COLUMN: What you need to know before Utah State takes on Idaho State
What you need to know before Utah State takes on Idaho State in Saturday’s home opener.
Setting the Stage: The Idaho State Bengals play in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and beat Montana Western 32-3 last weekend. While the score looks impressive, the Bengals were playing inferior competition, and should have trouble matching up against USU’s speed and depth. The Aggies are coming off an impressive opening-week loss to an Oklahoma team they weren’t supposed to be competitive against, but will have to guard against an upset bid on the part of ISU this week.
When ISU has the ball: Look for balance on the part of the ISU offense, which will have to rely more on ball control and execution than on talent against USU’s fast and athletic defense. Expect the Bengal offense to lean heavily on running back Corey White and Jahmel Rover, who teamed up for 234 rushing yards last week. With questions on both the offensive line and at the quarterback position (ISU started a redshirt freshman, Kyle Morris, last week) the Bengals’ best hope to spring the upset will be to keep USU’s dynamic offense off the field.
When USU has the ball: Expect a heavy dose of running backs Michael Smith, Derrvin Speight and Kerwynn Williams. After struggling at times in rushing the ball last week, USU offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin will be looking to utilize the Aggies’ superior depth at running back, and in the process wearing out the Bengal defense and forcing ISU to adjust by bringing eight men into the defensive box. While ISU played well on defense against Montana Western, the Idaho State cornerbacks won’t be able to match up with USU receivers Dontel Watkins and Xavier Martin. Once USU establishes the running game, expect Aggie signal caller Diondre Borel to go over the top for the big play to Watkins or Martin.
X-factor: USU linebacker Junior Keiaho. The versatile defender was off to a great start against OU last Saturday before getting banged up, and is questionable going into this Saturday’s game. While USU has plenty of depth at linebacker, a healthy Keiaho could mean the difference between game-changing defensive scores and hollow tackles on a stat sheet.
Crunching Numbers: Romney Stadium hasn’t exactly proven to be friendly confines for recent USU home openers. The Aggies are 7-13 in their last 20 home-openers. The good news? USU is 76-17-6 overall vs. current FCS opponents and has won its last four games against FCS members.
Statesman Prediction: USU showed it can compete with the very best teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) last weekend, but this week’s game presents a different challenge. While USU should have no problem blowing a less talented Bengal team out at home, the Aggies must remain focused and not get complacent. ISU’s players and coaches will have no shortage of incentive to shock the Aggies, and could make this one closer than the experts think if the Aggie offense gets sloppy. In the end though, USU will have too much offensive firepower for the Bengals, and will pick up its first win of the 2010 season.
– adamnettina@gmail.com