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LOGAN — Thursday night is the 111th Battle of the Brother, and even if it is half as good as their epic battle in 2012, we're all in for a treat.
The Aggies know they have no easy task ahead of them. While the Utes finished below .500 last season, don't let their record fool you, they have a lot of talented players returning.
- Utah (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) vs. Utah State (0-0, 0-0 Mountain West)
- Date: Thursday, Aug. 29
- Time: 6:00 p.m. MDT
- Site: Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017/FieldTurf)
- TV: FOX Sports 1
- Utah Radio: ESPN700/SIRIUS 128
- USU Radio: Utah State Sports Network
- Series Record: Utah leads 77-29-4
- Last Meeting: 2012 (USU 27-20/OT)
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy, temps near 90
"The first thing you think about Utah is their defense," Utah State head coach Matt Wells said at their press conference Monday morning.
Leading that defense is defensive end Trevor Reilly. "He's gonna be the anchor, he's gonna be the heart of that team," Aggies quarterback Chuckie Keeton said.
Reilly was named to the third team Phil Steele's preseason all-Pac-12 team. The senior finished 2012 with 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
"He reminds me a lot of (Kyler) Fackrell," Wells said. "You've got to account for him on every play."
On the other side of the ball, it's the skill players that have caught Wells' eye.
Related:
Aggies 'not a fluke'; ready for in-state rival Utah
As Utah and Utah State gear up for another football season, the in- state rivalry is expected to only gain momentum. And for the Aggies, it's the first step into proving that last season's victory over Utah and the team's overall success was not a fluke."Dres (Anderson) is electric, I love watching him play; I'm not going to enjoy watching him play Thursday," Wells said.
But the position that really stands out is Utah's tight ends.
"I think Westlee (Tonga) and Jake (Murphy) are extremely talented," Wells said.
Murphy was second on the team with 33 catches in 2012 and led Utah with four touchdowns.
"When you have tight ends that are as multiple as they are, you can get multiple formations — empty, motion, and all the stuff you can do vertically, I'm sure coach (Dennis) Erickson is having fun with that."
