3 things San Diego State must do to beat Portland State
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As they often do, the San Diego State Aztecs are opening their season at home against a team from an FCS conference. This year, their first in the reconfigured Pac-12 Conference, they’ll face the Portland State Vikings, who finished last in the Big Sky Conference at 1-11 last fall.
It might be easy to underestimate a team like that, but the Aztecs are looking for a strong performance before a big step up in competition the following week against UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
The Vikings have a new coach, Chris Fisk, and are coming off a heartbreaking 31-24 loss to UC Davis in which they blew a 21-0 halftime lead. UC Davis had been ranked No. 6 in the FCS poll and dropped a spot to No. 7 this week. The Aggies reached the FCS playoff quarterfinals each of the last two seasons.
Here are three keys to victory for the Aztecs, who are trying to build on last year’s 9-4 finish, which included a bowl berth for the first time in three seasons.
1. Contain Portland State quarterback Tyrese Smith
Smith, a sophomore, directed the Vikings’ big-play offense by completing 23 of 36 passes for 268 yards and rushing for 33 yards and two touchdowns.
His supporting cast includes Cru Newman, who set career highs with 177 all-purpose yards, seven receptions and 66 yards receiving, and Devon Anderson, who led the Vikings with 99 yards on six catches. PSU gained 20-plus yards on three plays in the first half.
This will be a good test for both the pass rush and the secondary. The Aztecs lost players who accounted for 31 of last year’s 32 sacks, and there are new starters at all five secondary positions.
2. Avoid special teams mistakes
Newman had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead. Few things give a visiting team more momentum than a big play that quiets the home crowd, so the Aztecs will need to bottle him up when he has the ball in his hands.
The Aztecs have new players throughout their special teams, including punter Tashi Dorje and placekicker Cooper DiLeva, who succeeds record setter Gabe “Hefty Lefty” Plascencia.
3. Start fast on offense
Scoring early and often is always a good goal to have, especially in a lid-lifter against an opponent like PSU.
This will be Bert Emanuel Jr.’s debut at wide receiver. He was the backup quarterback last year but made the move to better utilize his playmaking abilities. If quarterback Jayden Denegal gets him the ball, the yards could pile up.
Senior running back Lucky Sutton will be ready to go after being held out of a scrimmage two weeks ago to keep him healthy.
It’ll also be the first test for the rebuilt offensive line, where left tackle Joe Borjon and left guard Kalan Ellis are the only returning starters.
The Vikings held the Aggies to just 84 yards and four first downs in the first half.
Up next
Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium. The game will be carried on USA Network and San Diego Sports 760 radio.
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Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.