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HONOLULU — Utah State heads to the islands with a fourth-string, true-freshman quarterback set to receive his first collegiate start, and a linebacker-turned-running back who may or may not be at full strength when the team kicks off against the Warriors at Aloha Stadium.
But that won’t stop the Aggies (5-3, 2-1 MWC) from going for the win.
Texas native Kent Myers and his band from Logan will try to clinch a bowl-eligible sixth win Saturday with a 9 p.m. MDT kickoff in their latest game of the season. The game will be broadcast locally in Hawaii, and can be streamed live via the Mountain West Network on themw.com.
That group may or may not contain Nick Vigil, the two-way weapon who missed most of the second half of Utah State’s win over UNLV a week ago. Vigil is questionable for the trip, and the Aggies will likely rely on their fourth-rated run defense to fly back to the mainland with a win.
Here are a few things the team can do to make sure that happens.
Sure, it’s 9 p.m. on the Wasatch Front, but the game is set for a 5 p.m. local time kickoff. One of the hardest things teams face in playing at Hawaii is adjusting to the time zone change, and the Aggies will be no different — even if they are flying from close to the West Coast. A good night’s sleep and plenty of rest the day before should help Utah State’s offense shake off the jet lag and jump out to a fast start.
The Aggies struggled early against the Rebels, with tight end Jefferson Court’s touchdown the only score in the first quarter and Utah State clinging to a 17-13 lead at halftime. Any lead is a good lead, but the Aggies could use an early performance similar to their third-quarter offense last week: 10 points in 10 minutes, with a second second-half touchdown immediately after the page turned to the fourth quarter. An early lead will put more pressure on Hawaii quarterback Ikaika Woolsey, who regained the starting job only a week ago, and allow the senior signal caller to play into Utah State’s vaunted pass rush.
Utah State has struggled on the road this year, losing two games the Aggies could have won by letting the other team stick around (at Arkansas State and at Colorado State). Hawaii, which is 2-6 on the year, has a habit of sticking around until the latter stages of the game, and Nevada needed a second-half rally to clinch a victory last week. Put the game away early, and Utah State won’t have to deal with a similar reaction from a true freshman.
Kent Myers is starting the first game of his collegiate career barely a week after he began to receive snaps in practice. The true freshman didn’t take any snaps during training camp, and he’s had to learn the Aggie offense on the fly. Utah State’s offensive line will need to give the youngster plenty of time to get adjusted to the speed of college football, and provide adequate protection for him to make his reads and checks — even if it takes longer than former starters Chuckie Keeton, Darell Garretson and Craig Harrison. On the defensive side, a few short fields will help Myers ease into the flow of the game quickly.
Utah State ranks second in the Mountain West and 18th in the nation in turnovers forced, including a sixth-best nationally five interceptions. The fourth-ranked rush defense is at its best when it forces a turnover, putting the ball on the ground or allowing Brian Suite and the secondary to pluck one out of the air. The more turnovers the Aggies cause, the more Woolsey will be forced to throw the football, which could lead to more turnover opportunities.
