Utah State vs UNLV roundtable of predictions
Daniel Hansen, @thegranddanny: I know Coach Wells doesn’t like calling certain games “must-win”, but this is a must-win. If the Aggies lose, there’s no hope of a bowl game, only a shroud of uncertainty over the future of the program. There honestly might not be a bigger game for Utah State in the past five seasons. Not the perfect scenario for a QB controversy. Regardless of who starts for USU between Jordan Love and Kent Myers, the Aggies should have enough talent around their QB to take this one. Expect a solid Aggie defense to have an exceptional outing and the running game to find some holes in the Rebel defense. Forget red and black, put it all on Blue.
Utah State 33, UNLV 19
Logan Jones, @Logantj: I’m interested to find out which of these teams suck less on Saturday. In the blue corner, you’ve got a Utah State team that can’t run the ball, has no quarterback and only passes for positive yardage on trick plays. In the red corner, a UNLV team with such trash defense that last week’s blown 27-0 lead was hardly a surprise. My prediction? UNLV gets out to a hot start, and Jordan Love plays decent in the second quarter but can’t make up the difference. The Rebels don’t pass the ball particularly well, but mobile QB Armani Rogers is a tough man to bring down; Rogers currently ranks no. 6 in the MW in rushing yards. Maybe Jalen Davis can earn a big score on defense and make things interesting, but after reviewing Utah State’s miserable history on the road my time as the village optimist is done.
UNLV 23, Utah State 20
Thomas Sorenson, @tomcat340: It’s probably unfair to hinge the entire season on one game, but it seems that’s the case this week. With two consecutive division losses, USU’s hopes of a conference title are virtually gone. Focus for the team should now pivot entirely to bowl eligibility. A loss on Saturday would essentially eliminate that possibility as well (needing three wins between Boise, @New Mexico, Hawaii and @Air Force). The defense has been more than good enough to compete with the best teams this conference has to offer. The offense has not. UNLV has shown some spunk in recent weeks, but a focused Aggie defense should be more than enough to propel USU to victory.
Utah State 31, UNLV 17
Jaden Johnson, @jadenjohns0n: I don’t know what to say. The loss to Wyoming left me nothing but confused, and I’m feeling even less confident that I have even the slightest clue what the identity of this team is. I don’t want to be the guy who says “the better team lost that game,” everyone hates that guy. I hate that guy. But Utah State really should not have lost that game. I feel down feel that USU is a better, more talented team than UNLV, but they simply don’t know how to win, especially on the road. I expect it will be close, and I expect the Aggies will likely even lead for much of the game, but I have a hard time expecting a win.
UNLV 30 – Utah State 29