San Diego State Holds Off Washington State 26-20: Running Backs Combine for 202 Rushing Yards as Trick Play Seals Halloween Win
San Diego State held off Washington State 26-20 on Saturday night, October 31, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, to improve to 4-5 (3-2 Pac-12), while the Cougars fell to 1-8 (0-5) with their sixth straight loss. The Halloween night game was played in the rain before 19,184 fans.
The Aztecs' ground game set the tone, with their two running backs combining for 202 rushing yards. Javion Kinnard carried 17 times for 87 yards and scored on runs of 9 and 10 yards in the first half, while Lucky Sutton added 115 yards on 18 carries. Washington State answered with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Owen Eshelman and a 2-yard scoring run by Kirby Vorhees, but Cooper DiLeva's 36-yard field goal sent San Diego State into halftime ahead 17-14, and his 45-yarder in the third quarter made it 20-14.
The decisive play came with 9:47 left in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth-and-goal from the 2, head coach Sean Lewis skipped the field goal and called a trick play: wide receiver Bert Emanuel Jr. took a double reverse and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jackson Ford. The two-point try failed, but the Aztecs led 26-14.
Eshelman finished 30-of-42 for 299 yards with one interception, plus 34 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. His 2-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter cut it to 26-20 after the extra point failed, and the Cougars' final drive ended on an incomplete fourth-down pass. Aztecs quarterback Stone Saunders went 12-of-21 for 102 yards in his first win as a starter.
San Diego State has a bye next week before hosting Utah State on November 14, and needs two wins in its final three games to reach bowl eligibility for a second straight season. Washington State hosts Colorado State on November 14.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：San Diego 的 Snapdragon Stadium 夜景，本场比赛的举办地（资料图）。Spatms 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Night view of Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, site of the game (file photo). Photo by Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-30Baylor Routs UCF 41-9: Lagway Throws Four Touchdowns in Interim Coach Klanderman's Debut Win
- 2026-10-31College Football Week 9: Ohio State Visits USC and No. 1 Miami Faces Belichick's North Carolina in Three Ranked Matchups
- 2026-10-31No. 1 Miami Holds Off North Carolina 38-35 to Stay Unbeaten as Fletcher Scores Three Touchdowns and Breaks School Record
- 2026-10-31USC Upsets No. 2 Ohio State 30-18: 69-Yard Touchdown 39 Seconds In and a Late Red-Zone Stand
- 2026-10-31Pittsburgh Beats Georgia Tech 34-11: Ferguson Scores Twice as Defense Picks Off Three Passes
- 2026-10-31Washington Rallies Past Nebraska 17-10: Two Fourth-Quarter Touchdowns and McLaughlin's Pick-Six Seal It
- 2026-10-31San Diego State Holds Off Washington State 26-20: Running Backs Combine for 202 Rushing Yards as Trick Play Seals Halloween WinThis story
