Aztecs' success starts with stopping Oregon State's running game – San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego State and Oregon State met on the football field less than a year ago when SDSU traveled to the Beavers' Reser Stadium for a Week 4 game.

Oregon State gets revenge with Saturday night's Week 2 game and, oh, how things have changed.

Both schools have new head coaches, Sean Lewis for the Aztecs and Trent Bray for the Beavers. Both schools have had significant turnover on their rosters, with more than half of the players being new to their teams. The percentage of new starters is even higher.

In addition, Oregon State and Washington State are the last two schools in the Pac-12 after the conference collapsed around them.

Another change from last year: SDSU was down 23 points that year, but went into the game at Snapdragon Stadium and was down to 6 points. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).

Here are five things to look out for:

1. Beavers run with the ball

Oregon State ran 58 times for 362 yards and four touchdowns in its 38-15 season-opening win over Idaho State.

Jam Griffin (160 yards, 2 TDs) and Anthony Hankerson (155 yards, 2 TDs) were the first OSU teammates in over 30 years to each run for more than 150 yards in a game.

Thanks to their effectiveness, Oregon State was able to control the ball for almost 38 minutes against the Bengals. This also explains why starting quarterback Gevani McCoy (9 of 10, 114 yards, TD) handed the ball to his teammates instead of throwing it to them.

It's a winning formula that's well known to SDSU fans. The Aztecs used a run-dominant offense to dominate time of possession during a school-record streak of 13 bowl appearances from 2010-2022.

SDSU's defense needs to make some stops or the Beavers will just have to keep the football at a distance.

2. Aztecs quarterback Danny O'Neil

This season will be full of firsts for SDSU quarterback Danny O'Neil, one of only two true freshmen in the country to start at quarterback (along with Nebraska's Dylan Raiola).

Last week was O'Neil's first college game. This week is his first college game against an FBS team.

O'Neil was impressive against Texas A&M-Commerce, shaking off a slow start (1-for-7) by finishing strong in the second half (11-for-12). His performance included a 28-yard run in the fourth quarter.

In the game, he completed 22 of 33 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

O'Neil can expect more pressure from the Beavers. Linebackers Nikko Taylor and Isaiah Chisom will test his presence in the pocket much more than in the opener. When he is substituted, O'Neil can use his legs to extend plays.

To make matters worse, the Aztecs had to miss their left tackle Joe Borjon for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.

Former starter Christian Jones returns at left tackle, with Myles Murao filling in at left guard. Both players are experienced starters, but Borjon's injury has cost the O-line both talent and depth.

3. Aztecs RB Cooper

What does SDSU graduate running back Marquez Cooper do for an encore?

Cooper's 223-yard performance against Texas A&M made him the second-best runner in the nation, behind only Boise State's Ashton Jeanty (267 yards).

SDSU has a lot of running backs, so entering the season it was questionable whether any one player could handle the majority of the workload. Cooper responded by carrying the ball 27 times.

His performance included 14 runs of at least five yards, half of them 10 or more. He got stronger as the game went on, with his three longest runs (28, 38 and 47 yards) all coming in the second half.

His teammates Jaylon Armstead and Lucky Sutton are bigger running backs, but neither was used until SDSU's final drive of the game when the Aztecs ran out of time.

Will Cooper get a breather this week or will he continue to be the workhorse?

4. SDSU’s kicking game

Gabriel Plascencia had a mixed result last week, sometimes a 50-yard field goal, sometimes a 48-yard field goal.

Plascencia also missed an extra point and his kickoff went out of bounds. In fact, none of his five kickoffs resulted in a touchback.

Plascencia may have been dealing with a minor leg injury, but Lewis says he is fit this week.

Substitute kicker Nick Lopez replaced Plascencia and made 4 of 4 PATs. He also completed three kickoffs, two of which resulted in touchbacks.

“Both guys will continue to get opportunities as we figure out who is the most consistent,” Lewis said.

5. Penalties

SDSU's 16 penalties against Texas A&M-Commerce were the most in a game for the Aztecs in at least 25 years. SDSU and Texas State, also with 16, were the most penalized teams in the nation in Week 1.

“The number of penalties was inexcusable and played a significant role in either expanding (A&M Commerce) campaigns or damaging our own campaigns. We must place great emphasis on that and we will continue to do so,” Lewis said.

By avoiding false starts and face masks, the number could be halved.

SDSU's offensive line has had seven penalties called, so avoiding mistakes there will be crucial in the game against Oregon State.

Originally published: September 6, 2024 at 16:11