San Diego State gets Washington State at home Saturday with both teams leaning on redshirt freshman quarterbacks, but the bigger storyline for the Aztecs is time. They are 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12, and with only four games left, they need three more wins to reach bowl eligibility for the second straight season.
Sean Lewis made it official Monday: Stone Saunders will start again at quarterback. Senior Jayden Denegal remains day-to-day with an ankle injury, and Saunders earned another look after a standout debut last week in a 56-49 loss at Colorado State.
That performance was the kind that gets your attention. Saunders went 23 of 33 for 369 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start, and he also had the one costly mistake that changed the feel of the game - a pick-6 late in the second quarter. He later threw another interception, though Colorado State couldn’t take advantage of it.
The challenge now is whether SDSU can avoid letting a struggling opponent sneak up on it. The Aztecs were in the same spot last week against a Rams team that had dropped four straight by blowout, and Colorado State still found a way to beat them behind Hauss Henjy, who returned from a hamstring injury and accounted for five total touchdowns through the air and on the ground.
Washington State comes in at 1-7 and 0-4 in the league, carrying a five-game losing streak after its lone win over Duquesne of the FCS. The Cougars are the only Pac-12 team without a conference victory, but they’ll bring a familiar face under center in another redshirt freshman, Owen Eshelman. He’s set for his third straight start after beating out Caden Pinnick, and he flashed real promise in his debut at Oregon State two weeks ago, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns while adding 136 rushing yards and a score.
The Aztecs will also have some continuity in the backfield. Lucky Sutton and Javion “Chop” Kinnard were not listed on the Pac-12 availability report this week, and both have turned in strong outings over the last two games.
There’s also recent history between these teams. Washington State handled San Diego State 36-13 in Pullman in Week 2 last year, then came back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to win 29-26 at Snapdragon Stadium in 2024.
SDSU is favored by 2.5 points after being a 1.5-point favorite at Colorado State last week.
After this one, the Aztecs will host Utah State, then take their bye. Their final stretch includes a trip to No. 20 Boise State and one more road game in a flex matchup against one of four possible opponents.
Our prediction: San Diego State 21, Washington State 10
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WSUs Best Chance At A Breakthrough Win Comes Down To One Thing
Washington State heads into a road game against San Diego State with a chance to make some real progress against a defense that has struggled badly this season. Owen Eshelmans last start gave the Cougars reason to believe the offense can function with him at quarterback, even with the interception, and the setup feels straightforward enough: protect him, keep the attack on schedule and make a vulnerable opponent pay for mistakes.
The problem is that the Cougars still need the pieces around Eshelman to hold up, starting with the offensive line and the backs trying to hit open lanes. The passing game has also been trimmed down to a small group of reliable targets, which puts even more pressure on every snap to go smoothly and leaves little margin if San Diego State is able to tighten things up early. [Read more 🡒]
WSU Heads Into SDSU With Two Key Question Marks Still Looming
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Still, the report is not clean yet. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons and safety Jeremiah Bernard are the two Cougars listed as questionable, leaving a couple of important spots in limbo as WSU works through the final stretch before kickoff. San Diego State has its own list of probable, questionable, doubtful and out players, and the Pac-12 also announced a schedule for public release of player availability reports beginning in 2026, a sign that this sort of pregame uncertainty is becoming even more formalized across the league. [Read more 🡒]
Washington States New Frontcourt Could Decide How Far This Team Goes
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What makes the group interesting is not just the individual talent, but how much responsibility could fall on it once the games start getting tighter. Riley has made clear that Harrison stands out as a special prospect, while Kropp arrives with international experience that suggests he can help in more than one role. If Washington State is going to push beyond being just competitive, the answers up front may end up being the difference. [Read more 🡒]