Unbeaten Aztecs Inch Up in Top 25 Poll
SDSU rose one notch in the weekly rankings after a win over Air Force.
The new college football ranking is up one spot from the Aztecs’ position in last week’s AP poll. In the new AFCA Coaches Poll, SDSU checked in at No. 20, moving up one notch from the previous week.
With the 20-14 victory at Air Force, SDSU is off to its first 7-0 start since 1975.
A change in the Aztecs’ defensive scheme helped slow down Air Force's run-heavy offense.
Matt Araiza kicked two field goals, Kaegun Williams and Chance Bell ran for touchdowns, with SDSU leading 20-0 early in the third quarter Saturday night.
The Aztecs kept Air Force's top-ranked running attack in check by frequently using a fourth linebacker instead of a defensive back.
"Everybody knows what they do," Aztecs linebacker Michael Shawfroft said. "They run the ball really well. They're a really tough team to play. It was just something that we game-planned really well this week. Our coaches made it simple for us and just let us play our game. It was just see ball, get ball."
"Instead of having another DB in there, we really felt our linebackers — and that's a really good group, they're well-coached — it put some bigger bodies out there on the field that are really athletic also," SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said.
Entering the game as underdogs or only slight favorites in most forecasts, the Aztecs led 13-0 at halftime, with Williams' 1-yard TD run between Araiza's field goals of 22 and 51 yards following Air Force turnovers.
SDSU hosts Fresno State (6-2, 3-1 MW) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, to be televised on CBS Sports Network.
