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LOGAN — Two contrasting storylines could be portrayed for Utah State football's final home game of the season against San Jose State on Saturday night.
Is the game about a streaking Aggies team aspiring for bowl eligibility against a top team in the conference on senior night?
Or is it about a program already eliminated from conference contention trying to surpass mediocrity in 19-degree weather against a Bay Area commuter school?
Thus the conundrum in Cache Valley this weekend.
Early indications from ticket sales suggest the latter. As of Wednesday, 12-of-27 paid sections around the stadium indicated medium to high levels of tickets remaining. On Thursday, the university announced an "early Black Friday" promotion, slashing ticket prices to $15.
Don't expect the 6,000-seat student section to be any more crowded, either. Beyond the cold weather and meager turnout for the New Mexico game, the on-campus buzz has shifted to the 4-0 basketball team. The average conversation among undergrads is more likely to revolve around Taylor Funk's jump shot than Ike Larson's ball-hawking.
Notwithstanding, it's a massive game for the program.
In a season turned on its head in multiple ways, an opportunity to salvage some degree of success remains.
Despite great expectations heading into the year, the Aggies opened with a 1-4 record. Season-ending injuries on both sides of the ball shrunk the depth chart and challenged the team's morale. Two players, Xavier Williams and Gurvan Hall, were dismissed from the team, and Anderson and the university were sued by a former player.
Aided by the team's leadership, the emergence of quarterback Cooper Legas, and a relatively light back half of the schedule, Utah State's managed to rally in the win column.
With wins in four of the last five games, the Aggies returned to .500 and are a game away from bowl eligibility. For a program that's been to just 15 bowls in school history, that's no small feat.
"I think just the resiliency and the willingness to work is maybe the best thing about this group," Anderson said. "And that's not necessarily something we've improved upon, something that we never gave up on.
"It's a big game for us. We've been very open about our desire to get this team to a bowl, become bowl-eligible, and kind of get that streak rolling. And that's something that's on the table this week."
Getting there requires surmounting a 6-3 San Jose State team that is propelled by a stiff defensive line. The Spartans are third nationally in sacks (3.56 per game) and fifth nationally in tackles for loss (8.1 per game). On the other side of the ball, quarterback Chevan Cordero averages 271 yards passing and the offense averages 27.1 points per game.
Fresh off a 16-point loss at San Diego State, the Spartans are all but eliminated from conference title contention but come to Logan eager to avenge a 48-17 loss from a season to go.
"Their defensive front creates all kinds of chaos in the backfield," Anderson said. "They tend to force turnovers with pressure and force you to put the ball in harm's way. We've got to stay away from that. They've got a quarterback that's extremely mobile, very, very gifted at creating, and it's hard to get a beat on him.
"Which front's going to be able to make the quarterback most uncomfortable is gonna be huge."
Arguably the stiffest test in conference play for the Aggies' offensive line, a healthy right tackle in Jacob South, who missed the Hawaii game due to concussion protocol, could go a long way. The Aggies need to protect Legas and find some level of success with a run game that will be without backup Robert Briggs, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Defensively, the Aggies are coming off one of their worst games of the season, allowing 6.7 yards per play and 34 points to Hawaii. Linebacker MJ Tafisi is still day-to-day following an injury at Wyoming; his return would go a long way for the team this week.
For Utah State this year, it's often felt like an inverse game of Whac-A-Mole: When one guy gets back up, another guy goes down. So to expect a fully healhty group on Saturday is wishful thinking.
San Jose State coach Brett Brennan described it best:
"The thing that gets tricky this time of year is week-to-week you don't know exactly if all the pieces are going to be there for their team and our team," Brennan said. "You're so far into the season, the wear and tear of the game and the season, who's in who's out, who's stepping up, you've got a young guy here, a new guy there, that type of thing. So some of that stuff you don't know until you get to game day."
Whoever plays, it will require the Aggies' best effort on both sides of the ball to get the job done. Likely to be playing in sub-20-degree weather, whoever the more physical team should win.
Don't let the number of people in the stands dictate the game's magnitude, though. A win would give Utah State bowl eligibility and be a momentum builder heading into the Boise State game last week. For all that's happened to the program this year, it'd certainly be an accomplishment.
