USU looks to snap streak against SDSU

Early Sunday morning, the crowd at Maverik Stadium witnessed a handful of streaks end — but one remains.

Utah State has lost nine straight games to San Diego State, its longest active streak against any opponent in school history. Overall, USU is 1-11 all-time against the the California-based squad, including an 0-3 home record.

“San Diego State is a big-time opponent. They’ve got a good season going right now. It’s a good program and they’ve got a lot of momentum,” said USU head coach Matt Wells.

The most recent loss came when the Aggies traveled to Qualcomm Stadium where the Aztecs simply bulldozed the USU defense. Star running back Donnel Pumphrey rushed 23 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns, leading San Diego State to the 48-14 rout.

“The biggest thing that comes to mind is they ran it down our throat,” Wells said Monday. “We couldn’t stop the run and we couldn’t run the ball on offense, which is a bad combination.”

This time around, the Aztecs will look to follow the same recipe to success. San Diego State ranks 14th nationally with a rushing offense led by Pumphrey, who has 1,246 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns and averages 6.5 yards per run.

The senior running back is on track for 6,400 career rushing yards, enough to put himself ahead of collegiate legends Ron Dayne, Tony Dorsett, Ricky Williams and Charles White, making him the most prolific rusher in NCAA history.

“I just talked to four scouts here … and asked them, ‘What do you think of San Diego State?’ All they say is, ‘Number 19,’” Wells said of Pumphrey. “Scouts know about him and he is going to be a draft pick. My first-team all-Mountain West ballot for running back is filled out and it’s him. He’s a really good player.”

Lining up across from Pumphrey is the 54th ranked rushing defense that has limited opponents to 151.6 yards per contest. Against Fresno State, Utah State limited the Bulldogs to 114 yards on 39 runs.

In total, the Aggie defenders rank third in the Mountain West for total defense, surrendering 359.6 yards per game. USU also ranks third in the MW in scoring defense (24.3 ppg) and fourth in the conference and in passing defense (208.0 ypg).

Though senior Aggie running back Devante Mays officially returned against the Bulldogs, he only did so for one play, effectively making the Fresno game a pseudo-bye week. Against San Diego, the senior may be back in full form against the Aztecs.

But if he again only plays a minimal role, Kent Myers will shoulder the load. In Mays’ absence, Myers has accounted for 1,362 yards of the Aggie offense, while notching 10 touchdowns. In contrast, the running game only totals 540 yards and five touchdowns.

With tough matchups against Wyoming and BYU ahead, the Aggies need to string together a couple wins in the final five games of the season — Utah State needs three more wins to stay bowl eligible.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.