Aztecs offense struggles in 28-10 loss to UCLA

By Josh Frojelin

San Diego State University’s offense struggled in Saturday’s non-conference football game against UCLA, and the Aztecs lost 28-10 in Pasadena.

SDSU is now 1-1, with a strong defense but have questions offensively. After the first half, the game was scoreless but SDSU had yet to cross the 50-yard line on offense.

The Aztecs’ defense, with only three returning starters from last season, didn’t miss a beat early. They forced an interception in the red zone, recorded two sacks, and added three tackles for a loss. The defensive line play was impressive, considering the recent turnover. Jelani McLaughlin, Josh Hunter, Sione Hala, and Tano Letuli all tied for the team lead with eight tackles apiece.

The underdog Aztecs were holding their own, and delivering on the viral fiery message head coach Sean Lewis shared pregame: “I got plenty of experience where there’s a galaxy of stars and talents on the other sideline, and I’ll take me and mine against them all. Their polos, all their khakis, all their resources, all that. Put the ball down, let’s go play.”

The Bruins’ pass attack was kept at bay. UCLA quarterback Nico Imaleava finished 14-of-22 on passing attempts for 151 yards and an interception.

“I thought we played really aggressively,” senior safety Josh Hunter said postgame. “I thought we had a great game plan going into the weekend. We really just trusted ourselves to go out there and play as hard as we can for as long as we can.”

The Aztecs’ run defense was good early, but eventually buckled. Running back Wayne Knight finished with three touchdowns and 97 rushing yards despite the quiet first half.

SDSU quarterback Jayden Denegal finished with 45 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His 35.3 percent completion rate was the worst he’s posted in his career. Backup quarterback Draiden Trudeau played the final drive in garbage time.

“You can look at all the stat sheets you want,” junior tight end Jackson Ford shared concerning his confidence in the quarterback. “The most important stat is (Denegal has) started (15) games and he’s won 10 of them, and as a quarterback, the most important stat is winning. We’re a winning program.

“I put all my trust in Jayden. So does the whole offense. He’s a leader on our team. He’s a great guy, and I have no doubt about him. Nothing but confidence for him moving forward, leading our team to victory this year.”

The Aztecs’ rushing attack remained strong. San Diego-native Lucky Sutton earned 81 yards on 19 carries and Colorado State University-transfer Javion Kinnard added 48 yards on 12 carries.

Any questions of the Aztecs’ defense were answered this week, holding strong against a Big Ten school for the majority of the game. The Aztecs’ pass attack needs to get better, and fast, before Pac-12 play begins Oct. 3.

“I need to lead better, staff need to lead better, so we can put our kids in a position to have a greater sense of urgency of how we go about the work,” Lewis said.

SDSU continues its non-conference schedule with James Madison University on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadcium (7 p.m.). The Dukes just scored 87 points on Wanger University last week. Albeit against an FCS opponent, that’s an impressive offensive performance under former-University of Florida head coach Billy Napier. How can the Aztecs bounce back against a red-hot team with an experienced head coach?

“We’re going to look good on Saturday,” Lewis said. “We’re going to look as good as I think an Aztec football team has ever looked come Saturday. It’s going to be special. I’m not just trying to look good. I want to play good. I can’t wait to see our fans show up and look good, too, in red, and to paint that stadium red. It’s another special opportunity on a Saturday at Snapdragon.”

Griffins nipped
The host Grossmont Griffins built a 17-point lead in last Saturday’s community college football game against Antelope Valley only to see it disappear in an untimely 28-27 non-conference loss.

Ethan Ford rushed for a 46-yard touchdown to start scoring and Lucas Mora followed with a 37-yard field goal for a 10-0 first quarter lead. Both teams scored a touchdown in the second quarter as the Griffins maintained a 17-7 halftime lead.

Melvin Spicer IV connected with Elijah Smith for a 44-yard passing touchdown to make the score 17-0 before Antelope Valley scored on a two-yard pass from Tyson Smith to Nathan Valencia.

Grossmont (1-2) was first out of the chute in the second half with a Spicer two-yard run into the end one as the Griffins took a 24-7 lead.

A 27-yard scoring run by Felix Diaz trimmed the lead to 24-14. Jasper Brandenburg booted a 45-yard field goal to restore order for Grossmont at 27-14 early in the fourth quarter.

But Antelope Valley (2-1) scored the final two touchdowns in the game to spirit away the win.

The Griffins host L.A. Valley (1-2) Saturday at 3 p.m.