Athletics

Aggies Begin Mountain West Play at San Diego State

By Utah State Athletics |

Game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. (MT). 
 
UTAH STATE (1-1, 0-0 MW) vs. SAN DIEGO STATE (3-0, 0-0 MW)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 • 8:30 p.m. (MT) • San Diego, Calif. • SDCCU Stadium (54,000)
 
GAME 3 INFORMATION
TV: CBS SPORTS NETWORK
• Play-by-Play: Rich Waltz 
• Analyst: Aaron Taylor
• Reporter: Jenny Dell
• Xfinity (Utah): Ch. 269/753HD
• DISH: Ch. 158
• DirecTV: Ch. 221
 
RADIO: AGGIE SPORTS NETWORK
• Play-by-Play: Scott Garrard 
• Analyst: Kevin White
• Online: 1280thezone.com / Tunein.com
• National: Internet 977
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: #AGGIESALLTHEWAY
• Twitter/Instagram: @USUFootball
• Facebook: USUFootball
• YouTube: UtahStateFootball
• Live Stats: UtahState.Statbroadcast.com
 
AGGIE RADIO NETWORKS
• Every Utah State football game can be heard live on the Aggie Radio Network. Scott Garrard serves as the play-by-play announcer, while former USU quarterback Kevin White (1988-89) will provide color analysis. Games can also be heard on the Internet (www.UtahStateAggies.com) by clicking on the 'Listen Live' link, as well as on the TuneIn App.
• Salt Lake City  KZNS (1280 AM/97.5 FM)
• Logan                KBLU-LP (92.3 FM)
• Cache Valley   KACH (1340 AM/105.5 FM)
• Price  KRPX (95.3 FM)
• Green River     KRPX (102.7 FM)
• Moab                 KRPX (100.3 FM)
• Orangeville      KRPX (95.9 FM)
 
KICKOFF COVERAGE
• Utah State has won six of its last seven league openers and is 5-1 all-time in Mountain West openers, which includes a 2-0 road record. This will be Utah State's third league opener on the road in its seven years in the MW. Overall, USU is 33-26-3 (.556) all-time in conference openers and has a 13-13-3 (.500) record in league openers on the road. 
 
• Utah State is 30-18 (.625) all-time in the Mountain West, including a 13-11 (.542) road record, and has won 41 of its last 59 (.695) league games dating back to 2011.
 
• Utah State is 15-4 (.790) all-time against teams from the West Division of the Mountain West, which is the best record in the conference. Overall, USU has a 4-0 record against Hawai'i, UNLV and San José State, a 2-1 record against Fresno State, a 1-1 record against Nevada and an 0-2 mark against San Diego State dating back to 2013 when the MW split into two divisions. Other teams with winning records against the West Division include Boise State (16-5), Colorado State (14-5), San Diego State (21-9), Fresno State (19-11), Nevada (17-13) and Air Force (10-9).
 
• Utah State is 7-4 in its last 11 road games, including a 6-2 Mountain West record. In its last 11 road games, USU is averaging 37.8 points and 436.3 yards of total offense (241.1 passing, 195.2 rushing). USU has also scored at least 30 points seven times and has had at least 500 yards total offense five times in its last 11 road games.
 
• Utah State is 17-4 in its last 21 games under head coach Gary Andersen, which includes a 7-3 road record. In fact, those four losses under Andersen are by a combined nine points.
 
• Utah State is among the top 40 teams in the nation in 14 statistical categories, including ranking second in total offense (656.5 yards per game), third in passing offense (404.0 yards per game), 13th in scoring (48.5 points per game) and 20th in rushing offense (252.5 yards per game). Conversely, San Diego State ranks third nationally in rushing defense (42.3 yards per game), fourth in the nation in scoring defense (8.0 points per game) and 11th nationally in total defense (248.0  yards per game). 
 
UTAH STATE PLAYS AT SAN DIEGO STATE IN MOUNTAIN WEST OPENER
• Utah State (1-1, 0-0 MW) plays at San Diego State (3-0, 0-0 MW) in both teams' Mountain West opener on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8:30 p.m. (MT). The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network (Comcast Ch. 269/753HD), DISH Ch. 158, DirecTV Ch. 221) with Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) and Jenny Dell (reporter) on the call. Live audio of the game is available on www.UtahStateAggies.com.
 
• Utah State has won 18 of its last 29 games played during the month of September and is 4-5 all-time in known games played on Sept. 21.
 
• Utah State is looking to start its season with a 2-1 record for the second time in as many years and for the sixth time in the past eight seasons.
 
A LOOK AT UTAH STATE
• Utah State is 1-1 on the season following its 62-7 non-conference home win against Stony Brook two weekends ago. USU began the year with a 38-35 loss at Wake Forest. Offensively, USU is led by junior QB Jordan Love, who is 58-of-82 (.707) passing for 710 yards (355.0 ypg) with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Junior RB Jaylen Warren leads the team in rushing with 246 yards on 28 carries (8.8 ypc/123.0 ypg) with three touchdowns, and graduate transfer WR Siaosi Mariner has a team-best 13 receptions for 191 yards (14.7 ypr/95.5 ypg) and two touchdowns. Defensively, junior LB David Woodward leads the team with 28 tackles, which includes 3.5 tackles for loss, while junior S Troy Lefeged Jr. has 13 tackles. As a team, USU is averaging 48.5 points and 656.5 yards of total offense (404.0 passing, 252.5 rushing), and allowing 22.5 points and 421.0 yards (278.0 passing, 143.0 rushing).
 
UTAH STATE FOLLOWING A BYE WEEK
• Utah State has won each of its last eight games following a bye week dating back to the 2011 season.
 
UTAH STATE PLAYING BACK-TO-BACK ROAD GAMES ON NATURAL GRASS
• Utah State's Mountain West opener at San Diego State will mark its first of back-to-back road games, along with its contest at LSU, on natural grass. USU also played two games on natural grass last year, winning at BYU and losing at Michigan State.
 
ANDERSEN BEGINS SECOND TOUR-OF-DUTY WITH UTAH STATE
• Utah State head coach Gary Andersen is in his second tour-of-duty with Utah State after previously serving as the head coach from 2009-12. Andersen is the first of 27 coaches in USU history to serve as head coach multiple times.
 
• When initially hired by Utah State on Dec. 4, 2008, Andersen inherited a program that had suffered through 11 straight losing seasons and only had two winning campaigns in 28 years. Fast forward six years and Andersen inherited a program that has now appeared in seven bowl games in the past eight years after playing in just four bowl games prior to his arrival.
 
• In just his third year at Utah State, Andersen's 2011 club became the first Aggie team to win seven games since 1993 and the first to play in a bowl game in 14 years. The following season, Andersen led USU to its best season ever with a school-record 11 wins, going undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference and capturing its first outright league title since 1936. USU also won just its second-ever bowl game that season with a 41-15 victory against Toledo in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. USU finished the 2012 campaign with an 11-2 record and was one of just two teams in school history at the time, along with the 1961 club, to finish the season nationally ranked as it was 16th in the final Associated Press poll, 17th in the final Coaches poll and 23rd in the final BCS standings.
 
• During his first four years with the Aggies from 2009-12, Andersen posted a 26-24 record, including the school's first back-to-back winning seasons (7-6 in 2011 and 11-2 in 2012) since 1979-80. He was also the first coach since Phil Krueger (1973-75) to notch an overall winning record.
 
• During his final two seasons at Utah State, Andersen led the Aggies to an 18-8 record, including an 11-2 conference mark.
 
MORE ON COACH ANDERSEN
• Utah State head coach Gary Andersen ranks sixth all-time in school history with his 27 wins, while his .519 winning percentage (27-25) ranks as the eighth-best. Andersen is also one of just four head coaches in school history to lead the Aggies to multiple bowl games.
 
UTAH STATE MILESTONES THAT EQUAL SUCCESS
• Utah State has won 31 of its last 37 games when it has a 100-yard rusher, including a 1-1 record this year, and 34 of its last 37 contests when rushing at least 40 times in a game, including a 1-0 record this year. USU has also won 50 of its last 54 games when scoring at least 30 points, including a 1-1 record this season.
 
• Utah State has had a 100-yard rusher in 10 of its last 14 games and in 15 of its last 21 contests overall. Between the 2014 and 2016 seasons, USU had a total of nine 100-yard rushers over a 39-game span.
 
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE
• San Diego State is 3-0 on the season following its 31-10 non-conference road win at New Mexico State last weekend. The Aztecs are led by senior QB Ryan Agnew, who is 55-of-86 (.640) passing for 507 yards (169.0 ypg) with two touchdowns and one interception. Sophomore RB Jordan Byrd leads the team in rushing with 197 yards on 37 carries (5.3 ypc/65.7 ypg) with two touchdowns, and sophomore WR Kobe Smith has a team-best 11 receptions for 165 yards (15.0 ypr/55.0 ypg) with one touchdown. Defensively, junior S Dwayne Johnson leads the team with 25 tackles, which includes 1.5 tackles for loss, while senior LB Kyahva Tezino has 22 tackles, which includes 1.5 tackles for loss. As a team, San Diego State is averaging 20.0 points and 336.0 yards of total offense (169.0 passing, 167.0 rushing), and allowing 8.0 points and 248.0 yards of total offense (205.7 passing, 42.3 rushing). San Diego State returns 12 starters (O-7, D-5) from last year's team that went 7-6 overall and finished in fourth place in the West Division with a 4-4 league ledger. The Aztecs concluded their 2018 season with a 27-0 loss to Ohio in the DXL Frisco Bowl. Rocky Long is 74-35 in his ninth season at San Diego State and 139-104 in 20 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
 
AGGIES AND AZTECS SERIES HISTORY
• Utah State trails in the all-time series against San Diego State, 12-1, which includes a 1-8 road record. The first game played in the series was on Sept. 20, 1947, in Logan with SDSU winning, 24-19. SDSU has won the last 10 games played in the series, including the last meeting between the two teams, 40-13, on Oct. 28, 2016, in Logan. The Aztecs also won the last meeting between the two teams in San Diego, 48-14, on Oct. 23, 2015.
 
AGGIES vs. AZTECS SERIES 23RD-MOST PLAYED IN SCHOOL HISTORY
• Utah State and San Diego State will be meeting for the 14th time in series history this weekend in what will be the 23rd-most played series in school history.
 
ANDERSEN VERSUS SAN DIEGO STATE
• Gary Andersen is 0-1 all-time against San Diego State as a head coach, losing on the road to the Aztecs 41-7 at Utah State during the 2010 season.
  
COACHING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND SAN DIEGO STATE
• Utah State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford was on staff at UNLV in 2005 with San Diego State offensive analyst Gary Bernardi. USU offensive line coach TJ Woods was on staff at New Mexico in 2007-08 under then-head coach Rocky Long. SDSU defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Zach Arnett was a linebacker at UNM from 2005-08, while Woods was on staff.   
 
PLAYER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN UTAH STATE AND SAN DIEGO STATE
• There are 13 connections between Utah State and San Diego State players. USU graduate transfer RB Riley Burt and SDSU senior OL Jacob Jimenez both began their collegiate careers at BYU. USU senior CB Cameron Haney and SDSU freshman DL Dylan Taylor both attended Cathedral HS in Los Angeles, Calif. USU senior DT Christopher Unga and SDSU sophomore CB Darren Hall both attended Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) HS. USU redshirt junior LB Eric Munoz, and SDSU senior CB Nolen Harris and SDSU junior OL Jalen Booth all attended San Diego Mesa College. USU junior LS Brandon Pada and SDSU junior LS Turner Bernard both attended Mountain Ridge HS in Glendale, Ariz. USU redshirt freshman DT Hale Motu'apuaka, and SDSU sophomore LB Seyddrick Lakalaka and SDSU sophomore OL Alama Uluave all attended Punahou HS in Honolulu. USU freshman DE Kaleo Neves and freshman WR Kyle Van Leeuwen both attended Timpview HS in Provo, Utah, as did SDSU sophomore DL Kahi Neves. USU junior RB Jaylen Warren and junior WR Derek Wright both attended Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, along with SDSU's Neves.
 
HOMETOWN PLAYERS
• Utah State has 38 players in its program from the Beehive State, while San Diego State has 68 players on its roster from The Golden State.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State has lost 10 straight games to San Diego State, which is its longest active streak against any opponent in school history.
 
ON THIS DATE IN AGGIE FOOTBALL HISTORY
• Utah State posted a 9-6 road win against BYU on Sept. 21, 1974, its fourth-straight victory against the Cougars. BYU scored the first six points on 32- and 28-yard field goals in the first quarter, before USU scored the final nine points of the game. Al Knapp made his first of three field goals in the second quarter from 19 yards out, followed by a 34- and 19-yarder in the third quarter. BYU out-gained USU, 276-246, but the Cougars committed six turnovers on the day as compared to just one for the Aggies. Tom Wilson was 10-of-16 passing for 107 yards and gained 51 yards on 14 carries  for USU, while Louie Giammona carried the ball 20 times for 60 yards.
   
UTAH STATE IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
• Utah State is 157-180-8 (.467) all-time against current members of the Mountain West with a 39-26-4 record vs. Wyoming, a 34-39-2 record vs. Colorado State, a 17-7 record vs. UNLV, an 18-20-1 record vs. San José State, a 12-17-1 record vs. Fresno State, a 12-13 record vs. New Mexico, a 10-6 record vs. Hawai`i, a 6-18 record vs. Nevada, a 5-18 record vs. Boise State, a 3-4 record vs. Air Force, and a 1-12 record vs. San Diego State.
 
• Utah State is in its seventh year as a member of the Mountain West in 2019 and has been a Division I-A/Bowl Championship Series football playing school in each of its 122 seasons of competition. USU joined the Mountain States/Skyline Conference in 1938 until 1961. USU then played as a football independent from 1962-77 when the Aggies became members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association in 1978. The PCAA changed its name to the Big West Conference in 1988. Following the 2000 season, when the Big West no longer sponsored football, USU spent two years as an independent (2001-02) and two years in the Sun Belt Conference (2003-04), before joining the Western Athletic Conference for eight seasons from 2005-12.
 
UTAH STATE HAS SIX BOWL TEAMS ON ITS 2019 SCHEDULE
• Utah State's 2019 schedule features six teams that played in bowl games a year ago as Wake Forest played in the Birmingham Bowl (W, 37-34 vs. Memphis); San Diego State played in the DXL Frisco Bowl (L, 27-0 vs. Ohio); LSU played in the Fiesta Bowl (W, 40-32 vs. UCF); Nevada played in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl (W, 16-13 OT vs. Arkansas State); BYU played in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (W, 49-18 vs. Western Michigan); and Boise State played in the First Responders Bowl (Canceled vs. Boston College). Furthermore, Stony Brook played in the NCAA Division I Football Championship (L, 28-14 vs. Southeast Missouri).  
 
FROM THE RECORD BOOKS
Here is a look at some of the top Utah State team performances against San Diego State in series history.
• Utah State forced a school-record-tying eight turnovers (4 interceptions, 4 fumbles) at San Diego State in 1968.
 
• Utah State limited San Diego State to -22 rushing yards in 1971 and -5 yards in 1967, which is the fifth- and ninth-fewest rushing yards allowed in a single game in school history.
 
• Utah State limited San Diego State to 14 passing yards in 2016, which is tied for the fourth-fewest passing yards allowed in a single game in school history.
 
SERIES NOTABLES
The following are series notables between Utah State and San Diego State dating back to 1967 and encompassing the last 11 meetings. 
• San Diego State has scored at least 40 points in each of the last three games in the series, and has won each of the last four games and nine of its last 10 by double digits. Furthermore, SDSU has scored at least 30 points in seven of the last 10 meetings.
 
• In each of its last 10 games, all losses, Utah State has not scored more than 20 points against San Diego State, and was held to single digits in five of those contests, which includes one shutout.
 
• The team that has more yards of total offense has won 10 of the last 11 games in the series. In fact, USU has had less than 300 yards of total offense in each of the last eight games played in the series and has not had more than 363 yards in the series dating back to 1967. Conversely, San Diego State has had at least 400 yards of total offense in five of the last nine games played between the two teams.
 
• San Diego State has controlled the time of possession in each of the last three games in the series.
 
• In the last five games in the series, Utah State has committed 18 turnovers as compared to eight for San Diego State. In the last two games, USU has six turnovers as compared to zero for SDSU.
  
• San Diego State is 5-1 in the series when scoring first and 7-1 when leading at the half, while Utah State is 0-5 when scoring first and 0-2 when leading at the half.
 
• Utah State has had two 100-yard receivers and three 100-yard rushers in series history, but has never had a 300-yard passer.
 
• San Diego State has had two 300-yard passers and five 100-yard receivers in series history, to go along with four 100-yard rushers.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
• Utah State's 31-25 win at San Diego State on Nov. 25, 1967, snapped a 25-game winning streak for the Aztecs, which still ranks as the 20th-longest in NCAA history.

WRITER

Utah State Athletics
435-797-3714
doug.hoffman@usu.edu

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