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SALT LAKE CITY — 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.
"I've heard people say it was a fluke and stuff like that, but we're not worried about that," Aggies defensive end Connor Williams said. "All we're concerned about is preparing, going out there and getting the W. We're not worried about what people think and what their feelings are. It doesn't matter."
Aggies junior quarterback Chuckie Keeton said Thursday's game will be a good start to their inaugural season in the Mountain West Conference.
"Having to play (Utah) the first game this year is not only good for our morale and our momentum, but it's definitely going to give us a lot of pride, and I think it's going to carry us a little going into these next four games," he said.
While the Aggies do not necessarily need a win on Thursday to have a good season, a win would certainly give the team momentum heading into a difficult schedule.
- 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
"This game is going to be kind of a tone-setter for the rest of the season," Keeton said. "I know it's only the first game, but every single game has its own weight, so this one is a huge one. First of all, it's an in-state rival and then on top of that, the first game gives you momentum at least into the second game ... so I think it's going to be big for our motivation and our morale for the rest of the year."
Last year's victory over Utah cost the Utes a bowl appearance and likely some other games. At Monday's press conference, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said the Aggies' loss weighed on his shoulders more than it should have.
"In a way it might have set the tone for a lot of things," Whittingham said. "I think it lingered for a while, without a doubt. I, personally, didn't handle it the best and I'll put that squarely on my shoulders. I was not resilient enough, when you talk about that game."
This year, Keeton said playing Utah will be a different experience from what it was last year when the two teams met in the second week of play. "The first (game), nobody knows what to expect, but everyone makes the most amount of adjustments going into the second game, so I think that was part of the reason why it was so tough for us to move the football."
Aggies head coach Matt Wells said he expects improvement on Utah's offense, which will bring several different options. Wells said one of the biggest threats Utah has on offense is their tight ends Jake Murphy and Westlee Tonga.
"I've kind of got a thing for tight ends," Wells said. "When you have tight ends as multiple as they are, you can displace personnel. With two tight ends at one time, you can get multiple formations and it's challenging from our defensive standpoint."
Wells also expects Utah's defense to be aggressive and put pressure on Utah State's offense.
"They're very multiple, they're very aggressive, they are very sound schematically on defense and always have been," Wells said. "(They're) always strong defensively and I don't see any of that changing. With all that being said, it will be a major challenge for us and is something we look forward to going into Thursday night."
