‘Anything can happen’ — USU Football prepares for MW title bout
Utah State’s widely unexpected turn-around won them the Mountain Division and gives them a chance to play for a title. The Aggies will face the Aztecs for the Mountain West Conference Championship Saturday.
“I’m not sure anybody expected us to be here, but our guys are excited as am I. Huge challenge to find a way to beat a team as well-built and well-coached as San Diego State,” head coach Blake Anderson said. “We don’t want to be satisfied with being there, we want to find a way to win it.”
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
What’s at Stake?
Obviously, the title of Mountain West Conference Champions and the trophy to go along with it. Also up for grabs, a bid to the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. The 2021 game is the inaugural matchup for the new bowl and will be the first college football game to be held at Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles’s brand new Mecca for football. The Mountain West Champion will play the fifth team out of the PAC-12 in the bowl game.
The loser of the championship game will still head to a bowl game. Mountain West Conference bowl tie-ins include the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, the New Mexico Bowl, the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl and the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl. Also rumored to be a possible destination, if the Aggies were to lose, is the First Responders Bowl in Dallas, Texas.
Aggie Notables
Utah State is coming off a resounding victory at New Mexico. The Aggies picked apart the Lobos to win 35 to 10. Utah State did need some help from San Diego State to reach the game. Their win against Boise State put the Aggies through after Mountain Division tiebreakers.
The Aggies are playing in their second-ever Mountain West Conference Championship game. They lost to Fresno State 24-17 in 2013. A win in the game would give Utah State their first conference championship since 2012 when they won the Western Athletic Conference.
Quarterback Logan Bonner has taken some big hits and sacks over the past few games. He’s been shaken up and exited a few times as a result. The Aggies will need him to continue his toughness and the offensive line will need to give him enough protection to stay in the game.
“He’s gotten up off the turf a lot. We’d like to keep him upright this week, but we’ve got some really good defensive fronts in this league.” Anderson said. “He’s gotten hit way more than we want him to. You gotta give him a tremendous amount of credit for being as tough and resilient as he is. He’s turned the ball over at times; he comes right back and makes a big play. He’s gotten hit; he scrapes himself up off the turf,” Anderson said. “It’s hard to really even say enough about how he’s battled all season long. We’re gonna need him to do it again this week.”
Bonner isn’t as concerned about his health, his pass protection or his team going into the game.
“I’m ready to go in all phases,” Bonner said. “I think we have a lot of momentum right now. We’re playing pretty well, but just like I said football is football. Anything can happen on any Saturday.”
The Aggies’ receiving group will face a strong Aztec secondary.
“Their back end is really good. Their front seven is phenomenal. It’s gonna be a huge challenge for us all day. And we’re looking forward to it. We wouldn’t want it any other way and I think it’s going to be a great game,” Bonner said.
Utah State’s defense will need to prepare to face both of San Diego State’s quarterbacks, Jordan Brookshire and Lucas Johnson. Both played last week against Boise State.
“They’ve played them both this season. We’re gonna have to prepare for both,” Anderson said. “We did a good job with that against San Jose State. Hopefully, we can do the same thing here.”
Inside linebacker Justin Rice acknowledges the dangers of the Aztec offense but is excited and confident to play in the game.
“I couldn’t be happier for this opportunity,” Rice said. “Especially ending my career this way. The best thing forward is to go out with a win.”
Scouting the Aztecs
San Diego State is coming off a close win over Boise State 27 to 16. The Aztecs are ranked No. 19 in the College Football Playoff, their highest ever ranking in the new system. They’ve only lost once this season, falling to division rival Fresno State.
Placekicker and punter Matt Araiza is a weapon for the Aztecs on special teams. He has set new NCAA records in single-season punt average, currently at 51.47 yards per punt, and single-season most punts over 60 yards, with 18 this year.
“He flips the field in one play. I hope he’s working a lot. I hope he’s punting lots of balls that means we’re doing well,” Anderson said. “Kick the ball out of the endzone… We’d be shocked if Scarver gets the chance to return the ball this week.”
The Aztec offense emphasizes the run game with their strong running back Greg Bell. He’s run for over 1,000 yards this season but was limited to 42 yards against the Broncos.
“They’re pretty straightforward. They want to run the ball. They want to control the line of scrimmage. They want to control the clock and make you play a physical brand of ball,” Anderson said.
San Diego State is seen as the best team in the Mountain West by most national pundits. They’re expected to win the game, but it’s far from the first opponent expected to dominate the Aggies this season.
“On paper, there may not be an advantage of any kind in this particular game for us, but that’s not an environment that we’re uncomfortable in. We’ve been in that pretty much all year and guys have thrived in it so hopefully, we’ll do the same this week,” Anderson said.
The title game will be televised on Fox at 1 p.m. MST.