Oregon State gets San Diego State on Saturday with the Aztecs still carrying the weight of a mumps outbreak that knocked several key players out of last week’s game.
The Beavers are 3-2 overall and 1-0 in Pac-12 play, and they’ll host SDSU at Reser Stadium in Corvallis at 3 p.m. PT. Oregon State is a 13.5-point favorite, with the game set for TV on USA and radio coverage on KEX 1190 in Portland, KEJO 1240 and 93.7 in Corvallis.
San Diego State enters at 2-3 and 1-0 after a strange, uneven start to the season. The Aztecs opened with a blowout of Portland State, then dropped three straight to UCLA, JMU and Toledo. They were staring at a 1-4 record in the second half against Texas State before storming back for a 31-29 win.
The health situation has thrown a wrench into the evaluation of this team. Starting running back Lucky Sutton and right guard Michael Levelle Watkins were among the players sidelined last week because of the outbreak, and it’s hard to know exactly what SDSU looks like when everyone is available. What is clear, though, is that the passing game has not been a strength and the defense has been leaking points and yards.
Quarterback Jayden Denegal is the biggest signal-caller in the Pac-12 at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, and he’s now in his second season as SDSU’s starter. The production hasn’t followed. Denegal ranks near the bottom of the conference, completing 58.2% of his passes for 709 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.
Sutton was supposed to be one of the league’s top returning backs after a 2025 season that saw him run for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns. This year has been much different. He has missed two games and has only 45 carries for 150 yards.
Colorado State transfer Javion Kinnard also missed the Texas State game. He flashed earlier with 33 carries for 181 yards and a touchdown against JMU.
In the passing game, Nathan Acevedo has emerged as a bright spot. He leads the Aztecs with 16 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and he also handles punt returns.
San Diego State does have some defensive playmakers. Rutgers transfer Djibril Rahman has made an immediate mark as a pass rusher with 15 tackles, 5.5 for loss, and three sacks. Linebacker Sione Hala leads the Pac-12 with 48 tackles after bouncing from Boston College to Weber State and back to the FBS.
There is at least one wild number attached to this team: since the start of 2021, SDSU’s 23 non-offensive touchdowns rank fourth nationally. And the comeback against Texas State was historic in its own way. The Aztecs became just the sixth team in the last 30 years to be outgained by at least 300 yards and still win, and their 14-point second-half rally was the fourth largest in program history.
Still, the matchup setup points toward Oregon State. The Beavers have won the last five meetings between the teams by a combined 110-19, and the source of San Diego State’s trouble runs deeper than one bad week.
Even if the Aztecs get bodies back, there’s no guarantee they’ll be fully effective after missing time. If their offense can’t threaten through the air and the defense keeps struggling, it’s difficult to see them matching Oregon State’s passing game or taking advantage of the Beavers’ defensive issues.
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