San Diego State @ Ohio preview

DXL FRISCO BOWL STORYLINES

1. Schools that finished their seasons going in opposite directions square off when San Diego State faces Ohio in the DXL Frisco Bowl at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on Dec. 19. The injury-plagued Aztecs sputtered to the finish line in Mountain West Conference play, losing their final three games and four of their last five including a 31-30 overtime loss to visiting Hawaii in their season finale. Ohio won five of its final six games to finish in a tie for second place in the Mid-American Conference's East Division including back-to-back blowout wins over East champion Buffalo (52-17) and Akron (49-28) to end conference play.

2. The contest should be nicknamed the AARP Bowl. Ohio coach Frank Solich is 74 years old while San Diego State's Rocky Long turns 69 on Jan. 27. "I don't know if it's old-school football, but the two coaches are old," Long joked at the school's bowl press conference. "Since coach (Bill) Snyder (79) retired at Kansas State, I think Solich is the oldest guy coaching Division I football right now. I'm right up there close to him. We're in the top three, so the two of us coaching in the same bowl is probably going to set a record for total age. That's OK since I'm the younger one of the two."

3. In a era where wide open passing attacks dominate college football headlines, this will be an old fashioned battle in the trenches. Ohio ranks eighth nationally in rushing offense with an average of 262.2 yards per game and rolled up 38 rushing touchdowns. The Bobcats will be going up against a San Diego State defense that ranks fourth nationally in rush defense behind only Michigan State, Texas A&M and Clemson allowing an average of 94.5 yards per game and 2.75 yards per attempt and has allowed only 14 rushing TDs.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Ohio -3

ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (7-5, 4-4 MWC): The Aztecs haven't scored more than 31 points in a game this season and hit the 30-point mark twice while ranking 109th nationally in total offense with an average of 354 yards per game. A big reason for that is that starting quarterback Christian Chapman (50-of-87, 774 yards, four touchdowns) missed six games with an MCL injury suffered in the second game of the season in a 28-14 victory over Sacramento State while star running back Juwan Washington (870 yards and 10 TDs on 180 carries) missed four games with a broken clavicle suffered in a 23-20 overtime win over Eastern Michigan. Both are back now with Washington rushing for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries in the season-ending overtime loss to Hawaii while Chapman and has split time with junior Ryan Agnew, who has completed 104-of-199 passes for 1,525 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.

ABOUT OHIO (8-4, 6-2 MAC): Senior running back A.J. Ouellette earned first team all-MAC honors and was named the MAC Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus after rushing for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns including a career-high 196 yards in the win over Buffalo. Senior running back Maleek Irons (831 yards and eight TDs on 126 carries) and junior quarterback Nathan Rourke (816 yards on 125 carries, 13 TDs) also topped the 800-yard rushing mark with Rourke, a second team all-MAC pick, also passing for 2,228 yards and a career-high 22 touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Papi White (58 receptions, 897 yards, nine TDs) also was a first team all-MAC selection while linebacker Evan Croutch (team-high 79 tackles, four sacks) leads the Bobcats' defense and was a second-team choice.



PREDICTION: San Diego State 24, Ohio 20