Aztecs notebook: QB Jayden Denegal answers question by starting vs. Cowboys

The status of San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal on Saturday against Wyoming remained in doubt until kickoff.

It wasn’t until Denegal stood behind center for SDSU’s opening series against Wyoming that confirmation came: the junior transfer would make his eighth straight start.

Uncertainty was created Thursday night, when Denegal was listed as questionable on SDSU’s availability report posted on the Mountain West website. Denegal was still listed as questionable when the final availability report was posted three hours before kickoff.

SDSU backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. was out for early pregame warmups 90 minutes before the game, throwing the ball with wide receiver Donovan Brown.

Denegal came out later, throwing the ball with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Matt Johnson in what amounted to a fitness test for an unspecified issue.

Denegal and Emanuel warmed up with catch caddies two minutes before kickoff.

The availability report does not include injury information. Denegal suffered a stinger in last week’s win at Fresno State, an injury that sidelined him for nine plays in the third quarter. He then returned to action.

“Obviously, the hit he took last week there were some limitations throughout the week in practice,” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said. “We didn’t quite know, so basically come pregame, can you operate all the throws that need to be made, and are you comfortable enough to decide to go?

“Jayden’s a warrior. He’s been working through a number of different things through the course of the year. Felt good. Gave us a green light, and away we went.”

2026 Pac-12 schedule

SDSU still has two openings on its 2026 football schedule, when the reconstituted Pac-12 debuts with the Aztecs and seven other football-playing schools. It remains to be seen how the holes will be filled.

Possible scenarios include playing seven or eight conference opponents. In an eight-game scenario, it’s likely one of the games would not be counted as a conference game in order to maintain competitive balance. The Pac-12 could also line up games with another conference to help fill openings. Or the Pac-12 teams could just face a fifth nonconference opponent on their own.

“We continue to work closely with our new Pac-12 members on a number of scheduling formats for 2026,” said Merton Hanks, the Pac-12’s executive associate commissioner of football operations. “Whatever format we move forward with will feature a competitive slate for the new Pac-12 with the collective strength of our eight football programs as a Top 5 league. We will continue to work with our media partners to reach a 2026 schedule in due course, and we look forward to sharing once it’s ready to be announced.”

The schedule is not expected to be finalized until early next year.

SDSU has three nonconference games currently scheduled: vs. Portland State (Sept. 5), at UCLA (Sept. 12) and at Toledo (Sept. 26).

Letuli injured

SDSU linebacker Tano Letuli was helped from the field with an apparent right knee injury midway through the first quarter after being driven to the ground by Wyoming tight end Jon Michael Gyllenborg. Senior transfer Mister Williams gave Letuli a hug before replacing him on defense.

Letuli missed two games earlier in the season with injuries. He had a 31-yard interception for a touchdown last week at Fresno State to complete the 23-0 victory.

Points off turnovers

SDSU turned a pair of first-half interceptions by Bryce Phillips and Dwayne McDougle into a touchdown and a field goal against the Cowboys. It was the ninth and 10 takeaways this season by the defense. SDSU has scored on eight the of the 10 possessions, collecting 45 points in the process.

The SDSU offense has turned the ball over six times this season, including a Jordan Napier fumble and Denegal interception in the second quarter. Opponents have yet to take advantage, failing to score on any of the giveaways.

The streak nearly ended against Wyoming, but Cowboys kicker Erik Sandvik’s 50-yard field goal attempt came up a couple yards short after the turnover. Wyoming got the ball at their own 6-yard line on the interception with 56 seconds remaining in the first half. They advanced the ball 1 yard before time expired.

Plascencia streak ends

SDSU kicker Gabe Plascencia came into the game with a SDSU- and Mountain West-record streak of 25 consecutive field goals. He boosted it to 26 in a row with a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter that provided SDSU with a 10-7 lead. Plascencia’s streak ended when he missed a 23-yard attempt midway through the third quarter.

Honor Warrior

Former SDSU defensive lineman Brett Faryniarz served as Honor Warrior for the game, planting a spear at midfield before leading the “I Believe” chant in front of the student section. Faryniarz played at SDSU from 1984-87 before embarking on a seven-year NFL career as a linebacker.

He ranks fifth all-time in school history with 20 1/2 career sacks. Faryniarz was SDSU’s defensive MVP in 1987 when he totaled 13 sacks. SDSU edge Trey White nearly matched him last season with 12 1/2 sacks. Faryniarz concluded his career with 261 tackles, the most in program history among defensive linemen.

Next up

The Aztecs travel to Hawaii next week for an 8 p.m. (Spectrum/Mountain West Network) game against the Rainbow Warriors, who kicked off late Saturday night at San Jose State. Hawaii was 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play coming into the game.

It figures to be a pivotal game after Boise State (6-3, 3-1) suffered its first conference loss in a 30-7 defeat against Fresno State (6-3, 3-2). The Broncos lost starting quarterback Maddux Madsen, who was helped from the field midway through the first quarter with a potentially season-ending right leg injury. Madsen watched the remainder of the game from the sideline on crutches.

Boise State plays SDSU on Nov. 15 at Snapdragon Stadium.