Sept. 25, 2012
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State Kicks Off Mountain West Play at Fresno State
San Diego State (2-2; 0-0 MW) opens its 14th and final campaign in the Mountain West prior to joining the BIG EAST Conference next season with a road contest against long-time rival Fresno State (2-2; 0-0 MW) Saturday at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif. Game time is set for 7 p.m. PT and the game will be televised locally on KUSI, with radio coverage provided by KOGO 95.7 FM & AM 600.
Both teams enter the contest with 2-2 records, having two-game win streaks snapped last Saturday. The Aztecs outgained San Jose State by 117 yards, controlled the ball for 37:55, but was unable to overcome a minus-29-yard margin in average field position, their worst discrepancy in their Division I era, in a 38-34 loss.
Sophomore running back Adam Muema recorded his second consecutive 100-yard rushing effort and third of his career by going for a personal-best 202 yards on 25 carries. He also found the end zone for the fifth consecutive game. Junior tight end Gavin Escobar caught five passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. It marked the 10th consecutive game in which he has caught multiple passes. Senior quarterback Ryan Katz, meanwhile, passed for 213 yards on just 17 completions with two touchdowns. He has now gone 83 straight passes without throwing an interception. Defensively, senior cornerback Leon McFadden tied a career high with three pass breakups and now is fifth all-time in school history with 32 career PBUs.
Fresno State had a pair of 13-point leads and owned a nine-point advantage in the third quarter of a 27-26 loss at Tulsa.
Saturday will mark the 52nd all-time meeting between San Diego State and Fresno State, with the Aztecs owning a 27-20-4 series advantage. With 52 previous encounters, Fresno State represents San Diego State's most played series and the 27 victories are the most for the Aztecs over any opponent. The series has been remarkably close, with SDSU owning an all-time lead in cumulative score of 1,052-1,039.