Aztecs Scrimmage on Eighth Practice of Fall Camp

Past 2025 Fall Camp Recaps/Press Conferences/Radio Interviews
Coach Lewis Radio Interview - July 26
Coach Lewis Press Conference - July 28
Practice No. 1 - July 30
Practice No. 2 - July 31
Practice No. 3 - Aug. 1
Coach Lewis Post-Practice - Aug. 4
Practice No. 5 - Aug. 4
Practice No. 6 - Aug. 5
Practice No. 7 - Aug. 6

SAN DIEGO -- Just a week away from Fan Fest at Snapdragon Stadium, the San Diego State football team scrimmaged in full pads on its eighth practice of the 2025 fall camp on Thursday morning at the on-campus facility.

The Aztecs started the morning with breakfast before special teams and position meetings. The team then did a walk-thru and followed with team flex (stretching). On the turf field to start practice in full pads for the second time of fall camp, SDSU did special teams individual drills, pops, win, individual drills and more special teams before heading over to the grass field under cloudless, sunny skies in a humid 86 degrees while listening to “only the hits” from the early 2000s.

On the grass field, San Diego State scrimmaged for an hour under the watchful eyes of referees, logging 100 plays for the day. Included on the drives were the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense and No. 2 offense vs. the No. 2 defense in the first quarter, and the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 2 defense and No. 2 offense vs. the No. 1 defense in the second quarter. After a brief intermission and special teams work, there was a mix of No. 1 and No. 2 offenses and defenses in the third quarter, and then a mix of No. 2 and No. 3 offenses and defenses in the fourth quarter.  

One of the unsung position groups of the Aztec 4-2-5 defense are the two defensive tackles. Not the EDGEs who get the glory for pressuring the quarterbacks, but the defensive tackles who stop the run and eat up space in the middle.

“We’re known for fast, physical, ‘you don’t pick them up, you put them down,’” defensive line coach David Lose said. “(It’s) blue collar nasty. Punching in the clock  day in, day out, and being physical at the point of attack. And they have to expect to be double teamed on almost every play.”

Krishna Clay leads the way up front for the Aztecs after starting all 12 games last year, registering 40 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Clay has worked in the weight room to get bigger, while maintaining his technique.

“Coming in as a freshman, there were a lot of big changes that needed to be made, whether it was weight, speed, ball or knowledge,” said Clay. “So, now it's just really refining the small details and doing them consistently good, not occasionally great. (The) biggest thing is my weight. I came in last year around 270 and right now I'm rocking around 295 so that helps a lot in the run game. Then also not losing speed on top of that. The main thing (for the defensive line) is to stop the run, plug up the gaps and keep the linebackers clean, so Tano (Letuli) and Owen (Chambliss) can fly around and get done what needs to be done.”

Sam Benjamin played in 11 games last year, starting four times with four tackles on the season. Benjamin joined the Aztecs after playing the 2022 season at Idaho State and the 2023 campaign at Arizona State.

“It's been a long journey for sure,” said Benjamin. “From the start, going to Idaho State, being able to start at the FCS level, that was my only offer coming out of high school. It was everything I ever wanted. Even at that moment, I never wanted anything else in life. From there, being able to work up, go to ASU, and then come here. San Diego State has been my dream to be here for forever. It's been fun being able to transfer around, but I feel like I finally found somewhere that I fit in.”

The ninth of 24 fall practices is set for Saturday morning before the opener against Stony Brook on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Snapdragon Stadium.

San Diego State also has home games vs. California (Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Colorado State (Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Wyoming (Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. PT), Boise State (Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT) and San Jose State (Nov. 22, time TBA).

Fan Fest Information
The San Diego State football team will host its annual Fan Fest on Thursday, Aug. 14 at Snapdragon Stadium.

Admission to the Aug. 14 Fan Fest is free, but all fans will need to claim their ticket in advance at https://am.ticketmaster.com/sdsu/buy/AztecFanFest. Fans may claim up to four tickets. If you need additional tickets, please call the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-SDSU (7378). Parking is $10 and can also be purchased at the same link.

The parking lot opens at 5 p.m. PT with the gates opening at 6 p.m. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. PT.

The team store and select concessions will also be open.

Ticket Information
Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2025 campaign start at just $200 ($175 plus $25 Aztec Club Membership), only $33.33 per game. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets with benefits featuring interest-free payment plans, pre-sale access for most third-party events, and discounts on merchandise at the team store, additional single-game tickets and food/beverage. Additionally, season-ticket members will have the ability to purchase discounted season parking, access to a personal account representative and the ability to transfer and resell tickets digitally.

To purchase, or renew, your season tickets, visit goaztecs.com/sports/football-tickets.

Mini Plans
For the first time, fans can now build their own three-game mini-plan completely online. Fans can choose from any of SDSU’s six home games and save on single-game fees. Fans can also leverage their three-game mini-plans into becoming a season-ticket member. For example, purchasing an Orange Mini-Plan puts you just $39 away from becoming a season-ticket member. Contact the SDSU Athletics Ticket Sales Office at (619) 594-9834 to discuss other ways to save money while enjoying San Diego State football.

Single-Game Tickets
Single-game tickets can be also purchased Monday for as low as $23, which includes all fees.