Only two teams in the Mountain West have beaten San Diego State each of the past two seasons — Hawaii and Nevada.
The next two games on the Aztecs’ schedule — Hawaii and Nevada.
The Hawaii-SDSU game, which is Saturday at Carson’s Dignity Health Sports Park in Southern California, is the only one this week matching teams from the upper half of the conference standings. Hawaii (2-1) and SDSU (2-1) have matching records as they approach the midpoint of the season.
The winner stays in position to compete for the Mountain West championship. San Diego State was doomed by turnovers last Friday in a 28-17 loss against San Jose State.
Saturday’s loser not only becomes a long shot for the title game, but also risks missing out on one of the four bowl berths — L.A. Bowl, Arizona Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — available to Mountain West teams.
Hawaii qualified for the Mountain West title game with a 14-11 win over SDSU last year in Honolulu. It was the second straight painful loss for the Aztecs, who suffered a 31-30 home loss against UH in overtime in 2018.
It was UH coach Todd Graham who suffered a painful loss the last time he was on the opposite side of a football field with San Diego State. He was head coach at Arizona State then, watching in 2017 as a Rashaad Penny-led team Aztecs team pinned a 30-20 home loss on the Sun Devils
Graham was already in hot water after finishing the 2016 season with six straight losses. He was fired after going 7-6 in 2017.
It’s typical of how quickly fortunes can change for a head coach. Graham was hired at Arizona State after a decade-long rise that included stops at Rice, Tulsa and Pitt.
In 2012, he guided the Sun Devils to their first winning record and bowl appearance in six seasons. A pair of 10-win seasons followed before things began trending the other way.
Graham spent the past two seasons out of football before Hawaii hired him in January.
Hawaii quarterback Chevan Cordeiro’s talents have been obvious this season. It’s also obvious he still is striving for consistency.
He helped Hawaii to 323 yards rushing against Fresno State, gaining a team-high 116 yards while running for two touchdowns. He also passed for 229 yards in the game.
A week later, Cordeiro passed for 110 yards — the team’s lowest total in five years — threw an interception and was sacked five times.
He turned the page last week and threw for a career-high 410 yards and four touchdowns against New Mexico. Notably, his TD passes went for 42, 42, 40 and 64 yards.
Running back Miles Reed (33 carries, 190 yards) leads the running game, although running back Calvin Turner (15 carries, 99 yards, 2 TDs/6 catches, 111 yards, TD) is a threat running or receiving.
Cordeiro’s favorite targets are wide receivers Jared Smart (17 catches, 161 yards) and Rico Bossey (13 catches, 115 yards). But wide receiver Zion Bowens may be the player to watch most on offense. His three catches have gone for 47, 42 and 40 yards, the last two of them for TDs.
While Hawaii has won two of three games, its defense (27.7 points per game) has actually allowed more points than the offense (26.7 ppg) has produced.
Especially concerning is that each week the D has allowed more points than the week before — 19, 31 and 33 — and is allowing slightly more yards in total offense (433.7 to 429.3) than opponents.
Graham is intent on getting pressure up front, and the Rainbows have produced 10 sacks in three games.
They’ve also come away with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, making them even in the takeaway category.
Linebacker Darius Muasau leads the team with 37 tackles, although defensive back Quentin Frazier, a senior from Mater Dei High, has been the most disruptive presence.
Frazier has an interception, forced fumble and two fumble recoveries while making 22 tackles.
Defensive backs Khoury Bethley and Donovan Dalton lead the team with three pass breakups apiece.
Kenney writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune