Idaho State's second game of the season, a road test against San Diego State this weekend, is coming up. To avoid starting the season with two straight losses, the Bengals will need to clean up mistakes, shore up their defense — and know the Aztecs and their gameplan.

That's where San Diego Union Tribune sports reporter Kirk Kenney comes in. We chatted with Kenney to know a little more about SDSU, to know what ISU will see at Snap dragon Stadium. Here are game details, then our conversation with Kenney.

What:Idaho State at San Diego State

Time:5 p.m. PT (6 p.m. MDT)

Place:Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.

TV:Mountain West Network, with Jon Schaeffer (play-by-play), J.R. Tolver (analysis) and Jason Bott (producer)

Idaho State Journal: First, give us a general scouting report on San Diego State.

Kirk Kenney:Their (game plan) for years has been to run the ball. That's been their reputation for more than a decade now. I thought they were gonna get more to a balanced attack. But they came out again on Saturday and they ran 40 times, but only passed 16. Even when they were down, they were still running the ball. So I would think we would see more of that on Saturday. If they can run the ball and run the clock and control it, keep it away from Idaho State, I'm sure that's what they'd like to do.

They do bring in a new transfer quarterback from Virginia Tech, Braxton Burmeister. He's a guy that I think is better is an upgrade from what they've had quarterback-wise. They didn't show much of what he can do on Saturday. He got a little bit dinged up and did not play the last quarter and a half, but I saw him at practice (on Monday). He hurt his right shoulder a little bit, but he was able to throw (on Monday) so it looks like he'll be OK.

ISJ: How much of them running 42 times and passing 16 times against Arizona was them following their game plan, and how much was it responding to the Wildcats' defense?

Kenney:I mean, in the spring and then earlier in practice, they were talking about being more balanced, and then they come out and keep running. So it was kinda puzzling in a way to me because at the very least, I thought they would do a lot of quick-outs, test the middle a few times, but they didn't really do that. So it was really puzzling. Their offensive line is young and it was a bit porous on Saturday, so I would have thought even more that they'd throw some quick passes to get the ball out before the rush came, but they just weren't able to do that. Obviously it's gonna be different facing Idaho State's defensive line than it was Arizona's. They might be able to control the line of scrimmage a little bit better.

ISJ: How did SDSU's defense look against Arizona?

Kenney: It was actually kinda surprising - their defense has been tremendous for several years, but the biggest thing was they were having a tough time tackling. Head coach Brady Hoke even mentioned it: He can't remember the last time he saw such poor tackling. So I think that'll be a focus this week, re-emphasizing that. They hadn't given up so many points in a long time…. Before that, their defense has been one of the best in the nation.

ISJ: Wait, so what changed?

Kenney:It's interesting. They had nine guys return on defense, nine starters. And then they added a couple transfers. But on the defensive line, one of their key guys, Jonah Tavai, his brother, Justus, transferred from Hawaii and he's starting alongside his brother on the defensive line. One of their key linebackers is a guy named Caden McDonald, his brother, Cooper, just transferred from Washington and they're starting alongside each other. So you would have thought with all they had coming back, they would look pretty good. They looked pretty flat.

ISJ: Realistically, does Idaho State have a chance to pull an upset? Or does this figure to be another blowout?

Kenney: It sets up for the Aztecs to dominate them. But I've seen a few times before, where games like this are pretty dicey at times. I mean, they had one big upset, probably going on 8, 10 years ago now (in 2013), and it turns out that was because the quarterback of the team was named Jimmy Garoppolo. But it was an FCS team, and they weren't expecting it to be much of a challenge. I just think coming off a pretty uneven performance, there's a little uncertainty going in.

ISJ: Tell us a little about SDSU's new stadium.

Kenney:So that was kinda crazy. They had a soft opening on August 20, where they hosted a scrimmage, and that went very well. About maybe 10,000 people showed up for that. They've been fired up for that last Saturday for two years, waiting for it. And then another strange thing happened - so they get a 12:30 kickoff. It's on CBS national broadcast. We had a heatwave come through San Diego this past week, and it was 100 degrees at the game. The hottest game ever for San Diego State football, in recorded history, and if you know San Diego at all, it's sunny and 72, right?

The fans were just frying. There were a lot of issues with the heat and all that, especially since the city doesn't really have any shade in the stands. So the stands looked half-empty for most of the time because people are just looking for shade underneath and everywhere and anywhere, and then on top of it, the team falls behind by like two, three touchdowns.

So I think they're maybe looking more forward to this week now, because it's a 5 o'clock start, an opponent that won't present as many challenges. The fan base is probably hoping for a little more success this week.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.