The San Diego State Aztecs reach the halfway point of the Pac-12 schedule with a trip this weekend to the Rocky Mountains to face the struggling Colorado State Rams.
Besides the possibility of redshirt freshman Stone Saunders starting at quarterback for injured senior Jayden Denegal, there’s a lot in play for the Aztecs (3-4, 2-1 Pac-12).
First, there’s the matter of trying to get their first road win of the season.
Second, they still have work to do to get bowl eligible for the second straight season.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake for the Aztecs as they take on a Rams team that has lost four straight games.
Can San Diego State turn its road fortunes around?
The road has been inhospitable to the Aztecs this year.
They’ve lost to UCLA at the Rose Bowl and were blown out at Toledo and Oregon State, by increasingly lopsided margins.
Now they’ve got a good chance to end that trend by facing a Rams team that has lost four straight, all by double digits.
The Aztecs have won eight of the last 10 games and are favored by 1.5 points.
But nothing’s a given when playing on the road, and especially for an Aztecs team that has been wildly inconsistent this season.
The Aztecs righted themselves last Saturday when they beat their biggest rival, Fresno State, 26-23 at home. They were coming off one of the ugliest losses in program history, a 66-14 wipeout at Oregon State.
“There's no going back; it’s kind of what it is,” said running back Javion “Chop” Kinnard, who’s returned from a knee injury. “We can't go back from where we used to be; we have to focus on now and keep it going. It was a good win last week. I feel like we needed it as a program and as a team. So definitely keep it going.
“Now, it really is our main thing to get a road game win,” Kinnard added. “We know what we can do at home, and coming off a big win, I feel like this would be the perfect week for us to pick up a road win. All I can say is we need to be dialed into our details and know what we are supposed to be doing.”
How the Aztecs can exploit Colorado State's struggling defense
The Rams have the Pac-12’s No. 3 scoring offense and No. 4 overall offense, but are ranked No. 8 in both scoring defense and overall defense.
The Rams’ four straight losses have been ugly: 41-23 to Brigham Young, which is now ranked No. 2; 59-45 at UTSA; 56-26 to Oregon State; and 66-27 at Texas State.
Things were so bad during the Oregon State game that defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was fired at halftime.
“Yet again we’re going to go on the road here against another good opponent, a really explosive offense, finding a way defensively, knowing that we’re going to have to be at our best,” coach Sean Lewis said. “And that starts with our preparation and how we go about it so we can go do what we're capable of doing and get our first road win, which is an important step for good teams in this process.”
SDSU's path to bowl eligibility
Speaking of the process, the Aztecs need three wins in their last five games to become bowl eligible.
Three of their future opponents are in the lower half of the league standings: Colorado State; Washington State, which visits Snapdragon Stadium on Oct. 31; and Utah State, which comes to San Diego on Nov. 14, following the Aztecs’ bye week.
The biggest game remaining is at No. 21 Boise State on Nov. 21.
The regular season concludes on Nov. 28 with the “flex game” on the road against Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State or Washington State, depending on the best interests of the league, including College Football Playoff considerations.
By comparison, the Aztecs were bowl-eligible at this point last season.
San Diego State vs. Colorado State: Kickoff time
The Aztecs-Rams clash kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT.
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