Sept. 26, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game 4
San Diego State (2-1, 0-0) at UCLA (2-1, 0-0)
Oct. 2, 2004 @ 4 p.m.
Pasadena, Calif.
The Rose Bowl (91,136)
Television: Fox West 2 (available in parts of north San Diego County), Direct TV Channel 653 - Bill MacDonald (play-by-play, Mike Sherrard (analyst), Lindsay Soto (sidelines)
Radio: KOGO 600 AM (San Diego) and goaztecs.com - John Fricke (play-by-play), John Kentera (analyst), Mike Costa (sidelines), Alan Horton (host)
Internet: Goaztecs.com
The San Diego State Aztecs (2-1) complete the non-conference portion of the 2004 grid season when they visit the Rose Bowl and the UCLA Bruins (2-1) Saturday afternoon for a 4 p.m. kickoff. The two teams are meeting for the third straight season and for the 20th time overall. UCLA will visit San Diego State to open the 2005 season in Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs are looking for their sixth win in eight games. The Bruins have won two straight road games since opening with a home loss to Oklahoma State. UCLA holds a lopsided 18-0-1 advantage in the series, including last year's 20-10 victory in Pasadena. That game was tied at 3 at the half. Saturday's game will provide an interesting test for SDSU's Dark Side defense. UCLA enters the game fifth nationally in rushing, averaging 296 yards per game and 10th in total offense with 490 yards of offense per outing.
Last Non-Con Call
The non-conference portion of the 2004 football season comes to a close Saturday afternoon when San Diego State journeys to the Rose Bowl to take on 2-1 UCLA in a 4:05 kickoff. The Aztecs are 2-1 on the season as well, following Saturday night's 27-10 win over Nevada at Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs will be trying to win three non-conference football games for the second straight season. However, San Diego State has not accomplished the feat in an 11-game season since 1981 when the Aztecs knocked off Oklahoma State, No. 12 Iowa State and then non-conference foe UNLV. It should be noted, however, that during SDSU's WAC days, most seasons included only three non-conference games.
Batting .750
The Aztecs head to Pasadena looking for their second consecutive 3-1 start. Prior to last year's 3-1 getaway, SDSU had not started 3-1 since 1996 and just three times since 1986. The 3-1 starts are significant for the Aztecs. Last year's 3-1 opening led to a 6-6 season, the first .500 record for State since 1998. In 1996, SDSU started 3-1 and finished 8-3. The 1986 team started 3-1 and finished 8-4 with a WAC championship and a Holiday Bowl appearance.
Surging Upward
Dating back to the final three games of last season, San Diego State is now 5-2 in its last seven games. It is SDSU's best stretch since the team won five of seven games from October of 1998 through September of 1999. San Diego State is 12-11 under Tom Craft since the head coach began his career with an 0-5 record, including a 43-7 loss to UCLA in the fifth game of his SDSU tenure.
Bruins At A Glance
UCLA, coming off an open week, is 2-1 on the season. The Bruins opened with a 31-20 loss to unbeaten Oklahoma State. But behind a ground game, UCLA went on the road to pick up wins at Illinois and earned a Pacific 10 victory at Washington. The Bruins are averaging 36 points over their last two games. San Diego State will face one of the nation's most lethal running backs in Maurice Drew, who is sixth nationally with an average of 169 yards per game. UCLA averages 296 rushing yards per game to rank fifth in the country. Drew carried just seven times for 11 yards last season against San Diego State.
By Land And By Air
The Aztec defense will be looking to put the breaks on UCLA rushing star Maurice Drew, who ran for a school-record 322 yards and five touchdowns in the Bruin victory over Washington. It will offer a new challenge for the Aztecs. In the first three games of the season, SDSU has been beseiged through the air. The opposition have attempted 150 passes for an average of 50 per game. The Aztecs have responded with a pass efficiency defense holding a national rating of 12th, with eight interceptions and just four touchdown passes allowed.
The Rushing Test
The SDSU defense allows 93 yards per game to rank No. 23 nationally in that department entering the UCLA game. Last season, the Aztecs allowed 129.5 rushing yards and 3.3 yards per carry. SDSU has allowed seven rushing touchdowns in the last 15 games, including two this season. Against Nevada, the Aztecs allowed 84 rushing yards, including a season-high 20 yards on one carry. The Wolf Pack gained just 64 yards on the rest of their 27 attempts (2.37 yards per carry). The Nevada game marked the fourth time in seven games that Aztec opponents have rushed for 85 yards or less.