San Diego State, in big first step, thrashes Stony Brook 42-0

The Aztecs trounced Stony Brook 42-0 in their season opener. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) A cloudy, rainy day gave way to sunny and clear skies Thursday at Snapdragon Stadium, perhaps symbolically signaling the start of a bright new season for San Diego State. That season got off to a rousing start as the Aztecs dominated Stony Brook University for a 42-0 victory to kick off their 2025 season. “Proud of the efforts from the guys tonight,” said Sean Lewis, entering his second year as SDSU’s head football coach. “Anytime you can pitch a shutout, you’re doing some things that are really good.” 🏈 Highlights from San Diego State's 42-0 shutout win over Stony Brook#MWFB | #MWPathToThePlayoff pic.twitter.com/OSnxyN3Blh— Mountain West (@MountainWest) August 29, 2025 The Aztecs were coming off a 3-9 season when they kicked off against the Seawolves, an FCS team, part of the Coastal Athletic Association, that had an 8-4 record last year. The home team wasted no time in trying to erase the sting of last season, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after a run up the middle by returning running back Lucky Sutton. New starting quarterback Jayden Denegal was efficient in that first drive, throwing only one incompletion and guiding the team down the field. But just five plays into the game, Lewis subbed out Denegal, brining in Bert Emanuel for a couple of plays in the drive. Denegal, who would finish the game with 208 passing yards, was soon back in, leading an up-tempo offense that went on a 15-play drive of 74 yards, capped by Sutton’s touchdown run. Stony Brook was unable to do anything with the ball during its possession and with Denegal again behind center, San Diego State drove down the field near the end of the first quarter. A big 23-yard catch by wide receiver Jacob Bostick and a 10-yard run by Byron Cardwell Jr. set the stage. Lucky Sutton Appreciation Post:3 Quarters22 Rush Attempts100 Rush Yards2 Rush TDS#AztecFAST 🍢 x #BeTheA1pha 📷 x #TheClimb 📷 📈📺: @MountainWest pic.twitter.com/8JpBX8mXlE— San Diego State Football (@AztecFB) August 29, 2025 Denegal followed with a 26-yard passing touchdown, again caught by Bostick. That gave the Aztecs a 14-0 lead to close the quarter. As the second quarter started, the teams traded punts. But with about nine minutes left in the half, Denegal engineered a drive highlighted by a 44-yard pass to wide receiver Mikey Welsh along the sideline. The Aztecs eventually settled for a 42-yard field goal from kicker Gabriel Plascencia that gave them a 17-0 lead. The Aztecs went on another long drive, this one for 12 plays and 43 yards, leading to a Plascencia 35-yard field goal that made it 20-0 Aztecs as the first half ended. In the half, the Aztecs defense limited Stony Brook to just three first downs and a total of 49 offensive yards. The defense kept it up in the third quarter, forcing the Seawolves to punt despite Stony Brook switching quarterbacks, turning to backup Casey Case to get the offense going. The game settled into a defensive struggle, with six punts in the third quarter. But then Denegal broke through with a 45-yard pass to wide receiver Donovan Brown that took the Aztecs into the red zone. From there, Sutton ran it in for a touchdown and the Aztecs completed a two-point conversion to take a 28-0 lead.  Sutton would total 100 rushing yards for the game. “We talked about running the ball this game and that just really set the tone for the offense as a whole and the game in general,” Sutton said in the post-game press conference. “We drove down, ran the ball and that was our whole game plan.” The Aztecs added more points in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Christian Washington. With the extra point, it made the score 35-0. Later, they wrapped up the scoring with a touchdown run by wide receiver Parker Threatt. “It’s just the start,” said Lewis. “It’s just the first step.” NOTES: This was the first meeting between the two schools, which are separated by 2,809 miles … The Aztecs announced attendance at 20,624 … File this under time flies:  this is already the fourth season for SDSU playing its home games on Bashor Field at Snapdragon …Next up for the Aztecs is an away game at Washington State. The game, at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 6, is scheduled to be broadcast by the CW network.