- San Diego State puts its seven-game home winning streak on the line on Saturday night when it welcomes James Madison to Snapdragon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT and will air nationally on the CW, while also being on San Diego Sports 760, the flagship radio station of San Diego State athletics.
- The Aztecs (1-1) are coming off a 28-10 loss at UCLA on Saturday. SDSU became the first team to hold the Bruins scoreless in the first half of a non-conference home game since Sept. 9, 1989, against Tennessee. UCLA, however, scored an early touchdown in the third quarter and put up 21 points in the fourth, taking advantage of good field position to pull away from San Diego State.
- The Bruins started with the ball four times in Aztec territory and scored three touchdowns. UCLA’s final possession starting inside the SDSU side resulted in a kneeldown with the game in hand.
- On the eight possessions the Bruins started inside their own territory, they scored seven points and gained 254 yards (31.8 yards per drive).
- The lone touchdown for San Diego State came on a 19-yard pass from Jayden Denegal to Jackson Ford with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter. Earlier in the fourth, Cooper DiLeva connected on a 46-yard field goal to put the Aztecs on the scoreboard.
- SDSU is in its first season as a Pac-12 Conference member, officially joining on July 1, along with league stalwarts Oregon State and Washington State, as well as Boise State, Colorado State, Gonzaga (for men’s basketball only), Fresno State, Texas State and Utah State.
- San Diego State’s seven-game home winning streak is tied for the 14th-longest active streak in the country (as of Sept. 13).
- The Aztecs’ seven-game home winning streak is their longest since a seven-game win streak from Nov. 18, 2017-Oct. 20, 2018 (final two home games of 2017, first five home contests of 2018) and matches their longest since a 10-game home win streak from Oct. 3, 2015-Nov. 5, 2016.
- SDSU is outscoring the opposition, 240-61, over the seven-game home winning streak, which averages out to a 34.3-8.7 score.
- Senior Lucky Sutton ran for 81 yards on Saturday at UCLA and has 139 yards and three touchdowns through two games this year.
- Sutton enters the weekend with 1,636 career yards and 15 touchdowns on 328 attempts (5.0 avg.). Sutton is 21st in rushing all-time at San Diego State, 13 yards away from passing Art Preston (1949-51) for 20th.
- Sutton has been named to three preseason NFCAA watch lists, including the Maxwell Award (college player of the year), Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award (most outstanding college running back).
- Sutton has not fumbled the ball (fumble or lost fumble) in 333 career touches (328 rushes, five catches).
- Jayden Denegal, who is 10-4 all-time as the Aztecs’ starting quarterback, is 18-for-34 for 182 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
- Four different SDSU players had eight tackles apiece at UCLA, including linebackers Sione Hala and Tano Letuli, and safeties Josh Hunter and Jelani McLaughlin, while cornerback Mike Lindsay intercepted a pass for the second straight game.
- Hala leads the new-look San Diego State defense under first-year defensive coordinator Demetrius Sumler with 19 tackles.
- Letuli, the first three-time Aztec captain since Kevin O’Connell (current Minnesota Vikings head coach) was a four-time captain from 2004-07, is second with 15 stops.
- The Aztecs return only one starter - DT Malachi Finau - on defense from last season’s team, which recorded an FBS-leading three shutouts. Note that Letuli started six games last season, but Owen Chambliss (13 starts) and Mister Williams (8 starts) are listed as the starters since they had the most at the linebacker position. Only six teams in the country returned fewer starters on defense according to a recent athletic communications survey, all with zero, including Colorado, Iowa State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Washington State.
- This is the first meeting between San Diego State and James Madison.
- The San Diego State campus and James Madison campus are 2,546 miles from one another. According to Google maps, a drive from San Diego State to James Madison would take approximately 36 hours.
- James Madison made the College Football Playoff last year, falling to Oregon, 51-34, in the first round.
- The Dukes are 2-0 and are coming off an 87-3 win over Wagner on Saturday.
- JMU’s 87 points match the most by a FBS team since at least the 1991 season.
San Diego State Returns Home to Face James Madison
The Aztecs welcome James Madison on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT.
