Sept. 14, 2014
SAN DIEGO -
Pair of 2013 Bowl Champion Programs Meet Saturday in Corvallis
* San Diego State, champions of the 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, plays its second consecutive road game against a Power 5 Conference school when it takes on Oregon State, winners of the 2013 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, on Saturday night on FOX Sports 1. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT in Corvallis, Ore.
* San Diego State is coming off a narrow 31-27 loss at No. 21/23 North Carolina, a game in which the Aztecs trailed for only 9:15. SDSU has won its last three games immediately following a loss and is 8-4 under Rocky Long in a game following a defeat (includes same season losses only).
* San Diego State and Oregon State are meeting for the fifth time with the series tied at two wins apiece. The Aztecs are visiting Corvallis for the first time since 2000 (a 35-3 defeat).
* Last season (Sept. 21), the Beavers rallied from nine points down in the fourth quarter en route to a 34-30 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.
* Since Sept. 28, 2013, San Diego State owns a 9-3 record, tied for the 18th-best record in the nation during that span (Oregon State is 6-5 during that range, 62nd nationally).
* The Aztecs are 5-2 in their last seven road or neutral games dating back to last season. Included in that stretch are victories in three different time zones (Mountain, Pacific and Hawaii).
* SDSU has advanced to a school-record four consecutive bowl games and is one of only 29 schools nationally to advance to bowl games following the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 campaigns. From the state of California, only San Diego State and Stanford have played in four consecutive bowl games.
* Rocky Long, the all-time Mountain West leader in coaching victories, enters his fourth season as head coach of the Aztecs and his sixth season in the program. The two-time conference coach of the year posted 25 wins in his first three seasons on the Mesa, matching Claude Gilbert for the most coaching wins through the first three years at SDSU.
* Sophomore running back Donnel Pumphrey has rushed for 100 or more yards in each of the first two games this season (111 yards vs. Northern Arizona, 100 yards at North Carolina). The sophomore now has five career 100-yard rushing games and needs just 37 yards to become the 35th player in school history with 1,000 career rushing yards. Among the national leaders, Pumphrey ranks tied for 10th in points per game (12.0), tied for 13th in rushing touchdowns (4) and 28th in rushing yards per game (105.5).
* Quarterback Quinn Kaehler, who was one of two walk-on starters in the nation at the position last season, owns a 9-4 record as a starter. He is scheduled to make his 14th career start on Saturday and has 14 consecutive 200-yard passing games, which is the longest streak by an Aztec player in at least the last 18 seasons and the third-longest active streak nationally, trailing only Rakeem Cato (Marshall, 31) and Saturday's opposing starter, Sean Mannion (Oregon State, 15).
* Through two games, San Diego State has had 11 players make their first career start and 25 players see their first Division I game action. SDSU currently has two projected starters that are out due to injury - junior linebacker Jake Fely and senior wide receiver Ezell Ruffin (captain).