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LOGAN — After Utah State football’s wild 49-42 double OT win at Idaho Saturday, the Aggies held steady in this week’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) statistics, released Sunday.
USU leads the WAC in four categories, including rushing offense, in which the Aggies remain sixth in FBS for the seventh-straight week, now with a 273.9 yards per game.
Utah State also leads the league in total defense, ranking 36th in the nation by yielding just 351.9 ypg.
In scoring offense, USU is first in the conference and 15th in the country, hanging 36.9 ppg on the board.
The fourth category that Utah State is tops in the WAC is passing efficiency, ranking 24th in the FBS at 150.50.
In total offense, Utah State ranks second in the conference and 24th in the country at 461.6 ypg, trailing league-leader and this week’s opponent, Nevada, who leads the conference and ranks fifth in the nation at 518.7 ypg.
The Aggies’ offense is also second in the WAC and 42nd in the FBS in sacks allowed, yielding 1.5 pg.
The Aggie defense is second in the WAC and 21st in the FBS in rushing defense (120.6 ypg), as well as remaining second in the conference and 65th in the country in pass defense (231.3 ypg).
Additionally, USU is third in the league and 44th in the nation in pass efficiency defense (122.62). Utah State is also third in the conference and 40th in the country in sacks with 2.1 pg.
On special teams, USU is second in the WAC and 19th in the FBS in kickoff returns (24.1 ypr), as well as third in the conference and 22nd in the country in net punting (38.6 ypp).
Individually, junior RB Robert Turbin’s career-best 208 yards Saturday re-gained the WAC rushing lead for him, as last week he trailed Fresno State’s Robby Rouse by 0.4 yards per game.
Turbin is now first in the WAC and sixth in FBS in rushing with 125.7 ypg. Turbin is also tops in the WAC and fourth in FBS in scoring at 12.6 ppg. Additionally, Turbin is fifth in the league and 33rd in the nation in all-purpose yards (136.4 ypg).
Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton is third in the WAC and 48th in the FBS in passing efficiency (137.4), in addition to ranking fifth in the league and 77th in the nation in total offense (185.4 ypg).
Junior RB/KR Kerwynn Williams is seventh in the conference and 44th in the country in all-purpose yards (127.5 ypg), including ranking fifth in the league and 58th in the nation in kick returns (23.4 ypr).
Defensively, senior LB Bobby Wagner is tops in the WAC and ranks sixth in FBS in tackles at 11.9 per game. Fellow senior LB Kyle Gallagher is tied for 12th in the conference (7.5 pg). Senior DE/LB Levi Koskan is fifth in the league and 37th in the nation in sacks with 0.6 pg, while also ranking eight in the WAC in tackles for loss (0.9 pg).
Junior P Tyler Bennett is third in the WAC and 10th in the FBS in punting at 45.0 ypp. Sophomore PK Josh Thompson is sixth in the league in field goals (0.5 pg), while also ranking eighth in the conference in scoring (6.3 ppg). Thompson has also connected on a league-leading 48 extra points this season.
Saturday’s victory evens USU’s record at 5-5 — the Aggies’ first season with five wins since 2000 and best record through 10 games since that same 2000 season.
Utah State has also won three in a row for the first time since 2001, in addition to being the Aggies’ first three-game conference and FBS win streak since 2000.
The Aggies improve to 3-2 in Western Athletic Conference action, their best WAC mark through five games in its seven years in the league and best conference ledger through five games since a 3-2 Big West record in 2003.
USU will be going for its first four-game win streak since 2001 and its sixth win of the season for the first time since 1997 when the Aggies return home to the friendly confines of Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium to host Nevada on Saturday at noon. Saturday is USU’s home finale and will be the Aggies’ Senior Day, honoring their upper-classmen in a pre-game ceremony.
To purchase tickets, or for more Aggie Athletics ticket information, fans can contact the USU Ticket Office at 1-888-USTATE-1 or 435-797-0305, in person at the USU Ticket Office inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, or online 24 hours a day at www.utahstateaggies.com.
Fans can follow the Aggie football program (@USUFootball) and Aggie athletic program (@USUAthletics) on Twitter. Fans can also follow the USU football blog atusufootball.wordpress.com.
Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University.
