San Diego State football stuns previously undefeated Cal 34-0
In this story:
Coach Sean Lewis and the San Diego State Aztecs got the breakout victory they’ve been waiting for, and then some.
The Aztecs’ defense came up huge in routing previously undefeated California 34-0 on Saturday night, including Chris Johnson’s 97-yard interception return for a touchdown and Dwayne McDougal’s 35-yard fumble return for a score.
Snapdragon Stadium was loud and energized as the 12.5-point underdog Aztecs improved to 2-1. They had two weeks to stew over a 36-13 loss at future Pac-12 opponent Washington State, and it was clear they came in well prepared.
How big was it?
The Aztecs recorded their first shutout against a current team from a power conference since beating Oregon State 25-0 on Sept. 13, 1975.
It was also their largest victory margin against a team from a power conference. The previous largest was 32 in a 42-10 win against Arizona on Nov. 10, 1979.
Props to the D
San Diego State frustrated Cal true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele all night, forcing him into bad throws and sacking him four times.
The backbreaker came late in the third quarter when Johnson stepped in front of Jaiven Plummer to intercept true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and then raced down the right sideline for a 27-0 lead.
Two drives earlier, SDSU's Dalesean Staley knocked the ball loose from Kendrick Raphael and McDougal scooped it up and ran in untouched.
Staley intercepted Sagapolutele late in the third quarter.
Some offense, too
Jayden Denegal threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Napier two plays after they connected on an 80-yard catch-and-run.
On first-and-20 from the SDSU 10 early in the second quarter, Denegal hit Napier at the 50 and the wideout ran to the Cal 10 before being dragged down. Two plays later, Denegal made a sweet short toss to Napier, who then followed 338-pound pulling lineman Joe Borjon into the end zone.
Napier finished with nine catches for 154 yards. Lucky Sutton rushed 12 times for 61 yards and a score.
Big picture
The Aztecs denied Cal its first 4-0 start since 2019. The Bears were coming off three double-digiti victories.
SDSU evened the series at 5-5 after losing 31-10 at Berkeley last year. The home team has never lost.
MORE SAN DIEGO STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS
-bd678ba4dbad4f453246f539ee56a3b4.jpg "Bernie Wilson")
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.