HONOLULU – The West Division of the Mountain West Conference will be decided Saturday when No. 25 San Diego State visits Hawaii, which ended a six-game losing streak against the Aztecs last season. The high-powered Rainbow Warriors are averaging 35.8 points a game but will be tested by a stellar San Diego State defense.
TV: 11 p.m. ET, Spectrum Sports. LINE: Hawaii -3
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Hawaii put itself in position to reach the Mountain West championship game for the first time after Cole McDonald ran for two touchdowns and Cortez Davis returned an interception for a score in last Saturday’s 21-7 victory over UNLV. San Diego State bounced back from an ugly loss to Nevada by playing its most complete game of the season in last Saturday’s 17-7 win over Fresno State. The Aztecs held Fresno State scoreless for the final three quarters and saw quarterback Ryan Agnew set career highs for attempts (47), completions (33) and passing yards (323) while spreading the ball among 11 receivers. Agnew may need a repeat performance to keep pace with Hawaii, which is averaging 212.3 rushing yards in its last four games with 12 rushing touchdowns.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (8-2, 5-2 Mountain West)
Agnew snapped the Aztecs’ streak of 61 consecutive games without a 300-yard passer in the win over Fresno State while freshman Jesse Matthews had eight receptions for 119 yards. “I thought our offense finally showed dividends of being in a spread formation,” head coach Rocky Long told reporters. “We had a whole lot of one-on-one situations with receivers that got open and made good catches.” Senior cornerback Luq Barcoo intercepted two passes to lead the defense, which is allowing 13.7 points per game and ranks among the national leaders in nearly every statistical category.
ABOUT HAWAII (7-4, 4-3)
McDonald has been sharing time at quarterback with freshman Chevan Cordeiro and came off the bench in the second quarter of last week’s win over UNLV, finishing with 211 yards on 20-of-26 passing. Receivers Cedric Byrd and JoJo Ward are on the verge of 1,000-yard receiving seasons, while sophomore Miles Reed leads the team in carries (129), yards (659) and rushing touchdowns (six). Defensive back Ikem Okeke has a team-high three interceptions, but the Rainbow Warriors are 112th in the nation in scoring defense at 33.7 points a game.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Aztecs hold a 21-10-2 advantage in the all-time series, but Hawaii won 31-30 in overtime last season in San Diego.
2. Hawaii owns the longest streak in the country at 141 games without allowing a punt block.
3. San Diego State has not allowed more than 23 points in a game all season.
PREDICTION: San Diego State 28, Hawaii 24