No. 22 San Diego State (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) at Air Force (6-1, 3-1), Saturday at 7 p.m. EDT (CBS).
Line: Air Force by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Air Force 19-17.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
If the Falcons can knock off the Mountain West’s last unbeaten team they would match their best start (7-1) since 1998. These teams could meet in the conference championship in December. If so, the winner gets the inside track at the homefield for the title game.
KEY MATCHUP
Air Force’s ground game versus San Diego State’s run stuffers. The Aztecs lead the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 61.2 yards rushing per game and the Falcons have the nation’s top rushing offense with a 336.4-yard per game average. They are the only school in the nation averaging over 300 yards. San Diego State has allowed one team to top 100 yards this season and that was San Jose State last week with 117. The Falcons will have to break through the Aztecs’ run stuffers to get their first win over a Top 25 team since beating 19th-ranked Boise State 27-20 in 2016.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Diego State: Graduate senior Lucas Johnson. He replaced an ineffective Jordon Brookshire in the fourth quarter last week against San Jose State and threw TD passes to WR Jesse Matthews in both overtime periods of the Aztecs’ 19-13 victory.
Air Force: RBs Brad Roberts and Haaziq Daniels. They combined for 221 yards on 49 carries in their 24-17 win at Boise State, their first triumph on the blue turf since 2015.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Aztecs have won eight consecutive games in the series dating to 2009, including three straight at Falcon Stadium, and 12 of the last 16 overall. … The teams haven’t played each other since 2018 in San Diego with the Aztecs prevailing 21-17. … San Diego State has two wins over Power Five programs, beating beating Arizona 38-14, and Utah 33-31. … The Falcons are 19-79-3 all-time against ranked opponents. … The Falcons’ four-game winning streak is their longest since winning eight consecutive games to close out the 2019 season. … Air Force is 65-21 at Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun. … The last time these teams met at the Air Force Academy, on Sept. 23, 2017, the 22nd-ranked Aztecs fell behind 9-0 but rallied for a 28-24 win.
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