Football

Aztecs Set for MTSU at EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl

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Aztecs Set for MTSU at EasyPost Hawai‘i BowlAztecs Set for MTSU at EasyPost Hawai‘i Bowl

San Diego State Set for Middle Tennessee State at EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl

  • San Diego State is set to compete in its 12th bowl game in 13 seasons (since 2010) when it takes on Middle Tennessee State in the EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 24.
  • The Aztecs (7-5) are playing in their 20th bowl game all-time and 16th in its Division I era (since 1969).
  • SDSU is 10-9 all-time in bowl games and 7-8 in bowl games in its DI era.
  • San Diego State is playing in its 12th bowl game since 2010. Only seven schools have played in all 13 over that stretch - Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin.
  • The Aztecs are looking to win their third consecutive bowl game for the first time in their DI era and first time overall since winning four straight from 1951-1969 (1951, 1966, 1967 and 1969).
  • The modest two-game bowl winning streak for SDSU includes a 48-11 win over Central Michigan in the 2019 New Mexico Bowl and a 38-24 victory over No. 24/25 UTSA in the 2021 Frisco Bowl. San Diego State withdrew from bowl consideration in the shortened 2020 COVID season with a 4-4 record.
  • The Aztecs are playing in the Hawai'i Bowl for the second time after beating Cincinnati, 42-7, in the 2015 bowl.
  • SDSU and Blue Raiders (7-5) have never met. San Diego State is 25-5 all-time against current Conference USA members, including a 38-24 win against 2021 C-USA champion UTSA in last year's Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
  • The Aztecs are playing their 29th game out of the last 36 away from San Diego County. Prior to this season, SDSU had played its previous 23 games (two-plus seasons) out of San Diego County, including 12 "home" contests at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, some two hours away from the San Diego State campus. This year was the first season of Snapdragon Stadium near the old SDCCU/Qualcomm/Jack Murphy/San Diego Stadium location in Mission Valley.
  • The Aztecs rallied from a 2-3 start by winning five of their final seven games (5-2) to clinch a 13th consecutive .500 or better season. That is tied for the sixth-longest streak nationally and is the longest streak among Pacific Time Zone teams. In 12 of those 13 seasons, SDSU has posted a winning record.
  • Only nine schools have more wins than San Diego State's 19 over the last two seasons (since 2021), including Georgia (27), Michigan (25), Alabama (23), UTSA (23), Cincinnati (22), Ohio State (22), Clemson (21), Utah (20) and Coastal Carolina (20).
  • San Diego State continues to play its best football, posting a 5-2 record since head coach Brady Hoke made coaching changes in the beginning of October (moving associate head coach/running backs coach Jeff Horton to offensive coordinator and adding Ryan Lindley to the staff as the quarterbacks coach) and Jalen Mayden became the team's quarterback. The Aztec defense has also been stellar since it's bye week (idle week) on Oct. 15. See improvements on page 3 of notes.
  • DE Jonah Tavai, P Jack Browning and KR Jordan Byrd have each recently earned All-America accolades for their 2022 play. Tavai was named a first-team selection by Pro Football Focus and Bleacher Report, a second-team pick by Associated Press and USA Today, and an honorable-mention selection by College Football Network. Browning, meanwhile, is a second-team honoree at punter by Pro Football Focus and an honorable mention punter by College Football Network, while Byrd was an honorable mention kick returner by Phil Steele Magazine.
  • Browning was also named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. An Aztec has now won the award five times (all over the last eight years), the most in the 24-year history of MW.
  • For a fourth straight year, SDSU had the most first-team all-MW selections with seven. San Diego State also had the most combined first and second teamers (11) and the most all-conference selections overall (16). The 16 all-league selections for the Aztecs tied a program best (also 2001).
  • Making the first team were C Alama Uluave, Byrd at both kick and punt returner, Tavai, LB Caden McDonald, S Patrick McMorris and Browning at punter.
  • On the second team for SDSU were WR Tyrell Shavers, TE Mark Redman, OL Cade Bennett and LB Michael Shawcroft.
  • San Diego State also had five honorable mentions, including QB Jalen Mayden, WR Jesse Matthews, DL Keshawn Banks, CB Dez Malone and CB Dallas Branch.