San Diego State · Pac-12San Diego State turns special teams into a 53–20 win
Lucky Sutton scored three rushing touchdowns, Jaylon Hawkins returned a kickoff 100 yards and San Diego State blocked two punts before its Sept. 12 trip to UCLA.
SEP 6, 2026
The Pate State · Editorial IllustrationFinal score over Portland State
Kickoff-return touchdown
Lucky Sutton rushing touchdowns
01 · The NewsSpecial Teams Spark 53–20 Win
San Diego State answered an early six-point hole with 29 consecutive points Saturday, Sept. 5, routing Portland State 53–20 to start 2026 1–0 and send the Aztecs toward their first FBS test at UCLA.
Lucky Sutton supplied three rushing touchdowns, Jaylon Hawkins returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score and San Diego State’s special teams blocked two punts. The Aztecs led 29–6 at halftime after Portland State’s two early field goals.
San Diego State did not need a big passing game to pull away. Jayden Denegal completed 12 of 17 attempts for 137 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, including a 40-yard scoring throw to Justius Lowe in the second quarter. Sutton’s 13-yard touchdown run helped put the Aztecs ahead 29–6, and he finished with 58 yards on 18 carries.
Portland State scored on its first drive after halftime, then Hawkins changed the field. His return was San Diego State’s first kickoff touchdown since Jordan Byrd’s against San Jose State on Nov. 12, 2022. The blocked punts added two more chances for the Aztecs to turn field position into points without asking the passing game to carry the afternoon.
Sutton also reached a mark San Diego State had not seen since Juwan Washington scored three times on the ground against Sacramento State on Sept. 8, 2018. Hawkins made the longer statement: 100 yards from the kick to the end zone.
02 · The StakesWhy It Matters
That start now meets UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7:15 p.m. ET. UCLA opened with a 45–24 win over Cal, making the matchup an early measure of San Diego State’s fast start against an FBS opponent after the Aztecs finished 9–4 in 2025.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The 33-point margin gives San Diego State less offensive certainty than the score suggests. The Aztecs produced a touchdown on Hawkins’ return and two more possessions through blocked punts, while Denegal threw for 137 yards and Sutton gained 58 on 18 carries. Those advantages can decide games, but they also kept the offense from having to create all of the separation.
That distinction arrives with a schedule squeeze. The Sept. 12 trip to UCLA begins a three-game stretch completed by James Madison on Sept. 19 and the trip to Toledo on Sept. 26. San Diego State will get three different measurements over 15 calendar days after opening against an 0–2 FCS opponent.
“Hawkins made the longer statement: 100 yards from the kick to the end zone.”
From the story04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Can San Diego State’s offense create enough separation at UCLA?
UCLA opened by scoring 45 against Cal, so Denegal’s production becomes a sharper issue on Sept. 12 than it was with a kickoff touchdown and two blocked punts changing possessions against Portland State. His passing total, Sutton’s workload and the number of scoring drives created without a special-teams takeaway will provide the answer before James Madison visits Sept. 19.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can San Diego State keep winning without a big passing game?
Jayden Denegal completed 12 of 17 attempts for 137 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Portland State.
Will special teams keep changing the field?
San Diego State blocked two punts, and Jaylon Hawkins returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score.