SDSU pounds Long Island visitors, 42-0, to kick off season

The 2025 college football season kicked off with a bang last weekend with games all over the country and splashed across all media platforms.

San Diego State University got the jump on most of the competition by hosting New York’s Stony Brook University on Thursday, Aug. 28, at Snapdragon Stadium in an intriguing matchup of teams at opposing ends of the NCAA Division I spectrum.

SDSU competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) while Stony Brook competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The FCS is the second-highest level of college football in the United States after the FBS.

SDSU finished 3-9 last season while Stony Brook finished 8-4.

The Aztecs kicked off their 103rd season of football, 57th at the Division I level, last in the Mountain West Conference and second under head coach Sean Lewis with a statement making 42-0 non-conference win over the Seawolves in front of 20,624 fans on a very humid and uncomfortable evening.

It had to be especially uncomfortable for the Long Island visitors after staring at a 14-0 deficit at the end of the opening quarter.

“I’m proud of the effort from the guys,” Lewis said. “Any time that you can getr a shutout, you’re doing something really good. I’m really proud of the leadership from (defensive coordinator) Rob Aurich. The boys rallied around him, and he got a shutout as a defensive coordinator in his first opportunity here with the Aztecs.

“I’m pleased with how the offense started the game overall. In the third quarter, there were some things, obviously, that we need to clean up that were not to our standard. The scoreboard is a direct reflection of how we go about our business.

“We didn’t do that the right way in the third quarter. However, I’m grateful that we were able to take the first step and get our first win against a really good team. Stony Brook is a good team that’s going to have a great year. I’m excited about how much better we can get as we go forward, which will be really cool to see.”

San Diego County locals played a significant role in the SDSU win, adding a positive note to the season opener.

Junior running back Lucky Sutton (Cathedral Catholic) rushed for a career high 100 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. He scored the game’s opening touchdown on a one-yard run with 5:30 to play in the opening quarter. He tacked on a two-yard scoring run with 1:40 to play in the third quarter. His longest run from the line of scrimmage measured 20 yards. He also had two catches for five yards.

Helix Charter alumnus Christian Washington made his homecoming memorable by scoring on a one-yard run 54 seconds into the fourth quarter. He finished the night as the Aztecs’ No. 2 ball carrier with 38 yards on seven carries. He tallied SDSU’s longest run of the night at 27 yards.

The junior running back (5-10, 205) transferred from Coastal Academy after one season.
Morse alum Byron Cardwell, a senior transfer from Cal, rushed for 30 yards on seven carries while Mater Dei Catholic grad Jerry McClure caught two passes for 26 yards, including an 18-yard gainer. Junior receiver Nathan Acevedo (Lincoln) had two receptions for 22 yards.

On defense, junior linebacker Tano Letuli (Cathedral Catholic) had five tackles while junior edge Trey White (Eastlake) had three tackles and two quarterback hits. Isaiah Buxton (Mater Dei Catholic) and Josiah Cox (Lincoln) each recorded one stop.

SDSU #11 Mikey Welsh breaks loose.

Closing in on the kill on defense.

Junior transfer Jayden Denegal (Apple Valley) passed for 208 yards with a 25-yard touchdown to junior Jacob Bostick (Palatine, Ill.) while redshirt freshman Parker Threatt (San Jose) scored on a five-yard run with 1:54 to play in the fourth quarter to cap scoring.
Senior Gabe Plascencia (Oakland) kicked field goals of 35 and 42 yards to add to the SDSU scoring column.

Sophomore Owen Chambliss (Corona) matched Letuli with five tackles and added one sack and 1.5 tackles for losses (12 yards). Junior August Salvatti (Clearwater, Fla.) also had 1.5 tackles for losses (11 yards) while Ryan Henderson (Las Vegas) had one sack. Seniors Miles King (Southfield, Mich.) and Brady Anderson (Bakersfield) matched Henderson, White and King with three tackles.

Junior Hunter Green (Redmond, Wash.) punted four times for a 54.8-yard average.

Bostick led Aztec receivers with 56 yards on three catches while junior Mikey Welsh (Servite) had one big grab for 44 yards.

Sophomore Jordan Napier (Fontana) had seven punt returns tor 73 yards, including one burst for 34 yards. He finished with 88 all-purpose yards to rank behind Sutton (105 all-purpose yards).

SDSU takes its undefeated record north to Washington State (1-0) this Saturday as non-conference play continues. The Cougars edged Idaho, 13-0, in their season opener.

Photos by Phillip Brents

San Diego State University
2025 Football Schedule

September
6: SDSU at Washington State, 7:15 p.m.
20: California at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
27: SDSU at Northern Illinois, TBA

October
3: Colorado State at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
11: SDSU at Nevada, 7:30 p.m.
25: SDSU at Fresno State, TBA

November
1: Wyoming at SDSU, 4 p.m.
8: SDSU at Hawaii, 8 p.m.
15: Boise State at SDSU, 7:30 p.m.
22: San Jose State at SDSU, TBA
28: SDSU at New Mexico, 12:30 p.m.

December
5: MW championship game, TBA

University of San Diego
2025 Football Schedule

September
6: Southern Utah at USD, 6 p.m.
13: USD at Montana State, TBA
20: USD at Princeton, TBA
27: St. Thomas at USD, 1 p.m.

October
4: USD at Marist, TBA
11: Drake at USD, 2 p.m.
25: USD at Davidson, 9 a.m.PT

November
1: Dayton at USD, 1 p.m.
8: USD at Valparaiso, TBA
15: Butler at USD, 1 p.m.
22: USD at Stetson, TBA