GAME WEEK: Utah State vs. Colorado State

QUICKLY -- For Homecoming 2011, Utah State (1-1, 0-0 WAC) will host Colorado State (2-1, 1-0 MWC), on Saturday, Sept. 24... Kickoff for Saturday's match-up between the Aggies and Rams from USU's Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium (25,513) is slated for 6 p.m. (MT)... The battle between agriculture schools, which also falls on USU's Ag Day, will be televised throughout the region on KCSG (Comcast Ch. 116/DirectTv Ch. 44/Dish Network Ch. 37) with Mychal Clanton handling play-by-play duties while Kevin White will handle analysis... The game will also be available through the ESPN GamePlan... It will also be streamed through www.UtahStateAggies.com by clicking on the "Watch Live" link.

Utah State (1-1) vs. Colorado State (2-1)

Week 4 Game Notes

• Utah State (1-1, 0-0 WAC) vs. Colorado State (2-1, 1-0 MWC)
• Date: Saturday, Sept. 24
• Time: 6:00 p.m. MT
• Site: Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium (25,513)
• TV: KCSG (Comcast Ch. 116/DirectTv Ch. 44/Dish Network Ch. 37), ESPN GamePlan
• Radio: KVNU 610 AM, KVNU 102.1 FM (Cache Valley) and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; KZNS (97.5 FM only) in Salt Lake City; on KLZX 105.3 FM in Montpelier, Idaho
• Series Record: CSU leads 35-30-2
• Kickoff Weather: Sunny, temps in the upper 70s

SATURDAY'S STORYLINES -- Things to watch for in Saturday's match-up between the Aggies and Rams:

* Saturday is USU's first meeting with Colorado State since 1997.

* Saturday is the 68th meeting between the Aggies and Rams, with CSU leading the series 35-30-2, having won the last three meetings and five of the last seven.

* CSU is USU's Homecoming opponent for the 13th time overall, the most common-played opponent when celebrating the navy and white tradition in USU's history and nearly twice than the second-most of seven vs. BYU... Utah State has not played Colorado State on Homecoming since 1966, but the Aggies are 7-4-1 against the Rams on Homecoming.

* The Aggies are 49-29-2 (.625) in Homecoming games.

* USU is coming off its first of two byes on the season, and the Aggies are 7-9 after a bye in the 2000's.

* Utah State is seeking back-to-back home wins for first time since 2009.

* USU is in pursuit of first 2-1 start to season since 1997, ironically the last time that USU faced CSU, which beat USU to deny the Aggies a 3-0 start to that season.

* Utah State has two coaches on staff that have faced CSU as both players and assistant coaches, including USU QB's coach Matt Wells who played for USU when the Aggies faced the Rams in both 1994 and 1995.

FLIP ONE FOR THE GIPPER -- The 100th anniversary of the late President Ronald Reagan's birth is getting the football treatment in September, with teams across the country kicking off their games between September 23 and 26 with the annual Ronald Reagan Commemorative Coin Toss. The coin toss festivities are part of a year of celebration honoring the 40th president. A commemorative coin will be used for Saturday's coin toss before the USU-CSU game.

COACH TO CURE MD -- Both USU and CSU coaching staffs will be wearing Coaches to Cure MD Patches on the left sleeve of their shirts... Coach To Cure MD is a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), a professional organization for over 10,000 college football coaches and staff, and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest national charity devoted exclusively to Duchenne muscular dystrophy... One reason the AFCA was drawn to Coach To Cure MD was because of the unique parallels between Duchenne, a disorder which robs young men of precious muscle strength and college football, a game where young men are at the peak of their muscle strength... To donate $5 to Coach to Cure M.D., text the word "cure" to 90999. You can also visit COACHTOCUREMD.org to make a donation.

FOLLOWING THE GAME AND THE AGGIES

ON TV -- Saturday's battle between the Aggies and Rams will be televised throughout the region on KCSG (Comcast Ch. 116/DirectTv Ch. 44/Dish Network Ch. 37) with Mychal Clanton handling play-by-play duties while Kevin White will handle analysis... It will also be on the ESPN GamePlan package.

ON THE AIR -- All Utah State football games are carried live on the Aggie Sports Network: KVNU 610 AM, KVNU 102.1 FM (Cache Valley) and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; KZNS (97.5 FM only) in Salt Lake City; on KLZX 105.3 FM in Montpelier, Idaho... All Aggie football games are also on the Internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com by clicking on "Listen Live"... Legendary radio voice Al "Elevator Music Is Awesome" Lewis will handle the play-by-play duties, while former Aggie SID Craig "I Love Chili Even When It's Not Chilly" Hislop provides analysis (for the listeners, not Al).

ON THE INTERNET -- USU home football games are also streamed on the Internet through "Aggies All Access," by clicking on the "Live Aggies Video" link on the home page of www.UtahStateAggies.com... Fans can register and purchase month or season packages to watch.

GAMETRACKER -- Fans can follow all USU Aggie home games through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game.

COACHES SHOW ON THE ROAD -- The Gary Andersen radio show will rotate between The Copper Mill and Elements Restaurant on Thursday nights (6:05-7 p.m. on 610 AM KVNU) when the Aggies play on Saturday, with some exceptions, including the BYU and Hawai'i weeks... The show gives USU fans an opportunity to ask questions and interact with Coach Andersen and players.

Upcoming Coaches Shows: Sept. 22 at Copper Mill / Sept. 28 (Wed.) at Elements

UP NEXT -- USU heads to Provo, Utah to face the Cougars of BYU in a nationally-televised game on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. (MT) on ESPN... The Old Wagon Wheel will be at stake, with USU holding possession of the traveling trophy after last year's 31-16 win.

UTAH STATE NOTE-ABLES

• Only three of USU's 12 games will be played on natural grass this year: at Auburn, at BYU and at New Mexico State.

• Seven of USU's 12 games are at night.

• Senior LB Bobby Wagner is a candidate for the: Butkus Award - nation's top linebacker Rotary Lombardi Award - nation's top college lineman Bronko Nagurski Award - nation's best defensive player Lowe's Senior CLASS Award - athletes who excel both on and off the field

• Junior RB Robert Turbin is a candidate for the: Doak Walker Award - honoring the nation's top college running back

• Junior RB/KR Kerwynn Williams is a candidate for the: Paul Hornung Award - most versatile player

• Sophomore OC Tyler Larsen is a candidate for the: Dave Rimington Trophy - nation's most outstanding center in college football

• Senior WR Eric Moats is a candidate for the: Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team® - recognizing the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation.

ABOUT USU -- The Aggies take a 1-1 record into their Homecoming game Saturday, coming off the first of their two byes on the season... In its last action, USU scored 44 unanswered points in a 54-17 romp over Weber State in the home-opener on Sept. 10... The Aggies amassed 635 yards of total offense in that game, including 440 rushing yards, while the USU defense limited Weber State to 46 yards rushing in the game, including just 16 in the second half... On the season, the Aggie offense is averaging 541.5 yards of total offense per game, including 333.5 on the ground and 208.0 through the air... The USU defense is limiting the opposition to 288.5 yards of total offense, including 62.0 rushing and 226.5 passing... Junior RB Robert Turbin leads the USU offense with 125.0 ypg rushing with four rushing TD's on the season... Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton averages 189.5 ypg passing, completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 379 yards total with two TD's... Junior WR Matt Austin leads the receiving corps with seven catches for 116 yards (16.6 ypc/58.0 ypg) on the season with one TD, a 49-yard bomb in the Weber State game... Senior LB Bobby Wagner leads the Aggie defense, averaging 10.0 tackles per game with two tackles for loss and one sack on the season... Fellow senior LB Kyle Gallager adds 8.5 stops per game while junior DT Al Lapuaho averages 5.0 tackles per game, adding 1.5 TFL and one sack on the season... Williams averages 22.8 yards per kick return and 21.0 yards per punt return... Junior P Tyler Bennett has a 52.2 ypp average with a lone of 62 yards, one of three of over 50 yards and has four inside the 20.

ABOUT CSU -- The Rams bring a 1-2 mark into Saturday, after getting doubled-up in a tough, hard-fought battle with rival Colorado, 28-14, last Saturday at Denver... Sophomore QB Pete Thomas was 18-of-28 passing for 157 yards and added a rushing TD, while sophomore TE Crockett Gilmore had five catches for 84 yards with a TD catch from freshman WR Charles Lovett... Senior RB Raymond Carter led the CSU rushing attack with 30 yards on six carries... The Rams' defense was led by sophomore LB Mike Orakpo and sophomore LB Shaquil Barrett with seven stops each... On the season, Thomas is 68-of-96 passing for 594 yards (198.0 ypg) with two TD's and three INT's... Gillmore has 13 catches for 164 yards (12.6 ypc/54.7 ypg) while Carter has 34 rushes for 176 yards (5.2 ypc/58.7 ypg) with two TD's... Orakpo leads the CSU defense with 8.3 tackles per game, with two total tackles for loss on the season... Senior CB Elijah-Blu Smith averages 5.0 stops per game, while sophomore DL Nordly Capi has 6.5 tackles for loss on the season, including 5.5 total sacks, and has forced four fumbles.

UTAH STATE AMONG FBS AND WAC STATISTICAL LEADERS -- Utah State football is among the nation and conference's leaders in this week's Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) statistics... USU is fourth in the nation and first in the conference in rushing offense, amassing 333.5 yards per game, while ranking fifth in the country and first in the league in total offense with 541.5 ypg... The Aggies are also ninth in the FBS and first in the WAC in scoring offense, posting 46.0 points per game... With a 157.35 passing efficiency rating, Utah State leads the conference and is 31st in the country... USU is also tied for first in the nation and tops in the league in red zone offense, one of 26 teams in the country with a perfect 100 percent scoring, finishing all eight of its drives in the red zone with scores... The Utah State defense leads the league and is sixth in the nation in rushing defense, yielding just 62.0 ypg, while also leading the WAC and ranking 24th in the FBS in total defense at 288.5 ypg... USU is also second in the league and 22nd in the nation in sacks with 3.0 pg... On special teams, USU leads not only the WAC but FBS in net punting at 50.0 ypg... Junior Tyler Bennett would lead the conference and rank second in the country in punting with a 52.2 yards per punt average, but doesn't meet the minimum of 3.6 punts per game... Other Aggie individuals among the nation's leaders include junior running back Robert Turbin, who leads the WAC and ranks 11th in the FBS in rushing (125.0 ypg)... Turbin also is tops in the league and tied for 14th in the nation in scoring at 12.0 ppg... Freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton leads the WAC and ranks 33rd in FBS in passing efficiency at 154.30, while also ranking fourth in the league and 52nd in the nation in total offense (232.5 ypg)... Keeton is tied for fifth in the WAC and tied for 57th in the FBS in scoring at 9.0 ppg... Junior Kerwynn Williams leads the conference and ranked tied for fifth in the country in punt returns at 21.0 ypr. Williams also is fifth in the WAC and 28th in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 155.5 ypg... Senior linebacker Bobby Wagner is first in the WAC and tied for 26th in the FBS in tackles with 10.0 per game... Fellow senior linebacker Kyle Gallagher is seventh in the conference and tied for 71st in the country in tackles with 8.5 stops per outing... Sophomore placekicker Josh Thompson leads the league and is tied for 29th in the nation in field goals with 1.5 pg... Thompson is also tied for second in the conference and tied for 37th in the country in scoring at 10.0 ppg.

HOMECOMING 2011: ONCE AN AGGIE, ALWAYS AN AGGIE -- Utah State has won 62.5 percent of its games celebrating the navy and white tradition... Saturday's Sept. 24 Homecoming date is the third September Homecoming in the last five, and is the second-earliest Homecoming in school-history, with only 2007's date of Sept. 22 coming sooner... This is only the fourth time hosting Homecoming in September in school history, joining 2000, 2007 and 2009... The Aggies are 49-29-2 (.625) all-time in their Homecoming game... USU is an even 5-5 in its last 10 Homecoming games, but has lost three of its last four... Here is a closer look at USU's Homecoming games:

AGGIES-RAMS HOMECOMING FAMILIARITY -- Utah State is hosting Colorado State on Homecoming for the the 13th time overall, the Aggies' most common-played opponent when celebrating the navy and white tradition in USU's history and nearly twice than the second-most of seven vs. BYU... Utah State has not played Colorado State on Homecoming since 1966, but the Aggies are 7-4-1 against the Rams on Homecoming, winning two of the last three and four of the last six.

ONCE AN AGGIE, ALWAYS AN AGGIE -- There is more irony of the USU Homecoming theme and the opponent, since as an agricultural, land-grant college, Colorado State was also known as the Aggies from 1899-1958, when CSU was called Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College, before being named Colorado State University in 1957.

UTAH STATE-COLORADO STATE SERIES -- Utah State is meeting Colorado State for the first time since 1997, but with 67 meetings entering Saturday, the Rams are the Aggies' third-most played opponent for USU, and most outside the state of Utah, as USU has played Utah 109 times and BYU 80 times... USU and CSU first played in 1902, USU's seventh year playing football, and played each other nearly every season from 1911-1915 only not facing each other in 1912 in that span... The two teams were fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foes from 1916-37, before joining the Mountain States Conference which later became the Skyline Athletic Conference, together from 1938-61... The Aggies and Rams faced each other in every season from 1911-1979 except in 1912, 1918, 1921, 1943-44 (war), and 1968, even after CSU joined the Western Athletic Conference in 1968... After 1979, the two teams didn't play again until 1994, then facing off again in 1995 and 1997, with the Rams winning the last three, but have not played each other since... Saturday marks the third-straight time in the series that the teams have played in Logan, with CSU winning the last two in Romney Stadium, winning 59-17 in 1995 and 35-24 in 1997.

Colorado State Overall: 30-35-2 / Home: 17-18-1 / Away: 13-17-1

WHAT HAPPENED IN 1997? -- Besides USU and CSU last playing in 1997, here's a look at some of the other happenings of 1997:

-- U.S. President Bill Clinton is inaugurated for his second term.

-- Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister in the United Kingdom.

-- In Denver, Colorado, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

-- The United Kingdom hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.

-- Sir Paul McCartney is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

-- NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.

-- On her 200th birthday, the fully restored USS Constitution (aka "Old Ironsides") sets sail for the first time in 116 years.

-- Hanson releases MMMBop,one of the most successful debut singles of all time, reaching number one in 27 countries

-- Titanic, the second-highest-grossing film of all time (Avatar in 2009), premieres in the US.

-- American singer and country boy, John Denver, killed in plane crash.

-- How do you like them apples - Good Will Hunting wins two Oscars.

-- USU associate media relations director Zach Fisher graduates from Billings West HS, the same high school that produced CSU letterman WR Jon Ueland (1998-99), and rival high school of CSU letterman TE Eli Workman (1994-97).

-- Major League Baseball honors Jackie Robinson by retiring #42 for all teams.

-- Green Bay Packers beat New England Patriots, 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI

-- Arizona beats Kentucky, 84-79 in OT, to win NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

-- Detroit Red Wings sweep the Philadelphia Flyers to win NHL Championship.

-- Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz, 4-2, to win NBA Championship.

-- Florida Marlins beat Cleveland Indians, 4-3, to win World Series.

-- Michigan named college football national champion by AP while Nebraska named national champion by Coaches Poll.

USU VS. THE MOUNTAIN WEST HISTORY -- Utah State is playing the first of two Mountain West Conference teams, as the Aggies will also face MWC member Wyoming on Oct. 8... Next week's USU opponent, BYU, was a MWC member until this past summer when the Cougars became independent... After playing three MWC teams in 2006, 2007 and 2008, this is the third-straight season that USU is only playing two league teams (Utah and BYU in 2009, San Diego State and BYU in 2010)... All-time USU is 89-101-7 (.470) vs. current members of the league... USU had lost 12 straight against the MWC, before beating BYU last season, 31-16... Here is a breakdown of how USU has done against current Mountain West teams:

USU VS. MWC Series Last Air Force 0-1-0 1969 Boise State 4-13-0 2010 Colorado State 30-35-2 1997 Nevada-Las Vegas 12-7-0 2008 New Mexico 8-10-0 2003 San Diego State 1-10-0 2010 Texas Christian 0-2-1 1984 Wyoming 34-24-4 2007 Totals 89-101-7

AGGIES IN BACK-TO-BACK HOME GAMES -- Saturday marks the sixth-straight year that USU has had at least one stretch of back-to-back home games... This is the only stretch of two home games in a row on the schedule this season, and USU has lost the second leg of the two-game homestand in the last two, losing to Fresno State after beating Idaho State, losing to #6 Boise State in 2009 after beating San Jose State... USU had another back-to-back home game stretch in 2009, beating Louisiana Tech after losing to Nevada in the first leg.

TWO-GAME HOME WIN STREAK -- The Aggies are seeking their first back-to-back home wins since 2009 when USU beat Louisiana Tech, 23-21, on Oct. 24 and then after two road games, returned home to beat San Jose State, 24-9, on Nov. 14... USU has only won back-to-back home games seven times in the 2000's: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2009, with two of those times coming by winning the last home game of the season and the first game of the next season (2004-05, 2008-09).

AFTER BYE WEEK -- Utah State is coming off its first bye of the season, last playing on Sept. 10 with a 54-17 romp of Weber State... USU is 2-6 in its last eight games immediately after bye weeks... Last year, USU was 0-2 after byes, losing to Hawai'i 45-7 on Oct. 23 after the Aggies' first bye week of the year and 50-14 at #9 Boise State on Dec. 4 after their second bye of the season... Utah State defeated UNLV in 2005, lost to Hawai'i in 2006, lost to Nevada in 2007, lost to No. 8 BYU in 2008, and then beat New Mexico State in 008, as USU had a rare two byes on the schedule, and losing at Texas A&M in 2009, 38-30... In the decade of the 2000's, USU is 7-9 after an off-week.

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