Preview: Aggies’ bowl eligibility may be on the line against Colorado State

Utah State is now through undefeated heavyweights Boise State and Air Force – the preseason predictions for the best in the West, the Mountain West that is.

The worst may be behind us, but It hasn’t quite worked out in the fighting white’s favor.

The Aggies sit at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Mountain West after Saturday night’s 21-10 loss to the Broncos. A week and some change before that, Utah State was defeated 27-20 by the Falcons in front of the home crowd.

Head coach Matt Wells and company now find themselves amongst the longest of long shots to win the Mountain Division, let alone a chance at hoisting the championship trophy in December. At this point, Wells’ sole focus is on becoming bowl eligible for the sixth straight year.

That task will begin with Colorado State.

It is a little discouraging to call a third conference game a must-win, but here we are, in the meat of the schedule and a win would certainly help shorten the road to redemption.

But the challenge actually begins with the Aggies themselves.

To date, Utah State has committed 34 penalties for 258 yards lost, with an average of 7 flags and 52 discipline yards per game. To add to that, the team has not quite performed up to par on third downs, converting on a total 35 of 83 attempts. But let’s not even mention a red zone offense which has left a staggering 52 points off the scoreboard.

The offensive woes for Utah State have surfaced since the loss of ace running back Devante Mays. Since his departure in the USC matchup, Kent Myers’ number has been called 124 times, a stark comparison to the 56 attempts he had prior.

A big key against the Rams will be the tenacious defense that Wells has in his back pocket. Utah State has accumulated five sacks and six turnovers on the season and ranks out to be the second best overall defense in the conference.  

That effort has been led by linebacker Anthony Williams with 37 tackles, a forced fumble and a lone sack. Just behind him is fellow ‘backer Brock Carmen, who has 30 wrap-ups and two sacks to his name.

However, if Colorado State can force the Aggies up against the wall, the defense will break. Utah State scores out to be the second worst in the red zone defense, surrendering 15 of 16 attempts for points.

The Rams definitely have the ability to move the ball, and move it with ease.

The offense that calls Colorado home has been churning out nearly 400 yards per game, 23 points per game and has a 5.5 yards per play average.  

The Aggies certainly have some housekeeping to do prior to kickoff, and if they fail once again, they may have to kiss bowl eligibility goodbye.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.