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San Diego • When Utah State coach Matt Wells watches video of San Diego State's defense, it's like looking in a mirror.
"We're similar," he said, "in terms of tough guys, in terms of stopping the run first, in terms of getting a lot of hats in the box and in terms of trying to outnumber offenses in the run game.
"We're both very aggressive and very multiple on defense — going from even- to odd-man fronts [and] going from man pressure to zone pressure. There are just a lot of similarities."
The question Friday night, of course, is which defense will be more effective when Utah State and San Diego State collide in the Mountain West Conference showdown at Qualcomm Stadium.
"They are very, very experienced on defense," said Wells.
Referring to Aztec coach Rocky Long, he added, "That's a great quality in a defense because he can pull out a call they used four years ago and they all remember it. That allows coach Long to be a lot more multiple and a lot less predictable and that, in my opinion, makes them a lot more effective."
The Aggies have won three in a row, including last week's 52-26 demolition of Boise State. They lead the Mountain Division.
The Aztecs have also won three straight games, including last Saturday night's 30-7 victory over San Jose, which put them in the West Division driver's seat.
It's entirely possible this regular-season matchup turns out to be a preview of the Mountain West championship game on Dec. 5.
"When you're playing a team like Utah State on a short week, and you look at their score against Boise State, I don't think there's going to be any problem being motivated for the game," Long said.
The Aggies will also be ready to play, according to senior safety Marwin Evans.
"We know San Diego State is another good opponent," he said. "Our coaches give us the 24-hour rule to celebrate wins [like Boise State], so we lived it up for 24 hours and then put it behind us and started to worry about the next opponent."
What does Evans know about the Aztecs?
"They're a really good run team, so the main focus will again be stopping the run," he said. "… We go in there with confidence that we're going to stop the run and make them one-dimensional, which makes the play-calling and the game plan a lot easier, especially on the back end."
Utah State's rushing defense ranks second in the Mountain West and sixth in the country. Aggie opponents average only 90.8 yards per game on the ground, but San Diego State features D.J. Pumphrey, who is surely the best back Utah State has faced since Utah's Devontae Booker rushed for 120 yards against the Aggies on Sept. 11.
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Utah State at San Diego State
P At Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Kickoff • 8:30 p.m. MDT
TV • ESPN2
Radio • 610 AM, 1280 AM, 95.9 FM, 102.1 FM
Records • Utah State 4-2, 3-0; San Diego State 4-3, 3-0
Series • San Diego State, 10-1
Last meeting • San Diego State, 41-7 (2010)
About the Aggies • They are 7-2 in Mountain West road games under coach Matt Wells. … They've won 22 of the last 23 games when they run the ball at least 40 times. … They rushed 43 times for 177 yards against Boise. … They are ranked fourth nationally in turnover margin (plus-10) and sixth in rushing defense (90.8). … NG Davis Moala (knee) is questionable.
About the Aztecs • This is their first game against another undefeated conference team with at least a 3-0 record since 1976. … They have won three straight, including a 30-7 victory at San Jose State last week. … RB D.J. Pumphrey ran for 152 yards against the Spartans. He has rushed for 424 yards during the winning streak. … QB Maxwell Smith hasn't thrown an interception in five straight games.