San Diego State may have missed out on a chance to win the Mountain West championship earlier this month, but the football team still can end its season on a high note.
The Aztecs (9-3) take on North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in a game that will be televised on ESPN.
SDSU’s path to victory is challenging. Not only does the Mean Green (yes, that’s North Texas’ official nickname) come into the game with a better overall record at 11-2, but SDSU will be playing without its starting quarterback, Jayden Denegal. The junior underwent surgery last week to repair an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
Denegal, listed at six-foot-five and 235 lbs., suffered the injury during the team’s first game ofthe season, against Stony Brook on Aug. 28. He played the rest of the year while wearing aprotective harness, then had surgery on Dec. 17, according to multiple reports.
Stepping into his role against North Texas is backup quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who likeDenegal, transferred to SDSU last offseason. Emanuel Jr., a third-year player originally fromHouston, is the son of former NFL wide receiver Bert Emanuel.
Emanuel Jr., who almost matches Denegal’s size at six-foot-three and 235 lbs, played for Central Michigan before transferring to SDSU. In addition to his father’s pro experience, he has three cousins who played in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball.
Although he’s starting his first game for the Aztecs on Saturday, Emanuel Jr. has appeared in 10 games this season, albeit in a limited role. He was 5-of-9 passing for only 37 yards combined in those games, but rushed 22 times for 102 yards. His longest gain was 41 yards, which indicates that he may be bigger threat with his feet than his arm at this stage.
Another challenge for the Aztecs is that the team just installed a new defensive coordinator inthe last few days, taking the place of former DC Rob Aurich, who was hired by Nebraska inearly December. His replacement, Demetrius Sumler, had been the team’s defensive passinggame/cornerbacks coach.
“He has a great football mind, develops relationships, connects with everyone in the buildingand has produced undeniable results,” head coach Sean Lewis said of Sumler in a Dec. 20 statement.
Sumler, a San Diego native, came to the team in 2016 as a graduate assistant and wasnamed an assistant coach on defense two years later. Passing game coordination duties wereadded to his role in January.
In the regular season, the Aztecs’ passing defense led the Mountain West in yards allowedper attempt (5.1), pass efficiency rating (99.06), passing yards allowed per game (157),completion percentage (53.3) and passing touchdowns allowed (11), according to SDSU data.
That passing defense will on Saturday face a resurgent North Texas team that finished third in the American Conference standings this year, while rounding out the CFP rankings at No. 25. The team, also ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25, went 7-1 in conference play.
North Texas was on a six-game winning streak before dropping its last matchup of the regularseason, 34-21 against Tulane. The Mean Green’s only other loss was in its only game against aTop 25 team, when it fell 63-36 to South Florida.
The team’s 11-2 record is a drastic improvement from its 6-6 outing in 2024, which includedfive consecutive losses from mid-October through late November.
A big part of the turnaround was the play of freshman QB Drew Mestemaker, who threw for 4,129 yards and 31 TDs and only seven interceptions. Also a freshman, the team’s leading rusher, running back Caleb Hawkins, gained 1,236 yards and scored 23 TDs on 200 carries this season. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
San Diego State last appeared in the New Mexico Bowl in 2019, when the Aztecs easily beat Central Michigan. North Texas played the year prior, in a lopsided loss to Utah State.
Win or lose, the game caps off SDSU’s tenure in the Mountain West, which San Diego State is leaving after 27 years. Effective July 1, San Diego State, along with fellow conference members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State, is joining the Pac-12 conference.
But that’s on the back burner, with Saturday’s game front and center. Lewis said he and his student-athletes are eager to compete.
“It’s a great opportunity to go play,” he said during Thursday’s news conference. “Really excited. Anytime that you can earn more (playing) time by the work that you’ve done in the regular season is really, truly special.”
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