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LOGAN — After dropping three of their last four games, the Aggies play their final conference game Saturday on the cusp of bowl eligibility.
Standing in the way is Nevada (6-4, 4-2), which is still competing for the West Division crown despite needing assistance in the form of a UNLV victory over San Diego State this weekend.
For Utah State (5-5, 4-3), it's an opportunity to secure a postseason matchup for what would be a school-record of five consecutive years and avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2010.
"We want to be in a bowl game, there's no question about that," coach Matt Wells said in a press conference Monday. "It continues to reinforce what we're trying to build, of a very consistent and winning program that gets to November and plays the games that mean something."
The Wolf Pack will enter Maverik Stadium playing their best football of the season, having won three straight, albeit against two of the conference's bottom dwellers — Hawaii and Fresno State — and an overtime win over a San Jose State team that won't likely make it to six wins.
"Either all of the teams in the Mountain West are inconsistent or there is a lot of parity, and all the teams are pretty good, but nobody is great," Wells said. "Teams have gotten better and when you get in close games, you've got to find a way to win."
Both of the Aggies' most recent losses were by one score or less following unsuccessful, yet lengthy, drives on their final possession.
"We've lost the last two weeks and we can't go back and change that, but we can control our attitude, our effort and our mindset and give everything we've got to this program for the next two weeks as coaches, first of all, and then as players," Wells said.
Utah State's last four opponents all employed run-heavy attacks, and Nevada is no different. While the Aggies have fallen out of the top 50 in run defense over the last few weeks, the Wolf Pack's ground game has moved up to No. 20, thanks to strong performances from running backs James Butler and Don Jackson — both of whom are steadily approaching 1,000 yards rushing for the season.
Nevada quarterback Tyler Stewart can also beat a team with his legs and is improving as a passer, but it's the visitors' defense that has Wells and his staff preparing for another tight contest.
"I see a front seven with all seniors and they're very experienced," Wells said. "They've played a lot of football on defense for Nevada. Those four defensive linemen, collectively as a group, are as an aggressive upfield defensive line as we've seen since maybe in the middle of the year. … You've got an experienced front seven, a talented secondary and then the defensive line as a group, the way we as coaches feel, is one of the better ones that we've seen and the best one we've seen in the last several weeks."
Playing in Logan does give Utah State at least a slight edge, as its 13-game home winning streak is the third-longest active mark in the country behind only Florida State's run of 20 in a row and Clemson's 15.
The game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MST and can be streamed online on ESPN3.
Kyle Spencer is a freelance journalist residing in Orem. You can find him on Twitter @kyledspencer or reach him by email at kspence04@gmail.com.
