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LOGAN — The Utah State football team has put itself in a predicament again following a big win.
In 2015, following a 52-26 thumping of Boise State, the Aggies finished the season 2-5 and lost to Akron in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Now, after beating in-state rival BYU on Sept. 29 in Logan and improving to 3-2 overall, the Aggies have lost two straight Mountain West Conference games and are fighting for their bowl lives.
Utah State needs three wins in five games in order to become bowl eligible, and although the schedule might not seem as difficult as some might think, there is no guarantee of a win in the Mountain West Conference.
"I told you all that on any given week, anybody can win," USU head coach Matt Wells said. "We're 1-2 right now in the league, and I think we could very easily be 3-0, we could be 2-1, we could be better.
"It's unpredictable because there are good teams and there are good coaches," he added. "Every week, there is competition. Look at the UNLV and Air Force game last week. Look at the craziness of the flip of that score and the flip of that game."
Speaking of that Air Force game, UNLV jumped out to a 30-7 lead but Air Force scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to secure a miraculous comeback win.
"That's an emotional roller coaster for a team to go through," Wells said. "To have that big of a lead, lose it and try to get it back. At the end, you think you have it back and Air Force scores at the end to win the game.
"I can't predict how Vegas feels, but I know that's hard. That drains you."
One thing that might be draining for the USU offensive staff is the inconsistency at the quarterback position. Senior Kent Myers and redshirt freshman Jordan Love have shown flashes of brilliance but also struggled, and it is something Wells and his staff have been addressing all week.
If you look at the numbers, Myers is 5-18 in his last 23 starts at quarterback, and in games decided by seven points or less, the Aggies are 4-13.
In extended minutes that were planned against Wyoming, Love came in during the second quarter and helped the USU offense gain some momentum. However, that momentum was thwarted when Love threw three interceptions and was replaced by Myers in the third quarter.
"Kent played OK in the first half," Wells said. "The plan was to go with Jordan at the beginning of the second quarter, and he played well. We were actually starting to get some momentum, so I made the call for Jordan to finish the second quarter. As with any young quarterback, there will be some growing pains. Certainly, those interceptions, not the decisions, but the interceptions, you have to work through and learn from.
"Moving forward, that's something we have to evaluate, which quarterback gives us the best chance to win," Wells added. "We have to evaluate playing both of them, playing one of them, sticking with Kent, moving on to Jordan, or playing them as a combination."
The Aggies need the quarterbacks to play well, no matter who is under center.
Utah State placekicker Dominik Eberle has only missed one field goal all season, but the Aggies have to finish drives with touchdowns rather than rely on field goals to win games.
In order to get back on the right track and put themselves in a position to become bowl eligible, winning at UNLV is a must-win situation. The Rebels are 2-4 and coming off an emotional loss at Air Force. The time is ripe for USU to pick up its second road win in as many games.
"I'm looking forward to that game on Saturday," Wells said. "Hopefully, it's a chance to get out and get this taste out of our mouth."
Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. MT and can be seen on AT&T SportsNet or heard on Aggie Sports Network. Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
