Dec. 16, 2010
SDSU Game Notes vs. Navy in PDF Format
One of the most improved teams in the country, San Diego State (8-4 overall; 5-3 Mountain West Conference) looks to cap a remarkable season in style when it faces Navy (9-3) in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Kickoff is set for 5:06 p.m. PT and the game will be televised nationally in high definition by ESPN. The game can be heard throughout Southern California on AM 600 KOGO and nationally on ESPN Radio.
San Diego State returns to bowl play for the first time since 1998, ending the nation's ninth-longest active bowl drought in the process. The Aztecs posted an 8-4 record, their first winning season in 12 years. San Diego State is looking for its first bowl victory since 1969 (a 28-7 victory over Boston Univ. in the Pasadena Bowl) and a ninth win in 2010 would give the Aztecs their most victories in a campaign since Claude Gilbert guided SDSU to a 10-1 record in 1977.
The Aztecs has posted an 8-4 overall record and a 5-3 MWC league mark, good enough for a third-place tie in MWC play. The four losses came by a total of 15 points. Among those four losses are three that occurred on the road, three that came to teams currently ranked 20th or higher by the Associated Press and two games in which San Diego State enjoyed fourth-quarter leads. San Diego State's 3.75-point average margin of defeat is third nationally, behind only Boise State and Iowa.
Nonetheless, it was a season of great accomplishments with San Diego State posting a 5-1 record at home, snapping a 25-game losing streak to nationally-ranked teams and defeating Colorado State, Wyoming, New Mexico and Air Force in the same season for the first time in school history. San Diego State doubled its win total from 2009 and the four-win improvement tied for the fifth-best nationally.
The Aztecs were rewarded by being well represented in the Mountain West Conference awards, with second-year coach Brady Hoke earning MWC Coach-of-the-Year honors and running back Ronnie Hillman being named the league's freshman of the year. In addition to Hillman, senior wide receiver Vincent Brown, junior linebacker Miles Burris, sophomore defensive back Leon McFadden, senior wide receiver DeMarco Sampson and junior punter Brian Stahovich all earned first-team honors.
Navy enters the game with a 9-3 record and eight wins in its last nine outings. The Midshipmen are fifth nationally in rushing (288.92), 21st in turnover margin (+0.67) and first in fewest penalty yards per game (27.50). Navy is in a bowl game for the eighth consecutive season.
San Diego State and Navy will be playing for the third time on the gridiron, with the Aztecs claiming each of the previous two encounters. On Sept. 3, 1994, the teams met at Jack Murphy Stadium (now Qualcomm) with SDSU taking a 56-14 victory. On Sept. 5, 1997, the Aztecs were 45-31 winners at the Murph. Each of the previous two games was the season opener for the Aztecs. The teams are also scheduled for a home-and-home series in 2014 (at Navy) and 2015 (at San Diego).
This will mark Brady Hoke's third encounter with the Midshipmen after sweeping a home-and-home series with Navy during his final two seasons at Ball State. In 2007, Hoke's Cardinals won, 34-31, at Navy, while in 2008, BSU won, 35-23.
The bowl game will be the final collegiate outing for 17 Aztec seniors. This class has been part of one of the biggest turnarounds in college football during their time at SDSU, helping guide the program from records of 3-9 (2006), 4-8 (2007), 2-10 (2008) and 4-8 (2009) in consecutive campaigns to an 8-4 mark this year. As an example of how far this group has come, in 2008, the team was outscored by 215 points and lost seven games by 25 or more points.
GAME INFORMATION
(rv/rv) Navy (9-3; Independent) vs. (rv/rv) San Diego State (8-4; 5-3 Mountain West)
POINSETTIA BOWL
Date: Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. PT (announced)/5:06 p.m. PT (kickoff)
Location: San Diego, Calif. | Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium
Capacity: 71,500
Series: San Diego State leads, 2-0
Television: ESPN HD. Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Craig James (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sidelines), Scott Matthews (producer)
Radio: AM 600 KOGO. Ted Leitner (play-by-play), Chris Ello (analyst), Mike Costa (sidelines)
National Radio: ESPN Radio. Bill Rosinski (play-by-play), David Norrie (analyst), Joe Schad (sidelines)
Internet: Live stats, radio broadcast and SDSU postgame news conference available at GoAztecs.com.