If you just looked at the final san diego state football score from the New Mexico Bowl on December 27, 2025, you’d see a 49-47 loss to North Texas and probably think, "Oh, another close game." But man, that doesn’t even begin to cover the absolute chaos that went down in Albuquerque. It was one of those games where the box score feels like a lie because it can't capture the sheer whiplash of watching Bert Emanuel Jr. look like a Heisman candidate for twenty minutes before a wrist injury changed everything.
SDSU finished the 2025 season at 9-4. Honestly, after the way things started under Sean Lewis, most fans would have taken nine wins in a heartbeat. But losing the finale by two points—after a furious fourth-quarter comeback that almost pulled off the impossible—leaves a weird taste in your mouth.
The Numbers Behind the Madness
The Aztecs didn't just play a football game; they engaged in a track meet where the defense occasionally showed up to wave at the runners. North Texas put up 618 total yards. Read that again. 618.
Usually, when you give up over 600 yards, the san diego state football score is a blowout. And for a while, it was. By the time the third quarter wrapped up, the Mean Green were sitting on a 42-20 lead, and Snapdragon Stadium regulars were probably reaching for the remote. The Aztecs managed exactly 11 yards of offense in that third quarter. Eleven. It was ugly.
- Final Score: North Texas 49, SDSU 47
- Total Yards: UNT 618, SDSU 532
- Rushing Leader: Bert Emanuel Jr. (170 yards, 2 TDs)
- The Comeback: SDSU scored 27 points in the 4th quarter alone.
It’s kinda wild to think that Kyle Crum, stepping in for an injured Emanuel, managed to throw for 169 yards and lead a 27-point explosion in the final fifteen minutes. But he did. And Nathan Acevedo? That kid is a problem for opposing special teams. He returned a punt 63 yards for a score and then added a 65-yard kickoff return later in the game. That’s how you keep a team in it when the defense is getting gapped for 7.5 yards per play.
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Why the Season felt Different Under Sean Lewis
Sean Lewis brought that "Veer and Shoot" offense to The Mesa, and for the most part, it worked. You’ve gotta remember where this program was. Before this 9-4 run, things felt stagnant. Lewis changed the energy.
Basically, the Aztecs became "The Cardiac Kids" of the Mountain West. They’d shut out Cal 34-0 one week and then find themselves in a 6-3 rock fight with Northern Illinois the next. There was no consistency, but there was plenty of excitement.
The defense, led by Demetrius Sumler (who was promoted to DC in December), had some brilliant moments earlier in the year—like that 25-3 win over San Jose State or the 23-0 rivalry win against Fresno State. But against the high-octane air raid of North Texas, the 4-2-5 base defense just couldn't get off the field. North Texas converted third downs like they were playing against air.
The Turning Point: The Injury
Everything changed at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter. Bert Emanuel Jr. was carving them up. He had 170 rushing yards. In the first half. He broke a 72-yard touchdown run that made the North Texas secondary look like they were running in sand.
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Then he went down. Wrist injury.
When Emanuel left, the offense stalled. Crum is a different type of quarterback—more of a traditional passer—and the transition took almost two full quarters to click. By the time the Aztecs remembered how to move the ball, they were down by three touchdowns.
Looking Toward the Pac-12 in 2026
The 2025 season is over, and the san diego state football score history books will show a 9-4 record. But the real story is what’s next.
San Diego State is officially heading to the Pac-12 in 2026. The schedule is already trickling out, and it’s a gauntlet. They just announced a home game against James Madison for September 19, 2026. They’re opening against Portland State on September 5, traveling to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA on September 12, and finishing the non-conference slate at Toledo.
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Transitioning to a Power-4 (or whatever we're calling the new-look Pac-12) requires a different level of depth. The New Mexico Bowl showed that while the Aztecs have stars like Chris Johnson—who was a Second-Team All-American corner this year—they lack the defensive depth to handle elite offensive volume for four quarters.
Actionable Steps for the Offseason
If the Aztecs want to avoid more 49-47 heartbreakers in 2026, here is what the program needs to address during the spring ball:
- Shore up the Secondary Depth: Losing Chris Johnson to the NFL or graduation is going to hurt. The hire of Colin Ferrell as the new edges coach is a start, but they need more bodies in the defensive backfield who can play man-to-man against Pac-12 receivers.
- Solidify the QB1 Spot: If Emanuel’s wrist is a long-term concern, Kyle Crum proved he can handle the pressure, but the offense needs to be tailored to whoever is under center from day one.
- Capitalize on Special Teams: Nathan Acevedo is a weapon. The Aztecs need to find more ways to get him the ball in space, not just on returns.
- Recruiting the Trenches: The 2026 signing class (23 players signed in December) focuses heavily on line play. They'll need that size when they start facing the bigger fronts in the new conference.
The 2025 season was a wild ride that ended just a few yards short in Albuquerque. While the final san diego state football score against North Texas wasn't the result the fans wanted, it proved that Sean Lewis has the offense headed in the right direction. Now, it's just about making sure the defense can keep up.