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LOGAN — When FBS schools schedule an FCS opponent, the old adage is that the bigger school should blow the smaller school out. After squeaking by Southern Utah in the 2015 season opener, Utah State head coach Matt Wells isn't taking anyone lightly and knows that his 2016 season-opening opponent, Weber State, is very capable of coming up to Logan and ruining the first game in the newly renovated Maverik Stadium on Thursday night.
"I have a lot of respect for them, and it's a tough game and something that has had our attention since we started looking at them in the spring and then througout the summer and obviously now into game week," Wells said.
The Wildcats return 16 starters, including fifth-year senior quarterback Jadrian Clark. Weber State also returns two running backs that, according to Wells, "are shifty and hard to tackle."
Senior offensive lineman Jake Simonich echoed his coach's sentiments, especially after the near upset loss to Southern Utah in 2015.
"We're never going to underestimate another team coming in here," Simonich said. "We know we're going to get Weber State's best shot when they come up here on Thursday. It's definitely in the back of our minds, but it's not something we really dwell on. It was last season, and we're a new team now with a new identity."
One thing that has Wells concerned is the coaching style of Weber State head coach Jay Hill. Special teams has been an area Wells has focused on in preparation for the Wildcats as Weber State faked six punts and two field goals in 2015. Hill also pulled an onside kick in Wells' first game as head coach in 2013 when he was special teams coordinator at the University of Utah.
"That is a reflection of him and his coaching abilities and his aggressiveness," Wells said. "That is absolutely something we have been preparing for and have to be ready for."
Utah State will counter with junior quarterback Kent Myers and senior running back Devante Mays. Myers has the ability to throw the ball but is just as good running it.
"When he (Myers) pulls the ball down in the open field, he's dangerous and has the ability to hit a home run," Wells said. "He's absolutely somebody you have to account for in the running game, especially if you play a lot of man coverage. He's another running back, back there who happens to be able to pass the ball very well and continues to improve."
With Myers' ability to run, it makes for a dynamic duo in the backfield. Mays led the team with 966 yards rushing on 165 carries and scored nine touchdowns in his first season in Logan. Mays is someone who Wells has referenced as one of the most improved players on the team.
"He got here in January of 2015, and look how far he's come just in terms of his conditioning, his knowledge, his pass protection and his receiving ability," Wells said.
Mays is part of a group of running backs that Wells says is better than he anticipated at this point.
"The running back spot is better, just because it's deeper," Wells said. "The three guys behind (Devante) Mays have actually had good summers and improved. Mays is still the clear-cut starter and will take a vast majority of the reps, but that's a position of strength, not that I didn't think it was."
Despite all that, Wells still has a great respect for the Wildcats and expects a battle from a team that almost walked away with a win against Oregon State of the Pac-12 in last season's opener.
"You look back and they had a couple of key wins right in the middle of the season last year, and I think that gave them some mojo and some confidence and they played well down the stretch," Wells said. "They walked into Corvallis last year in game one and played Oregon State really tough. They weren't scared, so this is a bunch that is confident, and it starts with their coaching staff, their philosophy and their culture and the culture that they've created … that's what you are seeing from this program now." Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
