The rain came down but it couldn’t dampen the sprits of the 29,201 in attendance at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday who took in San Diego State University’s intrepid 17-7 win over the visiting Boise State Broncos.
There were a lot of ramifications — all good — for the Aztecs.
The win kept SDSU in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West standings at 5-1 with two regular season games to play — one game ahead of Boise State (4-2), Fresno State (4-2), Hawaii (4-2), New Mexico (4-2) and UNLV (4-2).
Moreover, SDSU improved to 8-2 overall on the season with an upcoming bowl berth all but assured.
Still smarting from a 38-6 drubbing at Hawaii on Nov. 8, the Aztecs never trailed in the ballyhooed matchup against the Broncos. Quarterback Jayden Denegal scored on a one-yard run early in the second quarter. The visitors tied the game, 7-7, on a nine-yard run by Dylan Riley midway through the quarter before Denegal reached the end zone again on an eight-yard run with 1:10 to play in the first half.
Gabriel Plascencia made it a 10-point spread with a 47-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
With the wet field conditions, the emphasis was on the running game for the Aztecs, who logged just 17 passing yards as opposed to 277 rushing yards in the rugged contest.
Lucky Sutton (Cathedral Catholic) rushed for 150 yards to break the 1,000-yard mark for the season, the 20th different Aztec to do so in program history. He currently has 1,048 rushing yards for the season, which is good for No. 23rd in Aztec history. It’s his fifth 100-yard rushing game his season.
The loss was the second consecutive for Boise State while SDSU snapped a three-game losing streak against the Broncos, who defeated the Aztecs 56-24 last year.
