Offense falters for Aztecs, who fall 36-13 to Washington State on road
What a difference a week makes. Days after cruising to a 42-0 season opening victory, San Diego State picked up its first loss of the season Saturday, falling to Washington State 36-13. The game, in Pullman, Washington, was a far cry from the season opener against a lower-division school. In the game against Stony Brook, the Aztecs defense and offense dominated and gave fans reason for optimism. Denegal to Bostick has a nice ring to it.📺: @TheCW_Sports #AztecFAST 🍢 x #BeTheA1pha 🐺 x #TheClimb 📈 pic.twitter.com/g5sSLJryWw— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) September 7, 2025 But this week, the Aztecs were burdened with missed tackles, poor decision making and a largely lifeless offense. “We didn’t tackle well enough in space. We didn’t play pitch and catch well enough,” Aztecs coach Sean Lewis told San Diego Sports 760. SDSU had a big break early in the first quarter when an apparent special teams mistake that allowed the Cougars to score a touchdown was reversed by referees. San Diego State took advantage and went down the field for a score, with quarterback Jayden Denegal tossing a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jacob Bostick. The Cougars tied it up with about five minutes left in the first on a 3-yard touchdown pass caught by tight end Trey Leckner. They took a 10-7 lead later with a 13-play drive that led to a 49-yard field goal. The game settled into a defensive struggle with the two teams combining for eight punts in the first half. Then the Cougars defense created the turning point in the game. It happened after the Aztecs received the ball from a punt deep in their territory. With the ball on his own 8-yard line, Denegal backed up to pass but WSU defensive end Isaac Terrell sacked him in the end zone to give the Cougars the safety and a 12-7 lead. The Cougars weren’t done, as they then drove the ball 62 yards in just 32 seconds for a touchdown to up their lead to 19-7 and end the half. A game that had been close all night turned against SDSU in a span of about two minutes. It didn’t get much better after that for the Aztecs. The Cougars got the ball at the start of the second half and quarterback Jackson Potter drove the team 75 yards in four minutes to score another touchdown, giving them a 26-7 lead. They added a field goal to make it 29-7. The Aztecs would rally slightly, with Denegal plunging into the end zone for a touchdown at the end of a 10-play drive. But a two-point conversion failed, leaving them trailing 29-13. Their hopes were raised when they blocked a field goal and ran it back for a touchdown but the play was wiped out by referees, who flagged the Aztecs for a defensive offsides. The Cougars would finish the scoring with a touchdown to make the final score 36-13. The Aztecs finished with 82 rushing yards and 133 passing yards. Lewis lamented consecutive three-and-out possessions that kept the defense on the field too long. “We all collectively need to be better as we move into this 14-day prep for a really good Cal team,” he said. NOTES: Saturday’s game was a preview of a future conference rivalry. Washington State has been a long-time member of the Pac-12 conference, which San Diego State will join next year … the Aztecs have a bye week before their next game. They take on Cal at home at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20.
