San Diego State seems genuinely excited to play Air Force. That’s a new one. Teams generally view this matchup on the schedule – particularly those at Falcon Stadium – with all the excitement of helping a friend move. Between defending a unique scheme, dealing with altitude and the general physical nature of these games (complete with dealing with cut blocks), it’s a matchup that San Jose State coach Brent Brennan said “nobody wants to play.” He for doesn’t speak coach Brady AzHoke’s tecs. “I like playing Air Force, Navy and Army, personally, because it exposes your fundamentals and your discipline with

what you want to do,” said Hoke, whose squad will visit Air Force at 6 p.m. Saturday.

There are probably a lot of underlying reasons behind San Diego State’s warm welcome to this game. The program has won nine of the last 10 in the series, that always helps. Its past three games, all losses, have been against the high-powered offenses of UCLA (ranked No. 28 in total offense), No. 19 Oregon State (26th) and Boise State (65th), all of which feature diverse attacks that collectively gain 54% of their yards through the air and 46% on the ground.

Air Force gains 86% of its yardage through its running game. And though that approach is far more complex than it might sound, it’s the kind of scheme that a struggling team like San Diego State can try to approach first and foremost with toughness.

“(The goal is) constricting those guys getting to the second level,” said Hoke, whose long career has included stints as head coach at Michigan and Tennessee (on an interim basis) and as a defensive assistant in the NFL.

“To a layman, it means we’re going to flatten them down at the line of scrimmage if we can.”

Given this task versus a more traditional approach, where defenders have to think and react more than just dial it up and go, San Diego State will take this one.

“Most definitely and because you know you’re going to have to buckle up that chin strap,” said safety Cedarious Barfield, who ranks third on the Aztecs with 20 tackles. “I feel like it’s a very similar mindset to (former San Diego State) coach (Rocky) Long or coach Hoke, just playing hard and playing longer than the other team. It’s always a little fun to play them because you know it’s going to be a very physical game.”

Generally, this has been the style of football San Diego State was built to play. The last time they came to Falcon Stadium, in 2021, the matchup pitted the Aztecs’ national-leading rushing defense vs. Air Force’s top-ranked running attack.

San Diego State won that slugfest 20-14 in an environment that has stuck with Barfield.

“You kind of have to get used to the elevation quick,” he said. “I remember warmups, I was doing a few backpedals and I was like, ‘I’m already feeling it.’

“I remember the cadets being real close to the field and the energy of the crowd. It was electric over there.”

Air Force is expecting a large crowd on Saturday, with more than 25,000 tickets out as of late Thursday afternoon.

Hoke’s history with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun dates back to time Calhoun spent with Hoke’s brother, Jon, on the coaching staff of the Houston Texans’ in 2006.

As for his history with the triple-option, Hoke was on the defensive staff at Oregon State in 1991 when the Beavers hired Jerry Pettibone as head coach.

Pettibone brought a triple-option offense that he had run at Northern Illinois. In spring ball that year, the defensive coaches tried to combat the scheme through aggression.

“We blitzed the living crap out of it because that was one way we thought we could slow them down,” Hoke said. “That went OK.”

Air Force (4-0, 2-0 Mountain West) is riding a nine-game winning streak that included a 13-3 victory at San Diego State late last season, a game in which they outgained the Aztecs 285-187 and held the hosts to minus-1 rushing yard and an 0-for-10 showing on third down.

Since that game San Diego State (2-3, 0-1) has lost 5 of 6 games against FBS opposition, the lone victory coming in a 20-13 victory over Ohio at Snapdragon Stadium in the season-opener on Aug. 26.

It’s an Aztecs team in need of a win and hoping it can turn that desperation into physicality in a game where that can work to their advantage.

“They play hard, they play physical,” San Diego State tight end Mark Redman said. “They definitely show up. … It’s fun to play a team like that.”