San Diego State Football: 3 takeaways from victory over N. Illinois
2. San Diego State’s defense will battle for best in the MWC
The San Diego State Aztecs didn’t play the greatest game on offense but their defense made up for it. The Aztecs defense weathered the storm in a sense, although the Huskies gained over 400 yards of offense.
Freshman safety Tariq Thompson came up big with two interceptions to lead the way. Thompson returned one interception 83 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. He finished the game with two interceptions including one on the Huskies’ final drive to seal the game for the Aztecs.
.@Aztec_Football true frosh @riq_thompson picks off an NIU pass & takes it 80 yards to the house! SDSU leads 21-14 w/ 9 min left in 2Q #mwfb pic.twitter.com/wCSmx8n3zK
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) October 1, 2017
San Diego State ranks 42nd in the FBS in scoring defense (21.2 ppg). Their defense ranks second in the conference in points per game behind Wyoming (20.8). The Aztecs are allowing 315.6 total yards on defense, first in the MWC.
Although they played an uncharacteristic game, allowing over 400 yards, they also forced four turnovers. Huskies running back Jordan Huff had 148 rushing yards but was held scoreless in the game.
The Aztecs finished the game with four sacks as linebacker Jay Henderson registered three of those sacks. Henderson, a senior, set a new career-high in sacks in the game.
San Diego State has remained undefeated at 5-0 entering conference play with a good chance to have the best defense in the MWC.