SCENE SETTER (as of Sunday, Nov. 7)
* San Diego State (8-1, 4-1 Mountain West) and Nevada (7-2, 4-1 MW), the two teams atop the West Division standings in the Mountain West, meet Saturday night in Carson, California, with the winner owning the inside track to the MW Championship game.
* San Diego State, which was picked to finish third in the West Division of the media preseason poll and did not receive a single top 25 vote, faces the team selected as the preseason favorite to win the West.
* Saturday marks the 14th meeting between the Aztecs and the Wolf Pack, with San Diego State owning a 7-6 series lead. Nevada has claimed the last three games in the series by a total of 13 points.
* At 8-1, San Diego State has matched its best nine-game start in the last 51 seasons. The last time the Aztecs owned an 8-1 record through nine games was 2016 (8-1) and the last time they had a better mark was a 9-0 start in 1970.
* San Diego State features one of the best defenses in the nation and ranks first in the Mountain West in scoring defense (16.7) and pass efficiency defense (105.07). Nevada is an elite offensive team, leading the MW in scoring (36.4) and passing (376.3).
* San Diego State is one of only 16 schools nationally with one or fewer losses (four undefeated teams and 12 one-loss teams).
* For the first time in school history, San Diego State made an appearance in the CFP Rankings last week (Nov. 2) at No. 24.
* San Diego State features one of the nation's top defenses. The Aztecs are sixth in rushing defense (91.2), seventh in team passing efficiency (105.07) and third down conversion percentage (29.8), ninth in total defense (299.9), 10th in scoring defense (18.7), 18th in sacks (3.00) and 23rd in passes intercepted (10).
* San Diego State's special teams are among the best in the nation as well. ESPN College Football Efficiencies rate the Aztec special teams as the sixth-best nationally. Junior Matt Araiza currently leads the nation in punting (51.9) and is on pace to set an FBS record while senior Jordan Byrd is 6th nationally in kickoff return average (31.4). Meanwhile, the Aztecs have blocked three punts this season to rank third in that category.
* For the sixth straight time San Diego State responded from a loss with a victory, winning at Hawai'i, 17-10, on Saturday night. The Aztecs never trailed, in picking up its eighth win of the season.
* SDSU won the game in typical Aztec fashion. The Aztecs owned an edge in turnovers (SDSU 1, Hawai'i 2), an edge in field position (average starting field position: SDSU 35, Hawai'i 27) and a large advantage in time of possession (SDSU: 34:07, Hawai'i 25:53).
* SDSU limited Hawai'i to 260 yards, its lowest offensive output in a regular season home game since the Aztecs held UH to 195 yards on Oct. 28, 2017. That date is also the last time the Rainbow Warriors scored 10 points or fewer in a home game.
* Offensively, the Aztecs kept the ball for 34:07 of the contest and put together scoring drives of 15, 14 and eight plays.
* San Diego State is 28-3 the last 31 times it has possessed the ball at least 34 minutes and 40-2 the last 42 times it has had a turnover margin advantage.
No. 24 Football Welcomes Nevada Saturday for Homecoming
