Oregon State is getting San Diego State at a time when the Aztecs are still trying to sort through injuries, illness and an offense that has not found its footing against FBS teams.
That’s the picture Kirk Kenney of The San Diego Union-Tribune painted when asked what to expect Saturday at Reser Stadium, where the Beavers host the Aztecs at 3 p.m. on USA Network. His read is that SDSU could still be missing a significant chunk of its roster, with the latest availability report listing 35 players. Among them: 16 questionable and six doubtful.
The biggest names to watch are in the backfield. Lucky Sutton and Javion Kinnard, San Diego State’s top two running backs, sat out last week against Texas State and were upgraded to questionable, but Kenney said it would not be surprising if both are held out again. Linebacker Tano Letuli, a three-time team captain, also left last week’s game and could be limited.
The illness issue has not gone away, either. Kenney said the mumps outbreak that has affected the team for nearly four weeks does not appear to be worsening, but it could remain a problem this week and beyond. The tight ends room, he said, has taken the hardest hit from the combination of illness and injury.
On offense, quarterback Jayden Denegal has yet to deliver the jump San Diego State hoped for after shoulder surgery ended last season. Kenney pointed to Denegal’s Week 1 showing against Portland State as the high point so far, saying the quarterback has had issues with his mechanics and confidence. He also noted that the receivers have not done enough to help, needing better focus on their assignments and more aggressiveness on contested throws.
There has been at least one bright spot on the other side of the ball. Djibril Rahman has stepped into the kind of role the Aztecs were hoping someone would seize at edge.
Kenney said Rahman’s name came up in camp alongside Brady Nassar and Kai Wallin as a possible breakout player, so his emergence has not come out of nowhere. He now leads the team with three sacks and 5 1/2 tackles for loss.
Still, the larger concern for SDSU is the defense as a whole. Kenney said the Aztecs lost almost all of last season’s starters from a nationally ranked unit, with cornerback Chris Johnson - a first-round pick by Miami in the 2026 NFL draft - among the biggest departures. Nose tackle Malachi Finau and Letuli are the only returning starters, and the newcomers have needed time to get on the same page.
The defense has shown flashes, even if the overall numbers remain ugly. It shut out UCLA in the first half of a Week 2 loss. Against Texas State, SDSU gave up 565 yards but also forced two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and made a fourth-down stop at its own 1-yard line to preserve a 31-29 comeback win.
The pass defense has been the clearest weakness. San Diego State ranks 128th nationally against the pass, allowing 266.6 yards per game, and that is a bad matchup heading into Oregon State’s offense led by Braden Atkinson and Co.
Kenney’s bottom line: if SDSU’s offense keeps struggling to score and the defense can’t slow the Beavers, the game could tilt hard toward Oregon State. He called the Aztecs a two-touchdown underdog and suggested the injury and illness situation, along with the offensive issues, may make the game less competitive than the spread indicates.
Oregon State enters at 3-2, 1-0 Pac-12. San Diego State is 2-3, 1-0.
In Other News...
Oregon State Suddenly Has A Secondary Problem Before A Crucial Home Game
Oregon State heads into Saturdays home game against San Diego State with a growing concern in the secondary, where cornerback Isaiah Houi is listed as questionable. With several other Beavers already dealing with injury-related availability issues, the possibility of Houi sitting would leave the defense stretched thin at a spot that cannot afford much margin for error at Reser Stadium.
The staffing issue has forced Oregon State to look for answers elsewhere, including moving safety Sailasa Vadrawale III into cornerback reps as a contingency. It is the kind of late-week shuffle that can ripple through a game plan, especially with a crucial matchup looming and both teams still sorting through updated injury reports before kickoff on October 10 in Corvallis. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Has A Chance To Turn This Homecoming Into Something Bigger
Oregon State gets a familiar kind of chance this week, coming home after back-to-back road wins and a solid start to its Pac-12 schedule. The Beavers are 3-2 overall after opening conference play with a win over Colorado State, and head coach JaMarcus Shephard has made no secret of how much he welcomes the return to Corvallis after a stretch spent away from home.
San Diego State arrives at 2-3, bringing a defense that still has to be accounted for, especially with Djibril Abdou Rahman on the roster. For Oregon State, though, the broader interest goes beyond just the matchup. Freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree has already drawn attention with his place on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, a sign that the Beavers may have more than one reason to believe this homecoming could become something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Backfield May Be Finding Its Edge At The Right Time
Oregon States recent win over Colorado State gave the Beavers something to build on, and a pair of players who spoke with local media this week offered a glimpse into why the backfield may be settling in at the right time. Cornell Hatcher pointed to steady improvement in the running back room, while Drake Vickers talked about his long road back to the field and what it has meant to be part of the rotation again.
As the Beavers turn their attention to San Diego State, the conversation around the backfield is about more than just one good performance. Hatchers comments suggested a unit trying to sharpen its approach after an uneven start, and Vickers return adds another layer of depth and resilience to a group that is trying to find its edge when the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]