Copyright San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego State football team landed in Honolulu on Friday afternoon, but SDSU players didn’t plan on spending any time at Waikiki Beach in the leadup to Saturday night’s Mountain West game against Hawaii. “I don’t really like swimming,” SDSU linebacker Owen Chambliss said. “There’s a lot of sharks in the ocean,” SDSU right tackle Joe Borjon said. “I’m good.” SDSU coach Sean Lewis said this is a business trip, just like the team’s other five road games this season. “It’s our job to make them aware of potential distractions,” said Lewis, whose team is riding a six-game winning streak. “One of the things we want to do a great job of is block out the noise and control the things we can control. We’re going to be in the heart of it with where every team stays. “You’ve got to lean on the mental prep that we’ve done. Obviously, the guys being acutely aware of the opportunity that we have and all that they have created.” The Aztecs (7-1, 4-0 MW) are 6 1/2-point favorites over Hawaii (6-3, 3-2 MW) in a game that kicks off at 8 p.m. PT (ABC 10/Mountain West Network) at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. Here are five things to watch: 1. Getting after Hawaii QB Hawaii has one of the most productive offenses in the Mountain West, spearheaded by 5-foot-10 redshirt freshman Micah Alejado. The left-hander has completed 199 of 302 passes (66 percent) for 2,124 yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions. Alejado also has the ability to run for first-down yardage when necessary, which presents an additional challenge for a defense. “He does a really good job extending plays,” Lewis said. “He does a really good job, if you give him some pretty static looks, of knowing where he wants to go with the ball and getting it out of his hands quickly. “He can extend off script and he does an elite job of keeping his eyes downfield. And pressure doesn’t faze him at all. … He’s used to seeing people in his face and being comfortable in uncomfortable situations and still dropping dimes all over the yard.” SDSU has had success against such quarterbacks, notably getting after Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who was off to a strong start before being disrupted by the Aztecs. It will be crucial to get pressure on Alejado, preventing him from having the time to target guys like wide receivers Pofele Ashlock (55 catches, 598 yards, 6 TD) and Jackson Harris (35-601, 7 TD) and running back Landon Sims (30-231, 2 TD). 2. Questionables The SDSU Availability Report released Wednesday night listed four starters as questionable — quarterback Jayden Denegal, offensive lineman Kalan Ellis, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Eric Butler. This is the second straight week that Denegal has been listed as questionable. It did not preclude him from playing against Wyoming, where he completed 11 of 22 passes for 194 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Denegal has landed hard on both shoulders — the left against Stony Brook and the right against Fresno State — while being tackled on run plays. He likely is still hindered by those incidents, but not enough to replace him in the lineup. Ellis left the Wyoming game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. He walked off under his own power and has been a practice participant this week, so there’s every expectation he will still start at left guard. Johnson and Butler also practiced this week despite undisclosed injuries and can be expected to play. Depth in the secondary provides cover should they need to come out of the game. A final Availability Report will be released three hours before kickoff. 3. SDSU run game Given Denegal’s potential limitations from lingering injuries, expect SDSU make every effort to establish its run game early against Hawaii. SDSU is averaging 185.3 yards a game rushing, which ranks third in the Mountain West and 37th in the nation. Junior Lucky Sutton (154 carries, 820 yards, 8 TDs) leads the conference in rushing after gaining a career-high 158 yards last week against the Cowboys. Backups Byron Cardwell Jr. (40-233, TD) and Christian Washington (55-226, 2 TD) provide depth at the position, giving the Aztecs an opportunity to control the football and keep Hawaii’s offense of the field. 4. Red zone Hawaii ranks among the top teams in the nation in the red zone, scoring on 32 of 33 possessions (14 touchdown pass, 5 touchdown runs, 13 field goals) inside the 20-yard line. That’s a 97 percent success rate. Only four teams in the nation — Eastern Michigan (100 percent), Oklahoma (100), Memphis (97.4) and Alabama (97.1) have been better. It helps that Hawaii kicker Kansei — The Tokyo Toe — Matsuzawa is 21-for-21 on field goals this season with a long of 52 yards. SDSU was among the national leaders in red zone percentage a few weeks ago, but the Aztecs have slipped to a tie for 40th with an 88.9 success rate. They have scored on 24 of 27 trips to the red zone, with 13 rushing touchdowns, three passing touchdowns and eight field goals. “We’ve got to do a really good job in the red zone,” Lewis said. “The past couple of weeks, we’ve had way too many opportunities that were empty possessions in the red zone, where we’ve left points on the board.” 5. What a win means A victory would put SDSU one step closer to playing for the Mountain West championship while all but eliminating Hawaii from the title chase. The conference’s regular season winner will host the Dec. 5 game. The Aztecs are the only undefeated team remaining in the conference. If they beat Hawaii, it will set up a first-place showdown next week with idle Boise State, which is 4-1 in the MW. Five other teams — Fresno State (3-2), Hawaii (3-2), New Mexico (3-2), Utah State (2-2) and UNLV (2-2) — have two losses. Some of those teams are guaranteed to have at least three losses because of head-to-head meetings coming over the season’s final month. After playing Hawaii and Boise State, SDSU concludes the regular season with a home game against San Jose State and a road game against New Mexico.
