{"id":474074,"date":"2025-12-27T02:36:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T02:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/474074\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T02:36:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T02:36:17","slug":"aztecs-have-work-cut-out-for-them-vs-no-23-north-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/474074\/","title":{"rendered":"Aztecs have work cut out for them vs. No. 23 North Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego State has its sights set on reaching 10 victories for only the 10th time in the program\u2019s Division I history when it meets No. 23 North Texas on Saturday afternoon in the New Mexico Bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you watch all these bowl games, who can start quick, who can start fast, is going to be critically important,\u201d SDSU coach Sean Lewis said Friday. \u201cBecause, for us, it\u2019s been close to a month since we\u2019ve played a ballgame.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want to do a great job with our communication, our alignments, our assignments, and try to impact a good quarterback as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

That quarterback, North Texas redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker, made the Mean Green the nation\u2019s highest-scoring offense with 44.8 points a game. It\u2019s the season\u2019s biggest challenge for an SDSU defense that ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense with 12.6 points a game.<\/p>\n

What gives? We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

The Aztecs (9-3) are 6 1\/2-point underdogs against North Texas (11-2) in a game that kicks off at 2:45 p.m. PT (ESPN) at the University of New Mexico\u2019s University Stadium.<\/p>\n

Here are five things to watch:<\/p>\n

1. QB or not QB?<\/p>\n

Rumors began swirling two weeks ago that North Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker would hit the transfer portal after leading the nation with 4,129 passing yards while throwing for 31 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

That led to questions about whether Mestemaker, a former walk-on who could be in line to collect perhaps $3 million next year at a Power Four school, would opt out of the bowl game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not one to quit out on the team and kind of leave before we finish something,\u201d Mestemaker said at Friday\u2019s news conference in Albuquerque. \u201cI felt like we had more on the table. I didn\u2019t want to go out like how we went out. I know we\u2019re a better football team than how we went out against Tulane, and so my thing was, I wanted to come back, finish this thing the right way and get our 12th win for the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is some speculation that Mestemaker will not play the entire game. Behind him, North Texas has well-traveled senior Reese Poffenbarger, who played at Miami, Albany and Old Dominion before coming this year to Denton, Texas. He barely played behind Cam Ward last year at Miami, although Poffenbarger did throw for more than 6,500 yards and 60 touchdowns across two seasons at Albany.<\/p>\n

There is plenty of talent beyond the QBs. The receiving corps is led by Wyatt Young (63 catches, 1,209 yards, 10 TD), Cameron Dorner (50-845, 6 TD) and Miles Coleman (46-536, 2 TD).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a 1,000-yard rusher in Caleb Hawkins (200 carries, 1,236 yards, 23 TD), along with Mackenzie McGill (75-389, 5 TD) and Kiefer Sibley (45-224, 5 TD).<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if you really stop or take away anything,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to limit all their explosive playmakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. That is the question<\/p>\n

When SDSU starting quarterback Jayden Denegal had season-ending surgery last week<\/a>, the Aztecs turned to backup Bert Emanuel Jr. to lead them in the New Mexico Bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a next-man-up mentality,\u201d SDSU running back Lucky Sutton said. \u201cI truly belief in any quarterback that steps up in this game. Whoever steps in we\u2019re going to do what we have to do to and control what we have to control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emanuel played sparingly this season. He completed 5 of 9 passes for 37 yards, and there were some special packages to take advantage of Emanuel\u2019s running ability.<\/p>\n

Denegal\u2019s workload was limited in practice so he could be as healthy as possible for games. The extra practice reps went to Emanuel, and Lewis said the backups has done \u201ca great job all year long of being prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve navigated this in-house,\u201d Lewis added. \u201cObviously, it\u2019s new and it\u2019s forward-facing to the public, but this is something the guys have done a great job handling all year long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emanuel transferred in January from Central Michigan, where he made four starts among 13 games played over three seasons. He completed 27 of 51 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns while rushing 145 times for 844 yards and 12 TDs. His last start was Sept. 23, 2023, against South Alabama.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll match and build the game plan to what BJ\u2019s skillset is,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cHe\u2019s started games before, so we know we\u2019re going to give him the ball and he\u2019s going to give us a great chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Diego State\u2019s Lucky Sutton has rushed for 1,267 yards this season. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\n3. SDSU run game<\/p>\n

The fewest pass attempts in a game for SDSU is seven, a mark set at San Jose State when the Aztecs put up a school-record 554 yards on 71 carries.<\/p>\n

Could SDSU pass fewer than seven times against North Texas? Hmmm.<\/p>\n

Denegal is out, and starting wide receivers Jordan Napier and Jacob Bostick have suffered season-ending knee injuries.<\/p>\n

Then, there\u2019s an SDSU running game led by Sutton, who was a first-team all-Mountain West selection after rushing for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He is supported by running backs Christian Washington (88 carries, 486 yards, 3 TD) and Byron Cardwell Jr. (47 carries, 162 yards, TD), as well as Emanuel\u00a0 (22 carries, 102 yards).<\/p>\n

And North Texas\u2019 defense ranks 126th out of 136 FBS teams against the run, allowing 207.2 yards a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides the service academies, I don\u2019t know anyone in the country that has run the football more than we are,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cRunning the football has always been a big staple of who we are and what we\u2019re about. We want to be able to win the game from the inside out and control the trenches. Obviously, BJ has a skillset that helps us accentuate what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n

SDSU has rushed twice as many times (505) as it has passed (253) this season. But run even more?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re already stretching some margins there to run it any more than we already have this year,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n

Know this: If SDSU could, it wouldn\u2019t throw the ball at all against the Mean Green \u2014 choosing instead to run the clock, keeping the ball away from Mestemaker and Co.<\/p>\n

The key will be whether North Texas\u2019 offense forces SDSU to chase points and throw the ball to get back in the game.<\/p>\n

3. Case for the defense<\/p>\n

While SDSU\u2019s defense has been elite this season, the Aztecs face some challenges against North Texas.<\/p>\n

It is the first game calling the defense for cornerbacks coach Demetrius Sumler, who was promoted to defensive coordinator last week following the departure of DC Rob Aurich to Nebraska.<\/p>\n

Also, Sumler won\u2019t have his full complement of defenders against the Mean Green. Starting linebacker Tano Letuli suffered a season-ending knee injury in midseason, though Mister Williams has been an able replacement. Two backups on the offensive line \u2014 Jared Badie and August Salvati \u2014 are entering the transfer portal and have left the team.<\/p>\n

All-American cornerback Chris Johnson has not practiced while healing from a foot injury, and his participation is questionable at best. Fellow starting corner Bryce Phillips has opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

There is some additional incentive for the Aztecs. This is the same field they were on in the regular-season finale against New Mexico. The loss to the Lobos cost them a berth in the Mountain West championship game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to take the lessons we learned on that field and try to learn from our mistakes and not make them again,\u201d linebacker Owen Chambliss said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of motivation. Every single time we faced adversity this season we handled it well. We\u2019re just excited to get back out there and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Diego State\u2019s Gabe Plascencia kicks a 50-yard field goal before halftime during Saturday\u2019s game against Fresno State in Fresno. (Justin Truong, SDSU athletics)
\n5. If it comes down to kicking \u2026<\/p>\n

Give the Aztecs a slight edge if the game is decided by the kickers and punters.<\/p>\n

SDSU kicker Gabe Plascencia is 19-for-22 in field goals this season with a long of 53 yards. North Texas\u2019 Kali Nguma is 12-for-13 with a long of 46 yards.<\/p>\n

SDSU punter Hunter Green has averaged 47.6 yards this season, with a long of 68 yards and 26 punts inside the 20-yard line. North Texas\u2019 Sawyer Evans has averaged 40.9 yards with a long of 51 yards and nine inside the 20.<\/p>\n

BOX: Two assistants hired<\/p>\n

Lewis is adding edges coach Colin Ferrell and linebackers coach Scott White to the coaching staff, according to a source within the athletic department.<\/p>\n

The moves come after Nebraska hired both Aurich, who was both DC and linebackers coach, and edges coach Roy Manning earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Ferrell, 41, was the defensive line coach at Rutgers the past two years. He played at Kent State from 2004-07, then coached there for 11 seasons, including five years as defensive line coach when Lewis was head coach.<\/p>\n

White, 42, is an experienced linebackers coach who has spent the past decade at San Jose State and UCLA. He played at Mission Bay High School, where he was the San Diego Section\u2019s 2001 Defensive Player of the Year, before playing at Washington.<\/p>\n

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