After falling to Utah State 32-24 in double-overtime last Saturday on Nov. 4, San Diego State (3-6, 1-4 Mountain West Conference) travels to Colorado this weekend to take on the Colorado State Rams (3-6, 1-4).
MATCHUP:
After recording two consecutive losses at Snapdragon, the Aztecs are one loss away from having their first losing season in 13 years. SDSU currently sits tied for ninth in the Mountain West standings.
Colorado State is coming off three consecutive losses, with their most recent being 24-15 at Wyoming. Their last win was on Oct. 14 against the Boise State Broncos in a close 31-30 matchup. The Rams are also tied for ninth in the conference standings, with their lone conference win coming at home over Boise State on Oct. 14.
On Saturday, SDSU and Colorado State will face off for the 37th time. The Aztecs have dominated the series, holding a 22-14 edge in previous matchups and have won the last two games against the Rams. Their last matchup was on Dec. 5, 2020, in which San Diego State won 29-17.
SDSU head coach Brady Hoke spoke on Tuesday about the team’s attitude heading into the game.
“We play for our seniors and our seniors have worked their butts off,” Hoke said. “They’re not satisfied with where we’re at, nobody is. They came out Monday and had a hell of a practice.”
KEY STATS:
The Rams average 26.3 points per game while the Aztecs have up 20.1 ppg. CSU also has SDSU beat in passing yards per game, with Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi leading an aerial attack averaging 328.1 yards while SDSU is averaging only 191.3 yards.
However, San Diego State is averaging more yards per game on the ground, with the Aztecs averaging 144.1 rushing yards per game to Colorado’s 72.7 yards.
On defense, SDSU seems to have the advantage. Through the air, SDSU has allowed 265.4 passing yards per game to the Rams’ 275.8 yards.
On the ground, the Aztecs have allowed an average of 163.8 rushing yards per game to Colorado’s 173.8 yards. Overall, San Diego State’s defense has held opponents to 28.6 points per game while Colorado’s has allowed 32.1 points.
“I think that we haven’t created enough negative plays, you know, like sacks, TFLs (tackles for loss),” Hoke said. “We may have a guy who’s a senior but he’s a transfer portal guy, right, so he hasn’t been in the system, and there is a difference in the system.”
KEY PLAYERS:
The team is hopeful that quarterback Jalen Mayden can have a big game against the Colorado State defense. Mayden has thrown nine touchdown passes this season and has been intercepted seven times this year. However, he still leads the team on the ground in attempts, yards and touchdowns: 92 carries, 395 yards and three touchdowns.
SDSU running back Kenan Christon is coming off a 118-yard performance in the double-overtime loss against Utah State. In that same game, he scored his first touchdown of the year. So far this season, he currently has 79 rushing attempts for 292 yards and 24 receptions for 179 yards.
After having a breakout season last year, Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton will be one to watch on Saturday. Last season, Horton was named First-Team All-Mountain West and is currently seen as one of the top wide receiver prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft. This season, Horton has 77 receptions for 848 yards and six touchdowns.
Kickoff for SDSU against Colorado State is at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado.
