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LOGAN — After the Utah State Aggies pulled off a second last-minute win in a row last week against San Jose State, they now travel to Moscow (Idaho, that is) to take on the Idaho Vandals this Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Vandals are coming off a very difficult loss to BYU, falling 42-7 in Provo last Saturday. Idaho has already missed its chance to be bowl eligible, but is hoping it can turn things around at home and feel better about itself going into next season.
The Vandals struggled against BYU on both offense and defense. On offense, Idaho managed only 10 first downs all game. Vandal senior quarterback Brian Reader threw only nine passes in the game for just 56 yards. Looking on the bright side in Moscow, Reader completed six of those nine passes. On defense against the Cougars, Idaho allowed 30 first downs and 505 total yards. The Vandals could defend neither the pass nor the run, giving up 262 yards and 243 yards respectively.
It wasn't all bad news for the Vandals this past Saturday; senior running back Princeton McCarty ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. The 5-foot-8 back from Bakersfield, Calif., was effective with the ball, averaging 9.1 yards per carry on the Cougars. On the season, McCarty has run for 621 yards and three touchdowns.
Looking at the season as a whole, though, the Vandals look to throw the ball, but that may be because they've lost by 10 or more in five of their eight losses. Reader has attempted 288 passes on the season, completing 154 times (53.5 percent) for 1,554 yards and nine touchdowns.
All of this bodes well for the Aggies, who will be looking to control the clock by running the ball with their stable of running backs: juniors Robert Turbin and Kerwynn Williams and senior Michael Smith. Aggie faithful should look to junior quarterback Adam Kennedy to manage the game. Kennedy will be able to throw the ball when the opportunity presents itself and should look deep down the field to help open the running lanes for the Aggie backs.
With the Vandals struggling to throw the ball, look for USU head coach Gary Andersen to really let his defense go and put them on the attack. Pass rushers like Levi Koskan and Maurice Alexander will really have an impact on this game. The defensive secondary will hope to use this game to tighten up their assignments and lick some wounds from past games.
All season it's been said that when it comes to conference games, no one should expect an easy one — and the WAC is no different. While it appears to be a game where the Utah State will be able to impose its will, the Aggies should not be looking too far ahead to the following game against Nevada, or else it might just cost them the game.
Justin McKissick is a KSL.com contributor originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently seeking a Communications degree. Justin has been covering USU sports since 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @justin_sr.
