Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN — Utah State celebrates Senior Night Friday on a cold evening at Romney Stadium against San Jose State in a game broadcast by ESPN 2 at 7:30 p.m.
While the Spartans (3-7, 2-4 MWC) come into the game with a losing record, they also come in with the top-rated pass defense in the Mountain West, and true freshman quarterback Kent Myers would be wise to take them seriously.
Here are a few things the Aggies can do to send out their veterans with a win.
Myers is a true freshman, and leading rusher LaJuan Hunt is also in his first season of college football. The Aggies can help the two youngsters along with some veteran leadership, including juniors JoJo Natson and Hunter Sharp and senior Joe Hill on offense, and seniors Zach Vigil and Brian Suite on defense.
In last week's embarrassing 13-0 loss to Hawaii, the Spartans appeared frantic after falling behind early. While the defense only allowed 13 points to the Warriors, the resulting game was sporadic and inconsistent on both sides of the football. If the Aggies can score on the first few drives of the game, the pressure will shift to San Jose State's quest for a comeback — opening the game to the let the Aggie defense shut down any risk-takers.
Utah State hasn't been the epitome of consistency in the rushing game all year, and the Aggies have looked to a committee of running backs that includes wide receiver Natson and linebacker Nick Vigil, who both rank among the team's top five playmakers on the ground. San Jose State's vaunted pass defense can be completely taken out of the game with a strong ground attack, so look for head coach Matt Wells to call upon his running back committee early and often.
Natson has been electric returning punts for the Aggies, but Utah State also has several playmakers in the game's third phase in punter Jaron Bentrude and kicker Nick Diaz. If Utah State can win one-third of the game Friday and garner a few extra points on special teams, the Spartans' uphill battle becomes even more difficult.
San Jose State starter Joe Gray is out with an injury, and backup Blake Jurich is likely to start in his place. The Vigil brothers, B.J. Larsen and Elvis Kamana-Matagi can make the night longer for the young signal caller with early pressure and a few sacks in the opening quarters.
