SCENE SETTER (through games of Oct. 24)
* Two of the premier programs in the Mountain West do battle Saturday when San Diego State makes its first visit to Logan, Utah, since 2016 to face Utah State. SDSU, the preseason favorite to win the MW West Division, has advanced to a bowl game each of the last 10 seasons, while the Aggies, who have won 11 of its last 13 home games, have played in eight of the previous nine years.
* The matchup features two of the five current FBS head coaches (SDSU's Brady Hoke and Utah State's Gary Anderson) who are in their second stint at the current school, joining Mack Brown (North Carolina), Randy Edsall (Connecticut) and Greg Schiano (Rutgers).
* San Diego State carries an eight-game winning streak in games played in the MTZ. It is the third-longest active win streak and the longest active streak by any team not located in the Mountain Time Zone. The streak dates back to a 34-33 loss at Wyoming on Nov. 19, 2016.
* After a 330-day break between games and an offseason that saw the Aztecs welcome a new offensive coordinator (Jeff Hecklinski) and defensive coordinator (Kurt Mattix), and just 12 full-padded practices (including spring) since Hoke took over as head coach on Jan. 8, SDSU opened up its 2020 campaign with a 34-6 win over UNLV last Saturday.
* The Aztecs dominated the game, scoring on four consecutive first-half possessions, while limiting the Rebels to six points in the game and a mere 25 yards of total offense and one first down in the first half.
* On offense, the run game was on display as the Aztecs rushed for 287 yards and put 34 points on the board. SDSU posted its most points in a conference game since a 35-10 victory against New Mexico on Nov. 24, 2017. San Diego State is now 45-2 since Oct. 13, 2012 when rushing for at least 200 yards.
* In his first game in 25 months, Nebraska transfer senior Greg Bell rushed 19 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. He is the 80th player in school history to post a 100-yard game and joins Jordan Byrd (2), Chance Bell and Chase Jasmin as current Aztecs with a 100-yard rushing game on their resume.
* On defense, San Diego State held UNLV to 186 yards, 11 first downs and recorded 14 tackles for loss and five sacks. The 14 TFLs are the most for SDSU since at least 2012. The Aztecs limited UNLV to 1-for-15 on third down conversions (6.7 percent). That is the lowest third-down conversion percentage for an Aztec opponent since SDSU held San Jose State to an 0-for-17 performance on Sept. 24, 2005.
* Junior linebacker Caden McDonald was named the Mountain West defensive player of the week and posted big numbers with eight tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. It is the 10th time since the start of the 2017 campaign that an Aztec defensive player has earned POW honors.
Football Heads to Utah State for Saturday Night Showdown
