By Ryanne Rich and Gigi Montiforte, contributors
The San Diego State football team dropped the ball at home against James Madison University, falling 26-13. It was an unfortunate loss for the Aztecs due to their higher win prediction and a previous loss the week before, playing against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Their offensive tactics stalled early on in the game, and combined with their penalties, it proved to be too costly for them to make the turnaround they needed. This detriment in their game gave JMU the jumpstart they needed to set the tempo, take the lead, and ultimately the victory in the game.
JMU established their control early on in the first quarter of the game, with a turnover to them right after the kickoff. At 12:44 on the clock, JMU quarterback Camden Coleman rushed left for a 4-yard gain and scored a touchdown on 4th down, giving his team an early lead.
They secured an extra point from the kick by placekicker Morgan Suarez. Coleman showed out in the first quarter of the game, making strong and clear passes to his teammates, solidifying his spot as a key player in this game. SDSU’s Josiah Cox committed a penalty for holding JMU’s Corey Scott, marking the beginning of an aggressive rivalry.
The start of the second quarter was a true kicker for the fans, with the crowd catching the football from Suarez’s field goal that brought the Dukes to 13-0. Denegal made strong passes to his receivers, but the connection with his teammates was weak as they couldn’t drive the ball once it was made.
On the defensive end, James Madison stayed ready and succeeded in defending the ball anywhere on the field at any time. 11 minutes into the second quarter, SD received a false start penalty, pushing them back from the 31st to the 36th yard line. The penalties didn’t stop there, with SDSU receiving another for a false start by Denegal.
San Diego State came out of halftime looking to erase a 19-0 deficit against James Madison. The Aztecs struggled to generate momentum on their opening position going three-and-out after Denegal was sacked for a 7-yard loss. After another punt by JMU, SDSU finally put together a scoring drive. Running back Javion Kinnard carried the offense down the field for an 11-play, 82-yard drive.
Kinnard finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run that gave the Aztecs their first points of the night. James Madison’s lead was cut to 19-7 with much more football to be played left. Kinnard’s touchdown was the only score of the third quarter as both teams exchanged punts for the remainder of the quarter. San Diego State entered the fourth quarter still trailing 19-7.
San Diego State entered the fourth quarter trailing, looking to complete a comeback at Snapdragon Stadium in the final 15 minutes of the game. The Dukes quickly extended their lead after quarterback Camden Coleman turned a bobbled snap on fourth-and-1 into a 20-yard completion to wide receiver Corey Scott. Three plays later, Coleman found Cole Keller wide open for a 20-yard touchdown pass, putting James Madison ahead 26-7. This only fired up JMU to keep the momentum going.
San Diego State responded with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Jayden Denegal completed six of seven passes for 63 yards on the drive, ending it with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Acevedo. Acevedo made the catch despite being held and interfered with by a defender. This play was electric and fired up the fans alongside the Aztec team itself.
But the Aztecs’ two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving James Madison with a 26-13 lead. SDSU’s defense then forced a three-and-out, giving the Aztecs another opportunity to close the gap. San Diego State drove into the red zone, but on fourth-and-10 from the James Madison 19-yard line, Denegal’s pass to the end zone fell just beyond Jordan Napier’s fingertips.
This was a critical play that was needed to be successful for the Aztecs to stay in the game. After another James Madison punt, SDSU’s offense was unable to convert on fourth-and-8, allowing the Dukes to take over and run out the clock. James Madison held on for a 26-13 victory, while San Diego State finished the game with a strong second half but could not overcome its 19-point halftime deficit.
Linebacker Sione Hala stressed the importance of getting a better offensive beginning in their future games, stating: “We just [need to] play together more. We can’t start slow; it’s unacceptable…You gotta start better.”
Reflecting on the team performance, head coach Sean Lewis expressed a similar sentiment: “I think we have to continue to learn, refine, you know, who we are, who we’re going to be…We have to continue to educate our guys on what is a good play versus, you know, maybe being greedy at times on certain things, right?”