Fresno State Bulldogs at San Diego State game guide: What to know about matchup vs. Aztecs
Fresno State won a game it had to win to remain a player in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference, beating Nevada last week. But the Bulldogs will face much tougher matchups in a lot of areas on Saturday when they travel to Los Angeles to take on No. 21 San Diego State, the last unbeaten team in conference play.
There have been two- and even three-loss teams that won Mountain West divisions including Fresno State in 2014 and most recently Hawaii in 2019, but with the Aztecs undefeated at this point this likely amounts to another must-win game for the Bulldogs.
A win and Fresno State, San Diego State and likely Nevada all have one conference loss (the Wolf Pack plays UNLV on Friday in Reno), and the Bulldogs would have head-to-head victories over both.
Fresno State will be playing a ranked opponent for the third time this season, all on the road. The Bulldogs had a late lead at then-No. 11 Oregon before losing 31-24 and won at then-No. 13 UCLA 40-37.
The Aztecs are playing home games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson while building a new football stadium in San Diego. The stadium capacity is 27,000, and if the Red Wave is up for a road trip it’s possible the Bulldogs have more fans there than the home team.
San Diego State is 7-1 playing in Carson, but this season the attendance has been 10,112 for the opener against New Mexico State; 11,090 for Utah; 7,619 for FCS Towson; and 8,387 for New Mexico.
Fresno State at No. 21 San Diego State
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson
TV: CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan, Aaron Murray, Amanda Guerra)
Find it fast: AT&T (Channels 643, 1643), Comcast (418, 732), DirecTV (221), Dish Network (158)
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, Cameron Worrell)
Find it fast: Fresno (AM1340), Bakersfield (AM970), Visalia (AM1130), Modesto (FM92.9), Stockton (AM1280), Bulldogs app, iHeartMedia app
The coaches: Kalen DeBoer (9-5 in second season), Brady Hoke (24-16 in fourth season, 89-76 overall)
The records: Fresno State 6-2, 3-1 in MW; San Diego State 7-0, 3-0
The series: San Diego State leads 30-25-4
Last meeting: San Diego State won 17-7 in 2019
The line: San Diego State -1
COVID-19 requirements, if you’re going: The latest Los Angeles County public health guidelines require all fans 12 and older to provide either a photo ID with matching proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a photo ID with matching negative COVID-19 test results. The negative tests must be from within 72 hours of kickoff to enter the stadium. All fans must wear masks except when eating or drinking.
About San Diego State: The Aztecs are one of only nine remaining unbeaten teams in the nation, but have played only two FBS opponents that are above .500 at this point in the season. They beat 4-3 Utah and 6-2 Air Force as well as 1-7 New Mexico State, 0-7 Arizona and 3-4 FCS Towson, and the combined record of their opponents is 21-32. … They are 7-0, though, for the first time since the 1975 season. … San Diego State has struggled to throw the football and is 11th in the Mountain West in passing offense, but it is second in the conference in rushing. The Aztecs have run the ball on 66.3% of their snaps from scrimmage, the sixth-highest percentage in the nation. They rushed for more than 200 yards in each of their first five games, but San Jose State did limit them to just 70 rushing yards when losing 19-16 in two overtimes. San Diego State scored its points in that game on two field goals and two TD passes from Lucas Johnson to Jesse Matthews. … The Aztecs’ strength is a defense that has allowed only 14 touchdowns and an average of 15.7 points per game. San Diego State is leading the Mountain West in scoring defense and rushing defense, and fourth in passing defense. It has allowed less than 450 total yards in 29 consecutive games, the longest streak in the nation, though Fresno State has had some success in the Jeff Tedford-Kalen DeBoer-Ryan Grubb seasons. The game for the Old Oil Can Trophy was canceled last season due to COVID-19 issues in the Bulldogs’ program and Fresno State had only 207 total yards in a 17-7 loss on the road in 2019. But the Bulldogs had 390 total yards in a 23-14 win in 2018 and 375 total yards in a 27-3 victory in 2017. They found ways to run the ball in both of those victories, gaining 123 yards with two touchdowns in 2018 and 199 yards and three scores in 2017. … San Diego State hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in regulation this season until Air Force scored on a 3-yard run by Dane Kinamon with 3:59 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the first rushing TD against the Aztecs in 33 quarters for football.