After its Week 1 victory, UCLA football (1-0) will make its first stand at home in the Rose Bowl against San Diego State (1-0) Saturday afternoon. Having defeated a former Pac-12 rival, California, last week, the Bruins have the opportunity to open 2-0 before heading into conference play. Here is this week’s scouting report from Sports editor Jacob Nguyen, who is praying for a reasonable temperature in Pasadena.
SDSU’s offense
Offensive scheme: Veer and shoot
Run-pass percentage: 33% pass, 67% run
Strength: Rushing
Weakness: Air attack
X-factor: Lucky Sutton
Despite opening the 2026 season with a 53-20 victory over Portland State, the Aztecs only posted a 19-yard advantage over the Vikings, with a considerable chunk of those gains coming from their special teams.
As for its skill positions, SDSU dealt most of its damage last week on the ground, having returned running back Lucky Sutton for his fifth year. The San Diego local led the Mountain West last year – good for No. 13 in the country – with 1,297 rushing yards alongside 10 touchdowns.
Sutton’s explosive run game recorded a career-high three touchdowns in the Aztecs’ opening victory and will continue to make up the majority of their attack. In a fast-paced, high-tempo system under offensive coordinator Matt Johnson, Sutton will continue to find a healthy dose of snaps where he deals damage in open space.
The Aztecs also boast noteworthy depth in the running back room with the return of Christian Washington – the Aztecs’ second-leading rusher last year with 563 yards – as well as the addition of Javion Kinnard from Colorado State.
Kinnard’s low center of gravity and power back speed rewarded him with a team-high 79 yards on just eight carries last week. After being mostly reserved for punt returns last season – when he was an All-Mountain West Second Team selection – Kinnard will likely see an expanded role in his sophomore campaign, especially considering his pass-catching ability.
While the Aztecs employ a heavyset offense, the passing game may leave a bit more to be desired.
Manning under center is quarterback Jayden Denegal, who returns to SDSU after battling shoulder injuries on both arms last season, for which he ended up getting surgery. Having since made a full recovery, Denegal threw for 137 yards in his 2026 debut.
The Apple Valley, California, local only attempted 17 passes in the first game of the year, leading an offense that does not often rely on the air for gains. In 2025, Denegal averaged just north of 20 pass attempts per game, tallying nine touchdowns to eight interceptions on the season.
Although his 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame gives him the strength to throw with an adequate arm, his accuracy and efficiency have been questionable, and the signal-caller does not usually turn to his receivers as his first options.
The Aztecs returned their top four pass-catchers from last season, including wide receiver Jordan Napier, who logged a team-high 629 yards off 48 receptions in 2025.
However, in SDSU’s opening match, it was Oregon transfer Justius Lowe who paced the squad with 56 receiving yards on just two catches – including one touchdown – bringing a fast-twitch, deep-threat ability to San Diego.
With Nathan Acevedo providing speed out of the slot, the Aztecs can deploy a notably swift receiving corps, but the question remains – will Denegal opt to find them? And if he does, will he connect consistently with them?
If last season and SDSU’s first game are indications, the Aztec route runners should be expected to be mostly used to open space and draw defenders out of the box, forcing the Bruins to run commit.
SDSU’s defense
Defensive scheme: 4-2-5
Strength: Linebackers
Weakness: Size and physicality
X-factor: Sione Hala
The team that allowed a Mountain West-best 15.4 points per game has largely disappeared.
Former defensive coordinator Rob Aurich left to continue in the same position at Nebraska after spending the previous two seasons in San Diego. The Aztecs’ cornerbacks coach since 2018 – Demetrius Sumler – has since taken his place, helming a defense that brought in a handful of transfers over the offseason after returning just three starters.
After ranking second in the conference in sacks with 32, SDSU lost its top six rushers – who combined for 29.5 sacks – with players either losing eligibility or transferring to Power Four programs. The frontline took a hit in its size and physicality, particularly up the middle, with 6-foot-3 August Salvati transferring to Troy and 6-foot-5 Sam Benjamin graduating.
In their place, defensive tackles Gavriel Lightfoot and Malachi Finau took the starting nods in Week 1 but are just 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-1, respectively.
The team’s top two sack leaders in 2025 – Trey White and Ryan Henderson, who recorded seven apiece – also transferred, leaving the Aztecs with no returning edge rushers who had more than one sack last year.
SDSU’s new primary weapons are Brady Nassar and Kai Wallin, who both bring larger frames at the defensive ends but have limited experience. The former has been with the Aztecs since 2023 but logged just 17 tackles last year, while the latter had been working back from an injury suffered in spring camp.
Back in the secondary, the Aztecs also lost all of their lethality – going from a squad that had five players with five-plus pass deflections and two with four interceptions apiece last year to a group with inexperience as a unit going into 2026.
While there is optimism to be found in Sumler’s experience with the cornerbacks, as well as the return of leading pass defender Dalesean Staley, every other 2025 starter is gone, including last season’s Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Chris Johnson, who went No. 27 overall in the NFL Draft.
With new names filling up the remaining secondary roles, the Aztecs may struggle against a more air-raid-esque offense, considering the Bruins are capable of inflicting the most damage should they come out fast. In its opening match, SDSU forfeited 280 receiving yards to an FCS team that switched its starting quarterback after Week 1, where Gabe Downing looked decent in play action and picked apart the Aztecs’ zones.
If any position group provides some relief, it should be the linebackers, where Sione Hala arrived from Weber State after logging 64 tackles, three pass deflections and 1.5 sacks in 2025. Hala led the squad with 10 tackles against the Vikings. Returning to occupy the middle is three-year captain Tano Letuli, who returns from injury after getting surgery on his ACL.
SDSU’s defense in 2025 versus 2026 looks like night and day, and continued acclimation is likely to be a concern for the foreseeable future – one that probably will not be resolved in the team’s second game.
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