It is their first game of the season playing as a top 25 team in the AP Polls and San Diego State football will try to prove they are worth being voted into the top 25 for the College Football (CFB) playoff rankings.
The Nevada Wolf Pack will come into town as the Aztecs and Wolf Pack face each other for the first time since Oct. 27, 2018, when Nevada defeated the Aztecs 24-28. The Aztecs have the series advantage, 7-4. San Diego State is 5-1 against Nevada at home, with their only loss coming in the first home game between the two teams in 1946.
Saturday night’s game will be the first time Nevada plays in San Diego since the stadium was renamed to SDCCU Stadium (previously Qualcomm Stadium).
The Aztecs are coming into the game with a four-game win streak and possibly a top 25 rank on the line. They currently rank first in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference with a game and a half gap between them and the second-place Fresno State Bulldogs.
San Diego State’s starting quarterback Ryan Agnew has done fairly decent in his first full season as the starter. His completion rate is at 63.6 in conference games with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. His 52.4 quarterback rating ranks 87th in CFB Division I this year.
Aztecs leading rusher, running back Juwan Washington, has run for 432 yards in 119 carries this season with two touchdowns. The leading receptor, Kobe Smith has 41 receptions with 514 yards and four touchdowns in eight games this year.
Nevada’s starting quarterback Carson Strong has thrown 1,281 yards in 134 completions this season, but has struggled with only five touchdowns and six interceptions. That will make this matchup tough for Strong as he faces one of the best defenses in D1 football.
Strong will likely depend on his top rusher Toa Taua a lot more because of San Diego State’s defense tonight. Taua has run for 562 yards in 143 carries and has recorded five touchdowns on the season.
Saturday is the Aztecs homecoming and it will be a red-out for the 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff at SDCCU Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2 and on the Aztecs Radio Network at XTRA 1360.