SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State football team has accepted an invitation to play Middle Tennessee in the 2022 EasyPost Hawai`i Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 24 at 3 p.m. HST (5 p.m. PST). The game will be played at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex and will be broadcast nationally by ESPN.

The Aztecs (7-5) are in a bowl game for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons after withdrawing from consideration in the shortened 2020 COVID season.

“I’m excited that we get a chance to play one more time for our seniors,” San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke said. “I’m proud of the way our team has fought through adversity this year and to make another bowl game is a testament to their dedication and hard work. We’re looking forward to a playing a tough Middle Tennessee State team and to spend a week in Hawaii.”

“On behalf of the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl Executive Committee, I congratulate both San Diego State and Middle Tennessee on successful seasons and we look forward to welcoming the players, coaches and fans of both universities to the Aloha State,” executive director Daryl Garvin said. “Both teams had strong finishes to their respective seasons and we anticipate a highly competitive match-up in addition to the one-of-a-kind atmosphere that fans have come to expect at the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl.”

SDSU and the Blue Raiders (7-5) have never met. San Diego State is 25-5 all-time against current Conference USA members, including a 38-24 win against 2021 C-USA champion UTSA in last year’s Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas.

The Aztecs are playing in their 20th bowl game all-time and 16th in its Division I era.

SDSU is playing in the Hawai’i Bowl for the second time after beating Cincinnati, 42-7, in the 2015 bowl.

BOWL NOTES

https://goaztecs.com/documents/2022/12/15/San_Diego_State_Notes_vs.Middle_Tennessee_State__Hawai__Bowl.pdf

San Diego State Set for Middle Tennessee State at EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl

• San Diego State is set to compete in its 12th bowl game in 13 seasons (since 2010) when it takes on Middle Tennessee State in the EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 24.
• The Aztecs (7-5) are playing in their 20th bowl game all-time and 16th in its Division I era (since 1969).
• SDSU is 10-9 all-time in bowl games and 7-8 in bowl games in its DI era.
• San Diego State is playing in its 12th bowl game since 2010. Only seven schools have played in all 13 over that stretch – Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin.
• The Aztecs are looking to win their third consecutive bowl game for the first time in their DI era and first time overall since winning four straight from 1951-1969 (1951, 1966, 1967 and 1969).
• The modest two-game bowl winning streak for SDSU includes a 48-11 win over Central Michigan in the 2019 New Mexico Bowl and a 38-24 victory over No. 24/25 UTSA in the 2021 Frisco Bowl. San Diego State withdrew from bowl consideration in the shortened 2020 COVID season with a 4-4 record.
• The Aztecs are playing in the Hawai’i Bowl for the second time after beating Cincinnati, 42-7, in the 2015 bowl.
• SDSU and Blue Raiders (7-5) have never met. San Diego State is 25-5 all-time against current Conference USA members, including a 38-24 win against 2021 C-USA champion UTSA in last year’s Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
• The Aztecs are playing their 29th game out of the last 36 away from San Diego County. Prior to this season, SDSU had played its previous 23 games (two-plus seasons) out of San Diego County, including 12 “home” contests at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, some two hours away from the San Diego State campus. This year was the first season of Snapdragon Stadium near the old SDCCU/Qualcomm/Jack Murphy/San Diego Stadium location in Mission Valley.
• The Aztecs rallied from a 2-3 start by winning five of their final seven games (5-2) to clinch a 13th consecutive .500 or better season. That is tied for the sixth-longest streak nationally and is the longest streak among Pacific Time Zone teams. In 12 of those 13 seasons, SDSU has posted a winning record.
• Only nine schools have more wins than San Diego State’s 19 over the last two seasons (since 2021), including Georgia (27), Michigan (25), Alabama (23), UTSA (23), Cincinnati (22), Ohio State (22), Clemson (21), Utah (20) and Coastal Carolina (20).
• San Diego State continues to play its best football, posting a 5-2 record since head coach Brady Hoke made coaching changes in the beginning of October (moving associate head coach/running backs coach Jeff Horton to offensive coordinator and adding Ryan Lindley to the staff as the quarterbacks coach) and Jalen Mayden became the team’s quarterback. The Aztec defense has also been stellar since it’s bye week (idle week) on Oct. 15. See improvements on page 3 of notes.
• DE Jonah Tavai, P Jack Browning and KR Jordan Byrd have each recently earned All-America accolades for their 2022 play. Tavai was named a first-team selection by Pro Football Focus and Bleacher Report, a second-team pick by Associated Press and USA Today, and an honorable-mention selection by College Football Network. Browning, meanwhile, is a second-team honoree at punter by Pro Football Focus and an honorable mention punter by College Football Network, while Byrd was an honorable mention kick returner by Phil Steele Magazine.
• Browning was also named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. An Aztec has now won the award five times (all over the last eight years), the most in the 24-year history of MW.
• For a fourth straight year, SDSU had the most first-team all-MW selections with seven. San Diego State also had the most combined first and second teamers (11) and the most all-conference selections overall (16). The 16 all-league selections for the Aztecs tied a program best (also 2001).
• Making the first team were C Alama Uluave, Byrd at both kick and punt returner, Tavai, LB Caden McDonald, S Patrick McMorris and Browning at punter.
• On the second team for SDSU were WR Tyrell Shavers, TE Mark Redman, OL Cade Bennett and LB Michael Shawcroft.
• San Diego State also had five honorable mentions, including QB Jalen Mayden, WR Jesse Matthews, DL Keshawn Banks, CB Dez Malone and CB Dallas Branch.

COURTESY SAN DIEGO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS