Lewis called him “day-to-day” after the game. If Denegal can’t go, freshman Stone Saunders gets the start. The Kentucky transfer, playing for the first time since breaking his collarbone in the opener, went 6-of-11 for 61 yards and led the game-winning drive.
The bigger news was the return of senior captain Lucky Sutton, who ran for 110 yards on 18 carries, including a 67-yard run that was SDSU’s longest play of the season. Javion Kinnard added 77 yards on 14 carries, and he returns to Fort Collins to face the program he played for before transferring to San Diego State.
Jordan Napier caught the go-ahead touchdown from Bert Emanuel Jr. out of a wildcat look, and Hawkins remains a threat as both a receiver and a returner.
Key Defensive Players
Edge rusher Kai Wallin had three sacks against Fresno State, including the one on the final drive that set up the Bulldogs’ failed fourth down. Captain Tano Letuli added a sack on a blitz, linebacker Sione Hala forced a fumble that safety Jelani Whitmore recovered, and cornerback Caleb Ricks broke up a pass to end a Fresno threat.
This group will see a very different offense Saturday. Colorado State ranks among the national leaders in pass attempts, and Hejny can hurt a defense with his legs.
Keys to a San Diego State Victory
1. Run the Ball Right at Them
Texas State just ran for 503 yards against this defense. With Sutton healthy and Kinnard behind him, SDSU should be able to lean on the ground game, protect whoever is playing quarterback and keep Hejny on the sideline. Kinnard will also have a little extra motivation against his former school.
2. Contain Hejny
Colorado State’s offense looks like a different unit with Hejny healthy. He threw five touchdowns in the opener and averaged nearly 270 passing yards in his two full games. The Aztecs need the same pressure they got against Fresno State, but the rushers have to stay in their lanes so Hejny can’t escape and pick up yards on the ground. Vick is the receiver to account for, and Mel Brown can break a long run on any carry.
3. Finish Drives
DiLeva, Dorje and Hawkins have been SDSU’s most reliable players, and they won the Fresno State game. But the Aztecs settled for field goals four times inside the Fresno 25. Against a defense this vulnerable, and in a game with a total around 60, those drives should end in touchdowns.
Prediction
Vegas has SDSU as a slight road favorite, and the matchup explains why. Colorado State has given up at least 41 points in four straight games, and the Aztecs finally have a healthy backfield to attack that defense. But the Rams can score, Hejny’s return should give their offense a lift, and SDSU’s offense has been near the bottom of FBS in yards per game all season.
The Aztecs also haven’t won a road game yet this year. Expect more points than SDSU usually plays in, with Sutton and special teams doing enough to get SDSU back to .500.
Final Score
San Diego State 31, Colorado State 27
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