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LOGAN — Utah State travels to Las Vegas this weekend for a matchup with a resurgent UNLV team that, with one more win, will have equaled its win total from the past three seasons combined.
With five wins on the season, the Rebels are also seeking their first bowl invite since 2000. Head coach Bobby Hauck knows he and his team have their work cut out for them if they want to beat the Aggies to become eligible for postseason play.
“Part of that equation has to be the fact that I think they have the best offensive line in the conference,” Hauck said of what it takes to beat Utah State. “I think it’s a big challenge for our guys, and our offensive line to be as good as theirs. I think it’s a big challenge for our defensive front seven to hold up against what I consider to be a really, really fine offensive line.”
The Aggies have averaged 219.8 yards rushing per game behind their big men up front this season in league contests, with Joey DeMartino contributing 89.2 yards of that total each game. The starting O-line, which consists of four seniors and one junior, hasn’t allowed a sack in either of the last two games, providing time for freshman quarterback Darell Garretson to go 43 of 64 for 514 yards, four touchdowns and an interception over that span.
I think it's a big challenge for our guys, and our offensive line to be as good as theirs. I think it's a big challenge for our defensive front seven to hold up against what I consider to be a really, really fine offensive line.
–Bobby Hauck
“Keeton’s a good player and he kind of was the guy that made it all click, but the freshman’s come in and played really well,” Hauck said. “In fact, he set some freshman record for them last week. They’re scoring points with or without Keeton. They may lean a little bit heavier on the run game than they did with Keeton in the game, but they still have the ability to throw it. Two weeks ago they ran it for some astronomical total, and then this past week they threw it for a whole bunch. They’re pretty balanced and have the ability to hurt you both ways.”
UNLV’s turnaround can largely be attributed to an improved passing attack that ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference this year. Senior quarterback Caleb Herring will be searching for openings in the Aggie defense, which sits at No. 16 in the country in total defense and 42nd in passing yards allowed.
“They’re a three-down front, and they tend to really like to pressure from a lot of different looks,” Hauck said of the Utah State defense. “They do a nice job of disguising and moving around. The one thing that, to me, shows up generally when you’re playing a team that likes to do that — they give up some big runs and get creased occasionally, and these guys don’t. They do a real good job of knowing where everybody fits, and that probably has a lot to do with how veteran they are on that side of the ball. They’ve all been playing there a while, and they’re just a mature defense.”
Last year the two teams met in Logan, where the Aggies held only a seven-point lead entering the final quarter of play.
“They hit us on a couple of big screens right at the end of the third quarter in a really tight game,” Hauck said of the contest. “We had the ball down inside the 15-yard line a couple of times and didn’t score, and that was kind of the difference in the game. Our guys should be hungry to go play this one.”
Utah State eventually emerged victorious with a 35-13 result. This year, the Rebels have had trouble at the beginning of games and have been outscored 79-30 in the first quarter, while holding a 143-108 advantage in the second half.
“Frankly, how we played the second half last week is kind of what we need to do for 60 minutes against Utah State if we have a hope of beating them this weekend,” Hauck said about UNLV’s tendency to struggle early.
A win would give the Aggies their first three-game win streak of 2013. Utah State has its second bye next week. Kyle Spencer is a ksl.com intern. He is studying journalism at Utah Valley University and is the sports editor of the UVU Review. Follow him on twitter @kyledspencer.
