Aztecs Chainsawed By Oregon State Beavers 26-9
The Aztecs aren’t looking like Power Five contenders after getting badly hammered by Pac-12 opponents two weeks in a row.
San Diego State’s back-to-back heavy losses have many fans asking whether Brady Hoke is serious about winning.
Corvallis, OR- Opposing teams always take the San Diego State Aztecs very seriously when they step onto the gridiron. This because the Aztecs have waged formidable wins over the past decade- especially against many Pac-12 opponents.
Sadly, however, San Diego State did not appear to have the ability to defeat the Beavers on Saturday, or any other competent team for that matter. The Aztecs appear to be seriously out of sorts, for a second season in a row, and coaching needs to show the Aztec Nation that they can right the ship.
After a very impressive overall record against the Pac-12 for much of the past decade, now under coach Brady Hoke, the Aztecs have now gone 0-4 over the past two seasons against the doomed Power Five conference. To the Aztec Nation this is simply unacceptable.
On Saturday, the Aztecs’ offense showed little ability to complete plays or to protect quarterback Jalen Mayden. Two fourth-quarter interceptions by the SDSU defense were not enough to turn the corner in a 26-9 loss to No. 16 Oregon State at Reser Stadium.
SDSU crossed midfield four of its five first-half possessions, but had only Jack Browning’s 52-yard field goal to show for it as the Beavers built a 12-3 halftime lead.
The Aztecs finally found the end zone on a 6-yard run by Jaylon Armstead with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Oregon State responded in turn with a 75-yard touchdown pass on the very next play.
Oregon State came into the game as a 24 1/2-point favorite. SDSU was more competitive than that, although the Aztecs trailed by at least two scores for most of the game, and coach Hoke at times appeared moderately engaged.
Oregon State defenders repeatedly swarmed Mayden in the backfield. The Beavers had four sacks in the first half and six for the game. Many sacks came on big third-down plays with Mayden looking for anybody to open up and receive the ball.
Mayden (20-for-32, 256 yards, INT) would have led the Aztecs in rushing had the sacks not been taken off his total. This is also abnormal for San Diego State, often referred to as Running Back University.
In fact, SDSU has failed to establish its running game, rushing 34 times for 24 net yards. The Aztecs finished the game with 326 yards in total offense, which is very concerning. The Aztecs have an army of talented running backs, so it calls into question what exactly is going on with Aztecs offense.
On the other hand, Oregon State’s offense produced 475 yards of offense, much of it supplied by quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (14-for-30, 284 yards, TD/ 2 INTs). The week prior, UCLA produced 550 yards of offense at Snapdragon Stadium.
After the back-to-back losses to Pac-12 teams, SDSU (2-2) turns its attention to the Mountain West conference play.
The Aztecs host the Boise State Broncos on Friday night at Snapdragon Stadium. The Broncos (1-2) earned their first win of the season with a 42-18 victory Saturday over North Dakota.
Without question, the Aztecs will have to carefully analyze the status quo, and make some major adjustments to prevent additional embarrassing losses and to resume capitalizing on its core competencies.
If the Aztecs continue to struggle, it is possible that SDSU Athletic Director J.D. Wicker will have to assess whether the current coaching squad is performing at the level San Diego State expects. The stakes are high: SDSU just built a $300M stadium and the Aztecs were a heartbeat away from ascending to Power Five play.
The university is too deeply invested to settle for descending status and fan disappointment while asking fans to invest even more.
This article contains some content from the San Diego Union Tribune.