5 Things to Watch: Aztecs on the defensive in Mountain West opener vs. Colorado State

Friday traffic being what it is, San Diego State coach Sean Lewis offered to help people get to Snapdragon Stadium early for SDSU’s game against Colorado State.

Lewis signed a permission slip on San Diego State communications stationery that was posted Thursday afternoon on social media:

“Please excuse _________ from work on Friday, October 3, 2025. It is the Aztecs’ Mountain West opener at Snapdragon Stadium. Our players and staff are on the hunt to bring one last Mountain West title back home to San Diego and we need everyone there. Please understand that __________ is going to be unavailable as they are an indispensable part of Aztec nation.

“We appreciate your understanding on this matter and you should join us, too. So be there at Snapdragon Stadium this Friday to watch your Aztecs kick off conference play with a win.”

The Aztecs (3-1) are favored over Colorado State (1-3) in a game that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. SDSU has won seven of the past nine meetings and leads the all-time series 22-15.

Here are five things to watch:

1. SDSU defense

The Aztecs are looking to stack another strong defensive performance on top of shutout wins over Stony Brook and Cal and last week’s 6-3 win at Northern Illinois.

SDSU ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 9.8 points a game.

“Returning key players has really been helpful for how consistent we’ve been playing,” SDSU defensive coordinator Rob Aurich said. “There’s a maturity amongst the group that you can really trust them to go out and execute most of the things we give them.

“What I’ve really been pleased with is their growth in how resilient they are. We gave up a first down last year and I thought it was more of a panic situation. Now we just kind of reset into the moment and execute the call.”

2.Colorado State QB

The Rams are expected to start 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore quarterback Jackson Brousseau for the second straight week.

Brousseau started in place of three-year starter Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (44-for-82, 488 yards, TD/2 INTs) in last week’s 20-3 loss to Washington State, completing 19 of 28 passes for 188 yards.

It’s not much to go on for the Aztecs.

“It gives you a good start, and you go from there,” Lewis said. “You always wish that you had more of a data set and a sample size to have a greater understanding of what it all is. But you focus on the things that you can control. We have the snaps that we have and feel like we’re going to build a good plan around that.”

While Lewis said Brousseau is “dangerous enough to extend (plays) and create off script,” but expect the Aztecs to worry more about stopping the run.

CSU’s biggest strength has been a running game that features three players — Jalen Dupree (53 carries, 267 yards, TD), Lloyd Avant (30-209, 2 TDs) and Justin Marshall (13-69) — all averaging at least 5 yards a carry.

3. Offensive challenges

Neither team has been particularly productive offensively, though SDSU’s 23.8 points-per-game scoring average (93rd in the nation) looks robust next to Colorado State’s 15.3 points a game (129th).

“They’ve got weapons,” Lewis said. “Probably in a lot of the same ways that I look at our tape. We’re just inches away from being even more explosive, even more dynamic. I look at their tape and it’s much the same story.”

Some SDSU fans are eager to see running back Lucky Sutton (67 carries, 339 yards, 3 TDs, 5.1 ypc) shoulder more of the rushing workload. The junior from Cathedral Catholic High School had a season-high 23 carries for 100 yards in the opener against Stony Brook. He had 15, 12 and 17 carries over the next three games.

4.Giveth or taketh?

The game could hinge on turnovers.

Colorado State has seven giveaways this season, including five fumbles lost. The Aztecs did not have a turnover this season before throwing two interceptions at NIU.

“We’re going to get their best shot,” Lewis said. “With the start of conference play, it’s always an opportunity to reset. It’s always an opportunity to double down your efforts.

“They’re figuring out their pieces. They’ve been without some pieces. There’s been a uniqueness to are guys going to be out? Are guys going to be in? Which quarterback is it going to be? All those factors involved.”

Both teams have intercepted three passes.

The biggest difference-maker has been SDSU cornerback Chris Johnson. He has interceptions in back-to-back games, including a 97-yarder returned for a touchdown against Cal.

5. The crowd

SDSU distributed almost all of the 32,500 tickets at Snapdragon for its home game two weeks ago against Cal through various promotions and giveaways.

There were 21,819 in the stands for that game and Lewis said the crowd noise was in part responsible for Golden Bears’ false start penalties and other challenges.

SDSU again did some promotions for Colorado State — most notably a $29 midweek ticket deal.

This week presents an extra challenge because the game is on a Friday night, which is traditionally reserved for high school football.

Two of the smallest five crowds in Snapdragon’s brief 22-game history were on Friday nights, with 12,745 showing up last year against New Mexico and 14,356 attending two years ago against Boise State.

The Ticketmaster website showed more than 3,000 tickets still available as of Thursday afternoon, most on the upper west (home) side.

“We need our city to continue to show up for us,” Lewis said. “It was a tremendous opportunity against Cal. There was a direct correlation that you could make from the energy, the enthusiasm, the number of people that were in the stands, to the impact that they had on the game.”