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LOGAN — The Aggies, led by quarterback Kent Myers, made a statement to the Mountain West Conference against the Rams in Week 5. After falling behind 10-3 to the Rams, the Aggies scored a quick touchdown and never looked back. The 33-18 victory over last season's second best team in the Mountain West looks great despite the Rams' 2-3 record to start the 2015 season.
The Bulldogs are in serious trouble of losing control of their season only five games in. The Bulldogs' only win came in Week 1 against FCS opponent Abilene Christian, 34-14. Since then, the Bulldogs are 0-4, with two losses coming against Mountain West foes. The Bulldogs will look to right themselves when they host the Aggies this Saturday.
The Aggies are coming off by far their best game of the season and look to continue that play against the Bulldogs. If they are to continue their strong play, they will need to focus on these key stats heading into Saturday:
Utah State rushed for 298 yards against Colorado State
Those rushing yards are significant because of how many were by Myers and the running backs. Myers totalled an Aggie record for rushing yards from a quarterback with 191. The running backs combined for just 98, Devante Mays with 60 and LaJuan Hunt with just 37. Looking just at the running backs' numbers, the Rams' running defense was incredible. Hunt only averaged 2.8 yards/carry and Mays' yardage was skewed by one rush of 30 yards.
The Rams, and everyone else watching the game, were blown away by Myers' running ability. Before Week 5, Myers' most rushing yards in a game was 92 back in 2014 against San Jose State. Myers totaled 310 total rushing yards in his seven appearances in 2014. Fans shouldn't expect 150-plus yards rushing from Myers in every game.
The Bulldogs are one of the worst teams in the FBS in defending the run. In their four losses, the Bulldogs allowed 258 rushing yards/game. They have contained the quarterbacks but have been unable to stop the dynamic running backs. Look for Hunt and Myers to take back control of the running game against the Bulldogs.
Fresno State has lost its last 4 games by an average of 29 points
The Bulldogs have had a murderous start to the season. In Week 2, the Bulldogs were blown out by Ole Miss 73-21. The hurt didn't stop the next two weeks against the Utes (45-24) and Spartans (49-23). The Bulldogs welcome the Aggies, who are only scoring 19 points/game, despite putting up 33 on the Rams.
The Bulldogs should plan for the team the Rams faced. The offense looked more relaxed with Myers at the helm than Chuckie Keeton through his first three games. Myers only completed 12 balls against the Rams, but he established himself as both a runner and passer.
The Bulldogs will have their hands full with a revamped and emotionally renewed Aggie offense.
The Utah State running defense is only allowing 107.5 yards/game
The Aggies are back to being the elite running defense they were a season ago. In 2014, the Aggies were a top 20 running defense, allowing only 130.6 yards/game. The Aggies have only yielded more than 125 yards rushing once this season (the Utes ran for 195 back in Week 2).
The Aggies will look to shut down the Bulldogs' running game that is only averaging 122.4 yards/game so far in 2015. The Bulldogs are led by senior running back Marteze Waller, whose most impressive game was against the Ole Miss Rebels. Waller finished with 28 carries for 91 yards and added three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.
The Aggies will throw top-10 tackler Nick Vigil and a rejuvenated Kyler Fackrell at Waller and the Bulldog running game.
Fresno State averages only 4.2 penalties/game
If there's one thing the Bulldogs are really good at, it's not committing penalties. And when they do commit penalties, they aren't for a lot of yards, just 37.4 penalty yards/game. If the Bulldogs have any chance of taking down the Aggies, they will need to continue to avoid penalties.
On the flip side, the Aggies are one of the most penalized teams in the FBS. The Aggies are averaging 8.5 penalites/game and 83.5 penalty yards/game. The Aggies' inability to avoid penalties has proven detrimental in their losses. If the Bulldogs can force some Aggie penalties, the extra yardage might be enough to steal a win.
Place-kicker Brock Warren is 5-5 on field goals and 8/8 on PATs
Warren is the only place-kicker in the state of Utah not to miss a field goal or an extra point in 2015. The junior place-kicker went 3-3 on field goals against the Rams, making field goals from 48, 23 and 40 yards.
Warren is the most consistent place-kicker in the state of Utah, and the Aggies know it. With Warren on field goal duty, the Aggies have no problem with him kicking it from 40-plus yards.
Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @nharker3207.
