The San Diego State University Aztecs accepted an invitation to play the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen in the sixth annual San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, 2010 President Eric Graves announced today. The football game will be played Thursday, December 23rd at 5 p.m. (PST) at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.

“This is a great day for college football in San Diego,” said Graves. “To have the hometown Aztecs in our homegrown bowl game is something very special. And for the Navy Midshipmen to be the opponent is icing on the cake. This most certainly will be a bowl game to remember for many years to come.”

San Diego State finished the regular season 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference to tie for third place, matching its highest finish in league history.

“We are excited to be playing a bowl game here in San Diego in front of our great students, fans and community,” Head Coach Brady Hoke said. “We enjoy playing in Aztec Warrior Stadium, and playing in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl will give us another opportunity to do that. It is great to play a 13th game and our senior class, with their leadership, put us in this position. We are playing a great opponent in Navy. They are a well-coached, disciplined team and play a very physical style of football.”

This year’s game will mark the Aztecs’ first postseason bowl appearance since the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl, and the ninth in school history.

San Diego State’s high-powered offensive attack is led by junior quarterback and El Capitan High grad Ryan Lindley, who ranks sixth nationally with 3,554 passing yards to go with 26 touchdowns. The Aztecs feature a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in seniors Vincent Brown (61 catches, 1,187 yards) and Chula Vista native DeMarco Sampson (65 catches, 1,175 yards) along with the MWC Freshman of the Year, running back Ronnie Hillman, who set a league record with 1,304 yards on the ground, including five outings with 150 yards or more.

On the defensive side of the football, junior linebacker Miles Burris is the Mountain West Conference leader in sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (19.0). He has posted a team-high 74 tackles (49 solo) and forced four fumbles. His efforts earned him a spot on the all-MWC first team along with cornerback Leon McFadden, who leads the league in passes defended with 14.

The 2009 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl featured a 37-27 Utah Utes victory over the California Golden Bears.

Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling TicketMaster at 1-800-745-3000, or by visiting www.poinsettiabowl.com.