GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, October 5
Location: Snapdragon Stadium
Kickoff: 5:00 PM
TV: CBS Sports Network
Aztecs Radio Network: San Diego Sports 760

San Diego State opens up Mountain West play this Saturday, as Hawai’i will make the trek across the Pacific Ocean to Snapdragon Stadium.

“Proud of the way the guys responded yesterday, learning from the tape and the experience of traveling to Central Michigan…” Lewis explained in his Monday press conference. “We have a great opportunity to be back home this week against a very dangerous Hawai’i that does a really goodjob throwing the ball all over the yard, they have an attacking style defensively that challenges you to play man-to-man just a really well coached outfit.”

The Aztecs have faced off against the Rainbow Warriors 39 times. The Red and Black have won 25 matchups, and two have ended in ties. SDSU currently has a four-game winning streak in the series after defeating Hawai’i 41-34 last season in Hawai’i on October 14. Lucky Sutton rushed for two touchdowns in the contest, and Mekhi Shaw reeled in seven receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown.

Lewis’ squad is coming off a hard-fought game against Central Michigan that saw them come up short in the end, losing 22-21. The Aztecs had hoped to capitalize off the bye week but lost their third straight game of the year.

“They don’t quit,” Lewis said after the team’s first loss of the season against Oregon State. “They’re going to fight, They’re going to be resilient… and we need to do that at a higher level.”

Since then, the team has lost two more games, and now, heading into Mountain West play, they will need to prove that their ability to “not quit” will eventually be enough to start winning conference games.

Hawai’i is currently 2-2 and coming off a 36-7 win against Northern Iowa after they lost back-to-back games against UCLA and Sam Houston. The Rainbow Warriors defeated Delaware State in their season opener.

Of all the opponents the Aztecs have faced this season, Hawai’i is the least successful at running the ball. The Rainbow Warriors have rushed for only 450 yards and five touchdowns. The next closest opponent is Texas A&M Commerce, who have rushed for 484.

Holding an opponent under 200 rushing yards gives the Aztecs a much better chance of coming away with a win. This is something the team did in the home opening win and last week’s narrow loss to the Chippewas.

Hawai’i is led by quarterback Brayden Schager and his favorite target at wideout, Pofele Ashlock. Running Back Landon Sims has had the vast majority of carries with 28 for 112 yards, but Schager is the second-leading rusher on the team.

Defensively, Hawai’i is opportunistic. They have forced six turnovers this year so far, three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. It will be as crucial as ever for SDSU to protect the football.

The first conference game brings added intensity. The competition within the Mountain West is always fierce. SDSU will have its hands full against Hawai’i.

“Each and every single day, there should be a great sense of urgency, a great obsession to get it right regardless of who the opponent is, whether it’s a conference opponent game or not it shouldn’t change our approach on how we do things,” Lewis said of the energy and feeling in the building with the first conference game approaching. “The only thing that I think has heightened the senses or increased the urgency as of late is that the time amount of time guaranteed to us is that were only guaranteed eight more games.”

Key to the game: Forcing Turnovers

Eric Schmidt’s defense has done an excellent job of playing physically and forcing turnovers. His aggressive style of play has created opportunities for the offense.

If Schmidt’s group can continue to create turnovers. This week’s opponent, the Rainbow Warriors, will be a good way to ease into conference play.

Hawai’i is a well-balanced offense that leans more toward the pass. They have run the ball 99 times compared to 162 pass attempts. No one player in either attack has stood out besides the sophomore wideout Ashlock, who has 32 receptions for 351 yards and three touchdowns.

This offense, with its lack in the run game, will be a good opportunity for the defense to make big plays to set up Aztec Fast, which has been less than impressive so far this year.

Six players on SDSU’s defense have accounted for the team’s six turnovers -three interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Eight players have recorded sacks, with Trey White leading the team with six.

The EDGE position will again play a vital role for the Red and Black pass defense. Schager has thrown five interceptions this season, all of which have been in the last three games. White, Ryan Henderson, Marlem Louis, and the other EDGEs can apply pressure and force Schager to throw ill-advised passes that the ball-hawking secondary can potentially intercept.

The defense will need to gang-tackle the ball runner and try to force fumbles whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The fact that Hawai’i doesn’t have as diverse of a backfield as other opponents this year makes for the perfect recipe for the EDGES to pin back their ears and attack the quarterback.

“It’s critical,” Lewis replied when asked about the importance of turnovers. “Anytime that you can be on the plus side of the turnover margin because of the way our defense has been opportunistic in the way of turning its ovaries a major competitive advantage.With the way that Hawai’i’s run-pass distribution is, we have to do a great job with our drops, eyes, and keys, and when the ball is in the air. Being disruptive and being able to get our hands on it and not just knocking it down can swing and change the game by generating turnover. That’ll be a big part of the plan this week as we go forward.”

Player to watch: Brayden Schager

“His poise in the pocket, composure, and understanding of his scheme,” Lewis said about Brayden Schager. “He’s an accurate passer as well. He’s around 60% completion percentage, so he values the football. And he’s really dialed into where his guys are going to be. You see a lot of anticipatory throws because of his level of comfort and the connection in the throw game.”

With the way the Rainbow Warriors’ offense is set up, Schager will be the player to keep an eye on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium. So far, he has completed 98 of 161 attempts for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns. He has also rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Last season, Schager started all 13 games. He led the Mountain West in passing yards and touchdown passes and had the second-ranked total offense in the conference. His deep ball is a threat. Last season, he completed nine passes of 50+ yards, putting him second among all FBS quarterbacks in that stat.

The senior quarterback is completing around 60% of his passes. He has thrown for at least 200 yards and one touchdown every game. His ability to run when the pocket collapses will force the EDGEs to play with discipline and contain him.

Quarterbacks are the generals of the field and this game for the Aztecs will be decided by Hawai’i’s signal caller’s ability to either stay true to his game or try and force throws under pressure and turn the ball over.

If Schager can be relaxed in the pocket and rely on the run game to complement his passing, then SDSU could have a long game. Each time No. 13 drops back, all eyes will be on him.

SDSU is 34-10 since 2011 when allowing less than 150 passing yards. If the defense can limit him to less than 200 yards, which would be a season low, they could greatly increase their odds to win.

“We have to do a good job upfront applying pressure and not letting him be comfortable in that pocket,” Lewis explained. “We have to do a good job of disguising coverages and not giving him a static picture in the back end where he sees pre-snap, what post-snap is, and being able to play with those pictures.”

Fun Facts

• The Aztecs have won 10 out of the last 12 games in this series.
• SDSU has rushed for at least 100 yards in 20 of the 22 meetings, with 13 200-yard rushing games during that span.
• Danny O’Neil is coming off a career-high performance of 246 passing yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown 80 passes without an interception.
• EDGE Trey White has totaled 23 tackles (17 solo), including eight tackles for a loss of 56 yards and six sacks for 27 yards, while adding a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
• Chris Johnson is tied for the FBS lead in both forced fumbles with three and forced fumbles per game (.75)

Johnny Olivieri

Johnny is born and raised in San Diego and a diehard fan of all his hometown teams. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia that help paint a picture of the history of sports in San Diego. He spends a lot of his time attending sports games across San Diego county and enjoys studying the history and spreading knowledge of San Diego’s diverse sports.