San Diego State answers adversity with dramatic win over Fresno State

The Old Oil Can rivalry game between San Diego State and Fresno State carried a little extra weight on Saturday night in what appeared to be a loser-leaves-town game in the race for a conference championship in the re-tooled Pac-12. 

The return of running back Lucky Sutton from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury gave the SDSU offense a jolt, and freshman backup quarterback Stone Saunders - who replaced injured starter Jayden Denegal in the second quarter - made a big play in the closing minutes to keep alive an Aztecs season to this point defined by adversity and perseverance. 

After Fresno State's Julius Gillick scored on a 2-yard run to make it 23-all and Manaki Watanabe's potential tying PAT kick bounced off the right upright with 5:02 left in the game, Saunders hit Jordan Napier for a 26-yard gain on third-and-10 and four plays later, DiLeva made the winning field goal, his fourth of the day. 

Sutton finished with 110 yards rushing on 18 carries. 

Here are three instant takeaways from the Aztecs’ home win over Fresno State.

1. What's the situation under center?

Senior quarterback Jayden Denegal left the game in the second quarter due to an ankle injury, with SDSU leading 13-3. Freshman Stone Saunders, who was a redshirt at Kentucky last season, made his debut for San Diego State to mixed results. 

On Saunders' first play from scrimmage, the pistol snap hit the motioning tight end, Fresno State recovered the fumble and five plays later Bryson Donelson scored on a 2-yard run to cut SDSU's lead to 13-10 with 4:02 left in the second quarter. Saunders finished 6-of-11 passing for 61 yards and seemed to gain confidence throughout the game, but the Aztecs' conservative play calling indicates coach Sean Lewis and offensive coordinator Matt Johnson understandably don't fully trust Saunders. 

Denegal was 7-of-10 passing for 112 yards, including a 52-yard TD pass to Jaylon Hawkins and looked comfortable and confident until he went down and X-rays were negative, but when will the 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior be back? 

2. Sutton's return brings stability

Lucky Sutton's return to the lineup brought instant stability and credibility to a San Diego State offense that has sputtered through the first half of the season. 

Sutton consistently found tough yards throughout the first half, keeping the offense ahead of the chains and chewing up the clock, lessening the load on the backs of both the offense and defense. 

The 6-1, 225-pound bruiser's physical running style wore down the Fresno State defense and allowed the Aztecs' defense to remain fresh until the final whistle. SDSU had three second-half sacks against the Bulldogs, including Kai Wallin's with 51 seconds to play. 

Denegal looked at home in the pocket with Sutton back in the lineup, hitting Hawkins down the sideline for a touchdown on a play-action pass. Sutton, who largely nickel-and-dimed the Fresno State defense in the first half, ripped off a 67-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter that set up wide receiver Bert Emanuel Jr.'s 7-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Napier. 

3. Sean Lewis has the ear of this San Diego State team

Injuries have plagued SDSU's roster this season (Sutton and, now, Denegal, for example) and the team even battled a mumps outbreak that sidelined at least a dozen players. Add to that a devastating loss to the Beavers in Corvallis, Oregon, and one could imagine a path to a fractured locker room. 

Not this squad. 

San Diego State, which allowed 651 total yards against Oregon State, limited the Bulldogs to 276 total yards and their fewest points (23) since a season-opening 39-0 loss at USC. The Aztecs defense had six sacks and limited Fresno State to 4 of 13 on thrid-down conversions.  

Cooper DiLeva kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal with 57 seconds left to lift San Diego State to a 26-23 win over Fresno State at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The Aztecs were coming off a brutal 66-14 loss at Oregon State last week and have faced many seasons' worth of adversity already this season, but they responded in a big way against Fresno State.