San Diego State was holding a blackout in Qualcomm Stadium against No. 19 Stanford on late Saturday night, as the Aztec faithful wore all-black in support of their team.
What San Diego State got was a different kind of blackout, as the stadium lights literally went out in the fourth quarter in a way that might have actually helped out the home team.
The blackout occurred at 3:45 in the fourth quarter after San Diego State called a timeout to help get some rest for workhorse running back Rashaad Penny, who finished with 32 carries for the game. The Aztecs were down 17-13 at the time, but were driving up the field when the lights went out.
While some may have thought that the blackout would cause the Aztecs to lose momentum on the drive, the reverse happened; the 20 minute break gave Penny and co. plenty of rest, as they scored a touchdown to take the 20-17 lead.
Stanford threw an interception on their first play after the kickoff to seal the win for San Diego State. The Aztecs move to 3-0 on the season, and the win will likely move them into the Top 25 of the rankings.
Stanford has now lost back-to-back games for only the third time in David Shaw's tenure. They fall to 1-2 on the season after being defeated by USC last week.
