Sept. 22, 2002
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UCLA (2-1/0-0) at San Diego State (0-4/0-0)
Saturday, September 28, 2002
11:00 a.m. PDT (announced)
Qualcomm Stadium (54,000/grass)
San Diego, Calif.
Television: The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 with Pam Ward, Chris Spielman and Rob Stone serving as talent.
Radio: All San Diego State football games can be heard live in southern California on XTRA Sports (690 AM). Lee Hamilton calls the action with former Aztec quarterback Mark Halda returning to the broadcasts to provide analysis. John Kentera reports from the sidelines. Mike McGregor is the producer.
The Records: San Diego State enters the contest at 0-4 while UCLA is 2-1 and coming off its first loss of the season.
The Rankings: Neither team is ranked.
SDSU Coach Tom Craft: Tom Craft is 0-4 in his first season at San Diego State and overall.
UCLA Coach Bob Toledo: Toledo is 44-28 in his seventh year as head coach at UCLA. Including his head coaching stint at Pacific he is 58-58 in his 11th season.
The Series: UCLA leads the all-time series by a 16-0-1 count. The first meeting took place in 1922. The teams did not play a game from 1934 to 1984. Following the 50-year hiatus, the Aztecs and Bruins met for 10 straight seasons with the last meeting taking place in 1993.
Still Going
The San Diego State Aztecs (0-4) will still be looking for their first victory under new head coach Tom Craft on Saturday when they host the UCLA Bruins at Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff has been set at 11 a.m. to accommodate an ESPN2 telecast. The game is the final non-conference action before San Diego State opens Mountain West play. The Aztecs will close the season with another non-conference game on Dec. 7th at Hawaii.
Individual Supers
San Diego State's offensive trio of receivers J.R. Tolver, Kassim Osgood and quarterback Adam Hall are turning heads. Each of the three have put up numbers that are already etched in the San Diego State history books and each have performances that are among the best in America this season. While details are available throughout this update, the following is a thumbnail of their achievements.
* - Quarterback Adam Hall: Has the nation's top two passing efforts this season over the last two games. His 516-yard effort vs. Arizona State followed up by his 506-yard effort at Idaho rank as two of the top seven passing games in Aztec history and is the best consecutive-games effort in SDSU's illustrious history with the forward pass. He is second in the nation in total offense.
* - Receiver J.R. Tolver leads the nation in receptions per game (11) and receiving yards per game (179.25). He is sixth in the country in all-purpose yardage. Over the last two games, Tolver has caught 26 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns. He has also caught a pass in 29 straight games.
* - Receiver Kassim Osgood: Ranks third nationally in catches per game (9.75) and receiving yards per game (143.00).
The Best Duo Ever?
J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood could become the most productive receiving tandem in NCAA history. See page seven of this update for more information.
America's Team
For the third time this season, San Diego State will be featured on national television. ESPN2 will televise the Aztecs and Bruins with Pam Ward and Chris Spielman calling the action and Rob Stone providing sideline reports. San Diego State opened the season on ESPN2 at Fresno State. The Aztecs also appeared on national TV when they traveled to Boulder to meet 17th-ranked Colorado. That game was televised nationally on Fox Sports Net.
San Diego State And The Nielsens
The Aztecs have become a fixture on national television. San Diego State has appeared on national cable or network television 16 times since the beginning of the 1998 season, including seven appearances on ESPN2 during that span.
The Aztecs And The Bruins
History has not been good to San Diego State when it faces the Bruins. UCLA leads the series by a 16-0-1 count, although the teams have only met four times since 1989. The two schools met seven times prior to 1934, but then did not play again until 1984. The last three meetings have been one-sided with the Bruins winning big. UCLA will be making its first appearance in Qualcomm Stadium since beating the Aztecs 52-13 in 1993.
Bounce Backs
Both the Aztecs and Bruins will be looking to rebound on Saturday. San Diego State lost for the first time this season as a favorite, falling at Idaho 48-38, despite nearly 600 yards of total offense. UCLA fell for the first time this season, dropping a 31-17 decision to Colorado in the Rose Bowl.
Howdy Neighbor
On Saturday, UCLA and San Diego State will meet on the grid iron for the first time since the 1993 season. The game marks just the third for the Aztecs against either UCLA or Southern California since 1993. In 1999, the last time SDSU faced one of its closet Pac 10 neighors, the Aztecs came up with a near miss. No. 17 USC survived an Aztec comeback to claim a 24-21 victory.
Scouting The Bruins
UCLA should provide a strong test for the pass-happy Aztecs. The Bruin pass defense is ranked 21st nationally in pass efficiency defense. UCLA's opposition is completing less than 50 percent of their attempts and UCLA already has five interceptions on the season. The Bruins already have a win over what may be the best team in the Mountain West Conference (Colorado State). UCLA is among the best in the country at protecting the ball (19th in turnover ratio) and is yet to lose a fumble this season. The Bruins have one of the nation's best defensive backs in Ricky Manning.
The Pac 10 Once Again
The losing streak is at 12 for San Diego State against Pac 10 opposition, dating back to a 1995 season-opening victory over California. However, San Diego State has come close on several occasions, including earlier this season against Arizona State.
Trying to Break the Pac-10 Jinx
San Diego State will be looking to break a 12-game losing streak against the Pac 10 conference when the Bruins come to town. The last win over the league took place in the 1995 season opener (9-2-95) when the Aztecs bounced California, 33-9. There have been some nailbiters during the losing streak including:
* - 2002 vs. Arizona State: The Aztecs jumped to a 22-0 lead, rolled up 574 yards in total offense to 365 for ASU, limited the Sun Devils to just 13 first downs, but lost. San Diego State gave up two long pass plays for scores to allow ASU to get off the 22-0 deck. The Aztecs also gave up a blocked punt for a touchdown and fumbled a punt deep in their own territory to set up the Devils' final score. Arizona State 39, San Diego State 28.
* - 2001 vs. Arizona: The Aztecs led at halftime after jumping to a 10-0 lead, but a fumble return for a score turned the game in John Mackovic's Wildcat debut. San Diego State also gave up a safety on punt attempt and the final Arizona tally was set up by a punt return. Arizona managed just 231 yards of total offense. Arizona 23, San Diego State 10.
* - 2000 vs. Arizona State: Both teams struggled on offense, but San Diego State missed a field-goal try with eight seconds remaining that would have sent the game into overtime. The game was tied at seven after three periods and SDSU won the total-offense battle, 319-270. Arizona State 10, San Diego State 7.
* - 2000 vs. Arizona: San Diego State was a 17-point underdog in Lon Sheriff's debut as the starting quarterback when injuries felled Jack Hawley. However, the Aztec defense limited the Wildcats to their lowest home point total in five years. A blocked punt returned for a score with 9:45 remaining broke up a 10-3 game.
* - 1999 vs. USC: San Diego State struggled early but in Jack Hawley's first start the squad rallied to get within 24-21 of the 17th-ranked Trojans. San Diego State's last possession began at midfield, but USC escaped with the win. Seven of the Trojan points came on an interception that was returned for a score. USC 24, San Diego State 21.
* - 1997 vs. Arizona: The Wildcats scored 10 fourth-quarter points, including the game-winning field goal with 1:12 remaining to rally for the win. Arizona won the turnover battle, 3-0, to overcome a 21-0 first-quarter deficit. Arizona 31, San Diego State 28.
* - 1996 vs. Cal: The Aztecs were down 21-17 at the half and two late scores brought SDSU to within striking distance in a game that saw just a two-yard difference in total offense. California 42, San Diego State 37.