No. 22 San Diego State Opens Mountain West Play At Air Force
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The Aztecs travel to Colorado Springs to take on The Air Force Academy Falcons in their first Mountain West game of the season.
No. 22 San Diego State (3-0) at Air Force (1-1), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network).
Line: San Diego State by 3 ½.
Series record: Air Force leads 19-15.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The Aztecs kick off their quest for a third straight Mountain West title against an Air Force team they've beaten six straight times. San Diego State is flying high after successive wins over Pac-12 teams, including Stanford last weekend. That could come in handy because senior RB/KR Rashaad Penny said of Air Force's run-oriented offense: "They play just like Stanford."
KEY MATCHUP
Aztecs QB Christian Chapman has 26 career TDs and eight interceptions. Even more, he's 16-3 as a starter. Chapman faces an Air Force defense that went nine straight quarters dating to last season without allowing an offensive TD before the Wolverines found the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Diego State: DB Kameron Kelly picked up the conference's defensive player of the week honors after recording two sacks, forcing a fumble and picking of a pass against Stanford. He also had five solo tackles.
Air Force: RB Tim McVey has 27 TDS in 29 career games. His career rushing average of 8.3 yards is the best mark in Air Force history.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Aztecs beat the Falcons 27-24 when they met in the 2015 MW title game. ... San Diego State is 10-2 in road games since Oct. 10, 2015. ... Penny leads the nation in yards rushing (588), all-purpose yards (774) and is tied for second in TDs (six). ... The Aztecs have won 21 in a row when leading in time of possession. ... San Diego State has forced 70 turnovers and turned it over just 29 times since 2015. ... SDSU quarterbacks coach Blane Morgan graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1999. He was an assistant for the Falcons for a dozen seasons under Fisher DeBerry and Troy Calhoun. ... The Falcons are 19-76-3 all-time against ranked teams. They're 5-15 under Calhoun. ... Air Force boasts a 48-15 mark at Falcon Stadium under Calhoun. ... Senior LB Grant Ross is the only returning starter on defense from a season ago. He's fourth on the team in tackles with eight.
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