Both San Diego and Ohio needed some time to find their offense in the season opener Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium. By the end of the game it was the Aztecs who would find a way to do enough on that side of the ball to pull out a 7-point victory, 20-13, over the visiting Bobcats.

SDSU tallied just 61 total yards by the end of the first quarter, and most of the second quarter didn't look much better. However, an interception by safety Cedarious Barfield with under a minute to play in the opening half turned the tide.

Aztecs quarterback Jalen Mayden then used a pair of 22-yard passes to receiver Mekhi Shaw to help eventually set up a 13-yard touchdown to tight end Mark Redman giving SDSU a 4-point lead it would never relinquish.

Mayden connected with Redman again in the fourth quarter for a second touchdown making the senior the first Aztecs tight end to score two touchdowns in a game since Kahale Warring in 2018.

Redman ended his day with 5 catches for 62 yards receiving to go with his two scores.

Mayden completed 17 of his 27 pass attempts for 164 yards passing.

The ground game had to pace SDSU for a big portion of the afternoon as the offense worked to find its footing in the first game under new offensive coordinator Ryan Lindley.

Running backs Jaylon Armstead and Kenan Christon combined for 145 yards rushing on 19 carries in the season-opening win. Armstead had the biggest play of the day on the ground with a 48-yard rush that eventually helped lead to a field goal from kicker Jack Browning.

While the offense, Redman in particular, became the story Saturday, it was the defense that truly allowed SDSU to earn a victory in the season opener. Defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix's group came up with three interceptions on the day, and each one of them seemed to be more important than the last.

San Diego State's defense held Ohio to 380 yards of total offense plus came up with a pair of sacks and 3 tackles for loss.

First quarter

10:53, SDSU -- K Jack Browning 49-yard field goal; 3-0 SDSU

4:22, Ohio -- K Gianni Spetic 19-yard field goal; Tie 3-3

Second quarter

4:44, Ohio -- K Gianni Spetic 40-yard field goal; Ohio 6-3

0:00, SDSU -- QB Jalen Mayden to TE Mark Redman, 13-yard TD; 10-6 SDSU

Third quarter

No scores

Fourth quarter

13:32, SDSU -- K Jack Browning 21-yard field goal; 13-6 SDSU

5:39, SDSU -- QB Jalen Mayden to TE Mark Redman, 4-yard TD; 20-6 SDSU

1:59, Ohio -- QB CJ Harris to WR Miles Cross, 3-yard TD; 20-13 SDSU

The impact of Barfield's interception on Ohio backup quarterback CJ Harris was clear a minute after it happened. Even at the time it took place, the play felt significant. Harris had the Bobcats on the move and into SDSU territory after earlier taking over for Ohio starter Kurtis Rourke, who left the game with an injury late in the first quarter.

The drive up until that point appeared to be building into a scoring one for the Bobcats as they moved into the red zone without much of an issue. The crucial moment came on a third-down play from the 19-yard line.

Harris looked to his left where three of his receivers found themselves bunched together, but the Ohio quarterback hit Barfield in the hands instead of connecting with one of his own players.

The short return left the SDSU offense needing to go 71 yards in just under 50 seconds. It didn't look likely based on the lack of offensive production to start the game, but Mayden was able to find a rhythm eventually leading to the score for Redman.

From that point on, the Aztecs gained control, and it all started with the defense making a game-changing play.

You can't ignore what the preseason Mackey Award watch list member was able to show in the first game of his senior season. Redman actually helped set up his own score to end the first half after he caught an 11-yard pass before his play in the end zone. His second touchdown helped put the game on ice and proved valuable as the Bobcats put together a comeback attempt late.

It marks the first time Redman has scored multiple touchdowns in a game in his career, and he is now just one of three SDSU tight ends since 1996 to have two touchdowns in a game — Warring and Gavin Escobar. Escobar achieved the feat three times in his career with the Aztecs.

In addition to coming up with a crucial interception late in the first half to takeaway a red zone scoring opportunity for Ohio, Barfield remained active in the secondary throughout the game Saturday. There are a number of players who contributed just as much as Barfield, including Cody Moon who had a team-high 11 tackles in the game, but the senior from El Paso, Texas also contributed with 4 tackles and a pass breakup as well.

The interception was just the second of his career.

The 48-yard rush from Armstead was certainly the most explosive play of the game, but it didn't lead to what New Zealand Williams' play did late in the game. The sophomore stepped in front of a pass from Harris with under 10 seconds to play giving the Aztecs their third interception of the game.

By that point, the Bobcats had closed the game to just 7 points making it crucial for SDSU to keep Ohio out of the end zone. Williams made sure of it with his first career interception.

The offense found enough of a rhythm to generate some positive plays after the defense proved to be too much for Ohio to handle. Mattix was aggressive in drawing up blitzes to get after the Bobcats' quarterbacks, and that played a big role in generating the big plays on that side of the ball. In addition to the interceptions from Barfield and Williams, linebacker Trey White came up with his first interception early in the second quarter after Moon applied a big hit on Harris forcing an errant pass.

As well as the defense played, especially early in the game, the offense had to come up with something and the late first-half touchdown by Redman sparked some improved play over the final two quarters giving Lindley something to build on heading into next week.

Passing

Jalen Mayden -- 17/27, 164 yards, 2 touchdowns

Rushing

Jaylon Armstead -- 8 carries, 78 yards

Kenan Christian -- 11 carries, 45 yards

Jalen Mayden -- 10 carries, 24 yards

Cam Davis -- 1 carry, 0 yards

Martin Blake -- 1 carry, -2 yards

Receiving

Mark Redman -- 5 catches, 62 yards, 2 touchdowns

Mekhi Shaw -- 3 catches, 48 yards

Baylin Brooks -- 2 catches, 19 yards

Kenan Christon -- 2 catches, 10 yards

Cam Davis -- 2 catches, 10 yards

Jay Rudolph -- 2 catches, 6 yards

Brionne Penny -- 1 catch, 9 yards

Defense (top 5)

Cody Moon -- 11 tackles (6 solo), 1 pass breakup, 1 quarterback hurry

Noah Tumblin -- 5 tacles (5 solo), 3 pass breakups

Cedarious Barfield -- 4 tackles (4 solo), 1 interception, 1 pass breakup

Dallas Branch -- 4 tackles (4 solo), 1 pass breakup

Zyrus Fiaseu -- 3 tackles (2 solo), 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss