Aggies vs. Aggies in NM
It will be all Aggies all the time as Utah State faces New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M., Dec. 3.
NMSU comes into the game 4-8, just 2-4 in Western Athletic Conference play and has only pride to play for.
Utah State is 6-5 and 4-2 in the WAC. USU has already accepted an invitation to a bowl game and has all but tied up the runner-up spot in the conference with the win over Nevada Nov. 26.
USU senior wide receiver Stanley Morrison said his team cannot look too far forward to the bowl game.
“You can’t just dwell on the win from this weekend,” Morrison said. “We have to keep grinding, keep practicing and go out there and try to win. You can’t slack off just because we reached our goal of being bowl eligible.”
All things considered, there isn’t much left to play for from either Aggie football team, but Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said he wants to beat NMSU to get his team’s seventh win this season.
“It’s important to get seven wins,” Andersen said. “It’s something that hasn’t been done here for 32 years.”
The last time the Aggies achieved so many wins during the regular season was in 1979.
Utah State will rely on junior running back Robert Turbin, who has 1,318 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns this year.
The 5-foot-10 California native needs just one rushing score to break the all-time career rushing touchdown school record, which he is currently tied with Aggie great Abu Wilson at 40.
Turbin will be taking handoffs from junior quarterback Adam Kennedy, who was given the starting spot when freshman Chuckie Keeton was injured earlier this season.
“Adam’s done a great job,” Andersen said. “He’s won four games in a row.”
Kennedy has seven touchdowns to three interceptions since coming on in the first half of the Hawaii game Nov. 5.
Andersen said anything could happen Saturday.
“They’re just like everybody in this league,” he said. “It’s going to go right down to the wire.”
New Mexico State’s biggest threat will be senior wide receiver Taveon Rogers, who has 11 total touchdowns, three of which came from kickoff returns.
“He is good at the wide receiver spot,” Andersen said. “Obviously what he does in the return game is tremendous — he is very gifted back there.”
Last season, Rogers set an NCAA record for return yards before Utah State’s own Kerwynn Williams ended the season ahead of him.
Under center for NMSU is freshman quarterback Travaughn Colwell. The 6-foot-3 Texas native completed 15 of his 25 passes last week against Louisiana Tech, but threw three picks in the shutout loss.
USU senior defensive end Quinn Garner said the crimson-clad Aggies are a team that will not just give up.
“They’re scrappy, and they fight — even with their record where it’s at,” Garner said. “They’re still proud of playing and they aren’t going to just lie down there.”
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu