Wallin and DiLeva take Pac-12 honors for the game they finished twice
Kai Wallin's third sack and Cooper DiLeva's fourth field goal both landed with 57 seconds left on Saturday night. On Monday the Pac-12 named Wallin its defensive player of the week and DiLeva its special teams player of the week, the first weekly honors for either senior, bringing San Diego State's total to six this season.
SAN DIEGO: The Pac-12 named San Diego State seniors Kai Wallin and Cooper DiLeva its players of the week on Monday, Wallin on defense and DiLeva on special teams, for their parts in the Aztecs' 26-23 win over Fresno State at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday night. The awards, voted on by the league's media, are the first weekly honors for either player, and they bring San Diego State's total for the season to six.
Wallin, three sacks in one night
Wallin, a senior edge rusher from Sacramento, had not recorded a sack this season before Saturday night; he finished it with three, worth 15 yards in losses. Three sacks in a single game leads the Pac-12 this season and ties for the fifth highest total in an FBS game this year, San Diego State said, and no Aztec had done it since Trey White's three sack game against Hawai'i on Oct. 5, 2024. The defense he led held Fresno State to 276 total yards, the fewest San Diego State has allowed this season.
The sacks arrived at the game's hinge points. The first came on a second and 11 in the first quarter, a 7 yard loss that made it third and 18; Wallin was credited with a quarterback hurry on the next play, Fresno State punted, and San Diego State answered with a touchdown to make it 10-0. The second came in the fourth quarter of a one point game, on second and 10, and forced a punt from inside San Diego State territory. The third came on first and 10 with 57 seconds left and Fresno State out of timeouts; the Bulldogs went four and out, and the Aztecs kneeled out the win. On the season Wallin has 18 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, an interception and four quarterback hurries.
DiLeva, four field goals and the last word
DiLeva, a senior from San Pedro, tied a program record with four field goals, the 11th time an Aztec kicker has made four in a game, after entering the night with four field goals on the season. He connected from 32, 30 and 40 yards before the career long 53 yarder that put San Diego State ahead 26-23 with 57 seconds remaining. No San Diego State kicker had ever made a longer kick in the fourth quarter with a game inside one score; in the program record book the 53 yarder sits tied for seventh all time, and no Pac-12 kicker has made a longer one in conference play this season.
DiLeva's 14 points were a personal best, more than half of everything San Diego State scored, and he kicked off seven times for a 63.9 yard average with five touchbacks. For the season he has made eight of his nine field goal attempts and leads the team with 40 points.
The win was San Diego State's third straight over Fresno State and moved the Aztecs to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-12. Next up is a conference game at Colorado State on Saturday in Fort Collins, kicking off at 3:30 p.m. Pacific.
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