Hawaii Bowl
SAN DIEGO STATE (10-3) VS. CINCINNATI (7-5)
SITE Aloha Stadium, Honolulu TIME (TV) 7 p.m. Central (ESPN) LINE San Diego State by 3 SERIES Cincinnati leads 1-0 WHAT’S AT STAKE San Diego State has won its past nine games since a 1-3 start and is playing in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season. It has not lost since Sept. 26 (at Penn State) and owns the third-longest active winning streak in FBS. Cincinnati is making its seventh consecutive bowl appearance and ninth in 10 years. A victory would give the Bearcats their fourth 11-victory season and first since they went 12-1 in 2009 and lost to Florida in the Sugar Bowl. KEY MATCHUP Cincinnati’s offense vs. San Diego State’s defense. The Bearcats average 559.4 yards per game, which ranks fifth nationally. They average 373.1 yards passing per game, but are without Gunner Kiel. Redshirt freshman Hayden Moore will be making his third start. He will be facing an Aztecs defense that has allowed 17.2 points per game, 10th-best in the country.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
SAN DIEGO STATE RB Donnel Pumphrey is the Mountain West offensive player of the year after leading the Aztecs in both yards rushing and receptions. The 5-9, 180-pound junior averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 119.5 yards per game. CINCINNATI S Zach Edwards, a 6-1, 200-pound junior, has 87 tackles, which is second-best on the team. He has a team-high three interceptions. Edwards received honorable mention in the AAC postseason awards.
FACTS & FIGURES
This is the first appearance for either team in the 14-year history of the Hawaii Bowl. ... Cincinnati is 8-7 in bowl games. San Diego State is 6-7. ... The Bearcats are minus-16 in turnover margin, which ranks 124th nationally. ... The Aztecs have rushed for more than 200 yards in nine consecutive games and eclipsed the 300-yard mark three times this year. ... Cincinnati Coach Tommy Tuberville (Camden) has coached five schools in 22 bowl games in his 20-year career. ... San Diego State Coach Rocky Long has coached in nine bowl games in his 15-year career.