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LOGAN — The Utah State Aggies had a rough loss this past Saturday as they fell to the Wisconsin Badgers 16-14. The Aggies played hard and were a 37-yard field goal away from leaving Madison, Wis. with a huge win and a gigantic step in the right direction.
Even with the loss, Aggie head coach Gary Andersen has many positives that he can take away from his team's time in Wisconsin. A major takeaway for coach Andersen and his staff is the knowledge that their team's defense is very, very good.
The USU defense has yet to allow a touchdown in the first half this season and Utah State has outscored its opponents 41-0 in the first quarter. As every head coach — and armchair quarterback — knows, jumping out to an early lead is key.
As much as jumping out to an early lead is important, however, keeping your foot on the gas is just as important. Against the Badgers, the Aggie offense was held scoreless in the second half. A complaint Aggie faithful had against former USU (and current CSU) offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin was that his play-calling became stagnant and predictable late in games.
Current Utah State OC Matt Wells will need to find a way to break through and keep sophomore quarterback Chuckie Keeton, along with his fellow offensive weapons, rolling all four quarters.
Saturday's game will be an interesting matchup between the Aggies and the Rams because of the fact that Baldwin left Logan for Fort Collins. Baldwin is aware of the abilities of both sets of offensive players and should also be aware of how to shut each set down. On the flip side, Andersen and his staff are well aware of what Baldwin looks to do offensively and will game plan accordingly.
This will be the 69th meeting between the two teams, the last of which occurred in Logan this past year when the Aggies dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker, 35-34. The game in Fort Collins also marks the final time the Aggies and Rams will meet as non-conference opponents as USU makes a move to the Mountain West for the 2013 season.
The two had previously been conference rivals as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Utah State hopes to make this the beginning of a positive rivalry heading into the MWC.
The way Utah State has been playing, coach Andersen and his squad should be able to come away with a win and go into homecoming with a solid 3-1 record.
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.
