SCENE SETTER (through games of Nov. 28)
* After facing consecutive undefeated teams on the road, San Diego State returns home for the final time in this unique season when it plays host to Colorado State on Saturday afternoon.
* Head coach Brady Hoke has talked about the resilience of the team, and has praised athletic department officials and training staff for their efforts in getting SDSU to the field. The Aztecs are one of just 14 teams in the nation that have played each of the last six weeks and the only team in the state of California that can make that claim.
* SDSU and Colorado State are meeting for the 36th time with the Aztecs owning a 21-14 series lead. San Diego State has won six of the last seven encounters, including 24-10 last season at Canvas Stadium. Colorado State's lone win in the series since 2009 was a 63-31 victory at SDCCU Stadium (named Qualcomm Stadium at that time) in 2016.
* A victory Saturday would give the Aztecs a 4-2 conference record. The 66.7 winning percentage would be its highest in a league campaign since 2017 (6-2).
* San Diego State suffered a second consecutive tough loss last Saturday at Colorado, 20-10. The game was finalized Thanksgiving evening after SDSU's initial opponent Fresno State was unable to play. The Aztec defense once again put forth a tremendous performance, limiting the Buffaloes to 272 yards of total offense, including 160 yards after the first quarter.
* SDSU's offense was missing four starters, including senior quarterback Lucas Johnson, senior running back Greg Bell, sophomore right guard William Dunkle and senior center Dominic Gudino.
* The San Diego State defense ranks first nationally in yards allowed per play (4.06), easily ahead of No. 2 Marshall (4.22). The 0.16 difference is the largest difference between teams ranked in the top 126 nationally.
* Despite a third narrow loss this season, the Aztecs rank 31st nationally in scoring margin (+9.5). That is third among teams that do not currently have a winning record, trailing Toledo (+11.5) and Wyoming (+10.5). All three of SDSU's victories have come by at least 24 points.
* San Diego State's national rankings of note: 3rd in total defense (269.8), 5th third down conversion defense (27.7), 8th in scoring defense (16.2), 8th passing yards allowed (172.5), 8th in tackles for loss (8.3), 10th in rushing defense (97.3), 11th in passing efficiency rating (110.22) and 21st in rushing offense (218.2).
Football Ready for Colorado State on Saturday
