What to expect: Statistical breakdown of San Diego State
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Bowl season often brings first matchups between teams from different parts of the country, and the New Mexico Bowl has that feature between a Mid-American Conference and Mountain West Conference.
Central Michigan and San Diego State face off for the first time at 2 p.m. Saturday in Dreamstyle Stadium.
Coming into the bowl game, the Aztecs are 9-3 and 5-3 in Mountain West play and earned a share of the West Division title with Hawai'i, which went to the conference title game against Boise State.
In its only Power Five matchup of the season, SDSU took down UCLA in Los Angeles, 23-14, in the team's second game of the season.
Each of the Aztecs' losses this season – against Utah State, Nevada and Hawai'i – have been by six points or fewer and by just three to the Rainbow Warriors.
"They play great team football," said coach Jim McElwain. "They play field position, good special teams. Their offense scores when they need to. Defensively, (SDSU coach Rocky Long) builds sink and bear every way to do it. We've got our work cut out for us on offense."
On the defensive side of the ball, the Aztecs boast the fifth-best yardage allowed at 288.7 yards per game. SDSU ranks fourth in the nation allowing just 12.8 points per game and second in the country on the ground, allowing just 72.3 yards per game.
There is little doubt the Aztecs have a clear advantage on the defensive side of the ball compared to the Chippewas.
Senior cornerback Luq Barcoo is a player in the secondary to completely avoid in the passing game, as he has eight interceptions and 16 pass breakups on the season. Much of his play is how the Aztecs have a plus-15 mark in the turnover margin.
The Aztecs have 29 sacks on the season and do not shy away from making hits and stopping runners whenever they can. Kyahva Tezino leads the way with 96 total tackles and has three sacks.
Myles Cheatum leads SDSU with five sacks, forcing opponents to lose 35 yards. In all, the Aztecs have 29 sacks for 173 yards.
Offensively, San Diego State does not do a whole lot to put points on the board.
In terms of scoring, SDSU averages 19 points per game, which ranks 119th in the nation. The Aztecs rank No. 97 through the air offensively, as they average 195.6 yards per game, and move the ball 133.7 yards, which ranks 103 nationally.
Juwan Washington has rushed for 500 yards and two touchdowns as the feature running back for SDSU. Chase Jasmin leads with three rushing touchdowns but has just 315 yards on the ground.
Through the air, Ryan Agnew leads the way. He has thrown for 2,175 yards and 11 touchdowns against five interceptions. Agnew has also completed 63.5% of his passes and averages 197.73 passing yards per game.
Out catching passes for Agnew, Kobe Smith has hauled in 57 passes for 673 yards and a team-high four touchdowns as he averages 56.1 yards per game.
While the offense may not dominate opponents, it can still be sneaky and score points when the Aztecs need them.
CMU senior safety Da'Quaun Jamison said his teammates need to execute on personal assignments to keep the game close.
"I wouldn't say pressure necessarily," Jamison said. "We're going to come out and stick to the script and do what we have been doing all year long and playing great defense. They're a pretty straightforward team. They know what they like to do and don't change for anyone.
"They're a great football team; they wouldn't be in a great bowl game if they weren't."
Senior center Steve Eipper said he also understands the team needs to be ready to go come Saturday.
Eipper and Jamison, both seniors, will be playing their final games for Central Michigan and the final game should be a physical one.
"It's a big challenge, but I wouldn't have it any other way in my final game," Eipper said. "The coaches have put together a great game plan, and I 100% trust it, and we just have to execute. If we do that, we should be just fine."
