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LOGAN — Utah State got off to a rough start in its desire to win the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference with a 27-20 loss on homecoming night on Saturday night in Logan.
It doesn't get any easier for the Aggies as they travel to Mountain Division favorite and familiar foe Boise State for another late kickoff on Saturday night. The Broncos are coming off their second win over a Pac-12 Conference school as they beat Oregon State 38-24 to remain unbeaten. The win also pushed them into the national polls as they come in at No. 24 in this week's AP poll.
"This is a team that everybody knows I have a great deal of respect for," USU head coach Matt Wells said. "I've always said that the road through the Mountain Division goes through Boise State. … They are very good and probably feature the best quarterback (Brett Rypien) and tailback (Jeremy McNichols) we'll see all year. Rypien is accurate and has tremendous arm strength. He's got a lot of moxie and I assume he's pretty smart, and probably pretty fun to coach. … McNichols is in the same conversation as being one of the best running backs in this league."
Rypien has thrown for 861 yards and four touchdowns. He has also thrown three interceptions on the season. McNichols has run for 382 yards on 59 carries and has scored seven touchdowns.
One player the Aggies have to keep an eye on is "Mr. Do Everything" Thomas Sperbeck. The senior wide receiver leads the team in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. But he has also thrown a touchdown and at times is given the ball in the backfield.
"Thomas Sperbeck is the player in the Mountain West Conference that doesn't get near enough credit," Wells said. "He does everything for them. He throws every trick pass and catches every trick pass that somebody else wants to throw. He's involved in everything and could probably be the backup quarterback. I love watching him play. … He's a good kid, and I know he's fun to coach."
In 2015, USU got the best of the Broncos with a 52-26 thumping in Logan, thanks in large part to the Aggie defense creating eight turnovers.
"I just remember early on we put the nail in the coffin," USU wide receiver Andrew Rodriguez said. "They had a lot of turnovers. … It was just like everything was going our way last year. We have to focus on doing what we do and everything else will fall into place."
Something that the Aggies can take confidence in is the fact that Boise State is not unbeatable at home on the blue turf. The Broncos lost their final two home games of the 2015 season against New Mexico and Air Force.
"They're not unbeatable at home by any means," USU linebacker Brock Carmen said. "We go into this just like any other game; it doesn't really change for us. Anytime we go into somebody else's house we expect to get the win. It doesn't change that much for us, but it definitely gives you a little glimpse of what it could be."
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
