San Diego State Hosts UCLA Saturday Night in a Battle of Unbeatens
- Undefeated San Diego State wraps up its three-game homestand to start the season Saturday night against UCLA.
- The Aztecs are playing three consecutive home games to start a campaign for the first time in their Division I era (since 1969) and for the first time overall since beginning 1967 with four straight home outings.
- After playing 23 consecutive games (two-plus seasons) out of San Diego County (streak started on Nov. 30, 2019 vs. Brigham Young and also included 2020 and 2021), SDSU is playing its second straight seven-game home schedule at Bashor Field at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley.
- San Diego State is 7-2 all-time at Snapdragon Stadium.
- The Aztecs are 2-0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023) and for the sixth time in the last eight seasons (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023).
- SDSU has won seven of its last 10 games dating back to last season.
- San Diego State is coming off a 36-28 game over Idaho State on Saturday night.
- The Aztecs trailed for only 1:59 in the game, led by 16 in the fourth quarter and controlled the line of scrimmage, outrushing the Bengals by 282 yards, possessing the ball for over 34 minutes and owning a 14-yard advantage in average field position.
- SDSU recorded three interceptions for a second straight game for the first time since Nov. 5-12, 2016.
- San Diego State leads the country with six interceptions (by five different players) and is ranked second in turnovers gained (6).
- Jalen Mayden ran for a school-record 132 yards by a quarterback and two touchdowns on just eight attempts (16.5 avg.). Mayden, who improved to 7-3 since moving from safety to the team's starting quarterback on Oct. 8, 2022, became just the third quarterback in SDSU's Division I history (fourth overall) with a 100-yard rushing game and first since current Minnesota Viking head coach Kevin O'Connell had 101 at Brigham Young on Nov. 6, 2004.
- Nine players have earned their first career collegiate start this season for the Aztecs and 11 players overall have made their first start at SDSU.
- San Diego State is 7-4 against teams from the Pac-12 Conference since the start of the 2016 season. This from a program that once lost 19 straight against the league from 1996 until breaking the streak in 2011.
- Included in the seven wins is a 23-14 victory at UCLA in 2019, a win over the now back-to-back Pac-12 champion Utah in 2021, and victories over No. 19/19 Stanford in 2017 and No. 23/25 Arizona State in 2018.
- The Aztecs snapped a 19-game losing streak against UCLA in the last meeting on Sept. 7, 2019 at the Rose Bowl, giving SDSU a 1-21-1 all-time record in the series.
- No current Aztec started in that 2019 game, although current members of the staff did in graduate assistant Parker Houston and recruiting coordinator Kyle Spalding.
- Only two current Aztecs played in that game - sixth-year senior captain Cedarious Barfield and fellow captain Garret Fountain - with both appearing on special teams.
- SDSU rallied from a 2-3 start in 2022 by winning five of their final six regular-season games (5-1) and finishing 7-6 overall for its 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, San Diego State has posted a winning record.
- San Diego State's 21 wins since the start of the 2021 season trail only Georgia (30), Michigan (26), Alabama (25), Cincinnati (23), Ohio State (23), UTSA (23) and Notre Dame (22).
- UCLA opened its season with a 27-13 win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday.