San Diego State Football: 3 takeaways from victory over N. Illinois

1. The Huskies will be formidable conference foes

The Northern Illinois Huskies will be a formidable foe in the MAC. They’re currently 1-1 in conference play but their loss to San Diego State was definitely a confidence boost, if anything.

The Huskies beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Week 3 for their second-straight win but couldn’t pull out their third-straight victory over San Diego State. Quarterback Daniel Santacaterina threw for 262 passing yards and three passing touchdowns but he also had three interceptions in the game.

The offense outgained San Diego State 417-263 and earned 22 first downs in the game. San Diego State only converted 10 first downs in the game. While they outgained and outworked the Aztecs at every turn, they also ended the game with four turnovers.

Santacaterina looked to force the issue a bit and the Aztecs defense made him pay for it. The Northern Illinois held the Aztecs to 127 rushing yards and 1-of-14 on third down conversions. Still, they were unable to pull off the upset victory.

The Huskies never led as San Diego State showed why they’re the 19th-ranked team in the country. They got as close as three points, trailing 31-28 but a late field goal by the Aztecs kept the Huskies away.