ARMED FORCES BOWL

SAN DIEGO ST. (10-2) VS. ARMY (9-3)

3:30, ESPN San Diego State by 6 1⁄2 San Diego State leads, 2-0 For all the attention on the offenses, both teams have respectable defenses: San Diego State is 11th in the FBS in total defense and Army ranks 35th.

LINE: SERIES: NO-SLOUCH DEFENSES: BOWL PRIDE:

San Diego State’s 6-0 start included wins over Stanford and Arizona State. Then the Aztecs lost at home to Boise State and Fresno State, realistically ending their chances of winning a third consecutive Mountain West championship, and have since won four straight. SDSU is playing in its eighth consecutive bowl, the last seven under Long. The program appeared in eight total bowls prior to this streak. Army ties a school record with a second straight bowl appearance, equaling the 1984-85 teams that were the first in West Point history to accept invitations.

LINEMAN HURT:

guard

Antonio

Aztecs senior right Rosales injured his left ankle early this season and hasn’t played since mid-October. Long said he plans to start Rosales in his final college game and see how long he can play in trying to open holes for Rashaad Penny.

ARMY’S FIELD GENERAL:

Ahmad Bradshaw needs just 22 yards to have the best rushing season at a service academy. Navy’s Napoleon McCallum ran for 1,587 yards in 1983.

STREAKS:

San Diego State is seeking 11 wins for the third consecutive season. The only other FBS schools to achieve that during the 2015-17 seasons are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma . ... Army coach Jeff Monken, in his fourth season at West Point, has led the Black Knights to three straight winning seasons for the first time since 1988-90. A victory would equal the West Point record for wins in a season, owned by the 1996 team that went 10-2. “It’s a challenge for us, playing a great team like San Diego State, but exciting to have that opportunity,” Monken said. “It’s something that we’re certainly conscious of.”