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LOGAN — In case you didn't know, exactly two weeks from today (Thursday), you'll be waking up on game day. The Utah State and Utah game is a mere 14 days away, and in that spirit, our weekly college football preview is on our three favorite games of the 2013 season.
I'm excluding Utah and BYU from my list because they are by far the games I'm most excited for and I would assume most of Aggie nation is as well. Also, I did a piece last week talking about both rivalry games, so here are my favorite games of 2013 that don't rhyme with shmootmah or dee-by-woo.
USC
Why do I love this game so much, besides the obvious fact that it's USC? I love it because it's a great indicator of where Utah State is as a program, as well as where they are in the season.
Their recent history with BCS caliber teams, on the road, has been painful and positive all at the same time. In 2009, they fell eight points short of beating Texas A&M in College Station; 2010, they gave Oklahoma the scare of their life, coming within seven points of beating the Sooners; 2011, quite possibly the most devastating loss of the Gary Andersen era, Auburn rallying to beat the Aggies 42-38; and in 2012, a 37-yard field goal could have won the game for Utah State, but it sailed wide right and left the Aggies heart-broken.
Could this be the year they finally knock off a high profile team on the road?
Based on the downward trend of point differential in losses over the past four seasons, they'll either get the win or lose by one. Let's hope for the former.
Also, I'm excited to see the matchup of Nevin Lawson and Marqise Lee. I don't have to tell you about how great Lee is; he's considered the best receiver in the country and it's not really a debate. I happen to think highly of Lawson's skill set — he is going to be tested early and often this season. While it's unrealistic to think Lawson will shut Lee down, Lawson's physicality will bother Lee.
San Jose State
Speaking of great wide receivers, six days later the Aggies will see Noel Grigsby. In 2012, the Aggies got the best of the Spartans, but Grigsby got the best of the secondary, with 11 catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns.
Meh.
I think it's safe to say the defense will be reminded of that stat leading up to game day.
Utah State 2013 Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Aug. 29 | @Utah |
| Sept. 7 | @Air Force |
| Sept. 14 | Weber State |
| Sept. 21 | <b>@USC</b> |
| Sept. 27 | <b>@San Jose State</b> |
| Oct. 4 | BYU |
| Oct. 12 | <b>Boise State</b> |
| Oct. 19 | @New Mexico |
| Nov. 2 | Hawaii |
| Nov. 9 | @UNLV |
| Nov. 23 | Colorado State |
| Nov. 30 | Wyoming |
Another stat they may be reminded of is David Fales 467 yards and three touchdowns in that same game. Fales is widely considered as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and might be looking for a little payback after the Aggies sacked him a record 13 times in 2012.
Or he'll have panic inducing flashbacks before every throw.
Boise State
This is the game I'm most excited for.
Why?
Because finally, FINALLY, Utah State has a team that can challenge Boise State and quite possibly beat the Broncos for the first time since 1997. How long ago was that? "MMMBop," was widely considered a great song in 1997.
Who am I kidding, it still is!
I've mentioned before how one-sided this matchup has been over the past decade, with Boise State beating Utah State by an average of 35.6 points per game. My gut feeling is that the game will be a little closer than that in Logan this season.
Plus, this game could very well determine who will represent the Mountain Division in the MWC Championship game. Considering how much easier the second half of Utah State's schedule is, provided they beat San Jose State, a win over Boise pretty much guarantees them a spot in that game.
If you have any doubts about how big the Boise game is (I really don't know why you would), I had a chance to ask the Utah State players what game they were looking forward to; nearly 100 percent of them said Boise State.
