Aggie football team looks to put positive spin on rollercoaster season
It’s too bad the Utah State football team couldn’t have started out this season the way they are ending it.
The Aggies are on a roll. Well, a mini roll.
They have won three of their past five games, all of them decided by three points or less and three going to overtime.
In those games, the team has picked up its rushing game and total defense, making for a much more consistent type of play than was displayed up through the mid-season BYU debacle.
In their last game, the USU defense held Troy State to a season-low 99 yards rushing and 96 passing.
What’s more, USU (4-6) has proven it can compete with and defeat a pair of its future Sun Belt Conference enemies, losing in overtime to Louisiana-Monroe and holding on to a two-point win at home over New Mexico State.
The Aggies will have one more shot at an SBC team Saturday as they travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3-8, 2-4 in Sun Belt).
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. mountain time.
“I think winning this last game will be real critical [going into the off-season],” said USU Head Coach Mick Dennehy. “This is a big, big game because we’re [going to] be playing these guys every year. I would guess that they’re [going to] approach this game just like we are. It should be very hard-fought. I would guess probably a game that some points will be scored.”
The Blue Raiders had high expectations coming into this season. They had votes for a top-25 ranking before the season began and a Heisman Trophy candidate (senior tailback Dwone Hicks).
A harsh first half to their schedule and injuries to Hicks and starting quarterback Andrico Hines hindered them from being as effective on offense as they thought they would be, Dennehy said.
Hines returned Saturday to pass for 84 yards on 24 attempts in a 30-20 loss to North Texas.
Hicks has been solid of late, carrying the ball for 572 yards on 87 carries over the past four games (6.5 yards per run).
“He’s probably the best running back we’ll play all year long,” Dennehy said.
The game seems like a perfect fit for an Aggie offense that collects an average of 386 yards per game against a Blue Raider defense that allows 396 yards to opposing teams.
“These dudes just don’t make as many plays as [Troy State],” said USU running back James Samuel, who rushed for a season-high 159 yards against a sixth-nationally ranked Troy State defense.
“They have good athletes just like [TSU], but they don’t make the plays.”
–samhis@cc.usu.edu