San Diego State kicks off 2025 football season
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Aztec football has returned to Snapdragon Stadium. Photo: Tony Ding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
San Diego State University football takes the field Thursday night, looking to bounce back from a disappointing first season under head coach Sean Lewis.
Why it matters: It's the Aztecs' first Thursday season opener in nearly 20 years and their last season in the Mountain West, with SDSU leaving for a reconfigured Pac-12 conference next year.
Driving the news: The team faces the Stony Brook Seawolves at Snapdragon Stadium, with kickoff set for 7pm.
- The game will be broadcast locally on KUSI. Tickets start at $27 and are free for students.
- Expect traffic and reduced parking and tailgating as the university recently broke ground on the new residential and retail development coming to the Mission Valley site.
State of play: Following a 3-9 season that ended with six straight losses, Lewis continues to rebuild the team with a new quarterback, a bigger offensive line and 13 returning starters (tied for ninth most in the country).
- QB Jayden Denegal, a transfer from Michigan, will be leading an "AztecFAST" offense that'll be looking to score more touchdowns. He was the backup when the Wolverines won the 2023 national championship.
- On the other side of the ball, junior edge Trey White is coming off of a breakout, sack-filled season. He was just named the Mountain West preseason defensive player of the year and made the watch list for the national defensive player of the year.
What they're saying: "The way that we finished [last season] was … never going to be acceptable," Lewis said in a press conference this week.
- "I ask our guys to improve and compete each and every single day," he said. "If I'm not different and I'm not better and I'm not improving, then I'm a fraud."
- Lewis said they've also "acquired the depth of talent" needed to operate the more explosive style of play that was expected.
The big picture: While the team expects to make a bowl game, SDSU was again picked to finish eighth in the 12-team conference in the preseason poll.
What's next: The Aztecs' bigger test comes Sept. 6 against Washington State, one of two schools that withstood the gutting and rebuilding of the Pac-12.
- Utah State, Fresno State, Colorado State and Boise State are also moving from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 next season.