No. 19 SDSU looks to go 5-0 for first time since 1975
Northern Illinois (2-1) at No. 19 San Diego State (4-0), Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network).
Line: San Diego State by 12 ˆ½.
Series record: San Diego State leads 5-0.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
San Diego State looks to open 5-0 for the first time since 1975, when it won its first eight games en route to an 8-3 record under Claude Gilbert. To do so, it must win against a Huskies team that comes in rested after a bye week following its stunning 21-17 win at Nebraska on Sept. 16. The Aztecs also hope there won't be any delays. There was an 88-minute delay at Air Force last week due to lightning, and a delay of about 25 minutes the previous Saturday at home against Stanford when most of the stadium lights went out due to a timer being set on automatic rather than manual.
KEY MATCHUP
SDSU RB Rashaad Penny vs. Huskies tough run defense. Penny has dipped to second in nation at 179 yards per game, behind Stanford's Bryce Love (196.8). Penny's 716 yards are 34 fewer than D.J. Pumphrey's 750 through four games last year, when he ran for school-record 2,133 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Northern Illinois: CB Shawun Lurry had an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter of the upset at Nebraska, tying the school record with his second career pick-six.
San Diego State: QB Christian Chapman threw a career-high three touchdown passes when SDSU won 42-28 at Northern Illinois last year. This season, Chapman has thrown five TD passes vs. one pickoff.
FACTS & FIGURES
This will be the first game since San Diego County Credit Union took over naming rights for stadium that formerly was known as Qualcomm Stadium. ... The Huskies haven't played SDSU in San Diego since 1971, but played in the Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in 2006, 2013 and 2015. ... SDSU will play its first home game as a nationally ranked team since Nov. 11, 1995, at what was then Jack Murphy Stadium. Then ranked No. 25, it lost 34-31 to Wyoming. ... Penny has won the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week Award a record four straight times. ... The Huskies are in a stretch of playing four of five games away from Huskie Stadium.
___
More AP college football coverage: http://collegefootball.ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Top25