Cancer awareness game set for Saturday
Utah State football (4-3, 1-1 MW) will face UNLV (2-5, 1-2 MW) Saturday at Romney Stadium in Logan, Utah. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. and is Utah State’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game.
This is the first year the USU athletic department has partnered with Relay for Life, the leading cancer fundraiser in the nation, to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Last year, the Utah State chapter of Relay for Life raised $30,000 for cancer awareness.
According to Steve Wilcox, the president of the Relay for Life committee at Utah State, the athletic department will donate four dollars of every ticket to the game that the Relay for Life sold. They will donate the same amount for any call-in ticket sales where the caller mentioned cancer.
Relay for Life will have a booth set up at the pre-game tailgating party Saturday where those interested can make donations and find more information. They will also have a booth inside the stadium during the game.
Saturday in Fort Collins, Colo., facing Colorado State, Utah State lost second-string quarterback Darell Garretson to an arm injury. Chuckle Keeton, who began the season as the starter, is still sidelined with a knee injury leaving the Aggies to start third-string senior Craig Harrison.
“He (Harrison) doesn’t have to win it by himself, but he has to play efficiently, distribute the ball to our receivers and help run our offense,” coach Matt Wells said. “He needs to do his part, but we have to rally around him and surround him. We need to play elite defense. We need to run the ball and protect the kid. There’s no magic potion, there aren’t any magic words. It’s not an individual deal; it’s a team thing.”
Garretson is set to have surgery and is likely lost for the season, according to Wells. With Garretson included, Utah State has now lost six starting players to injuries this season.
“They believe in each other,” Wells said. “We trust in them and they trust in us, it’s not a cliché, we’ve changed the culture here. These guys are tough-minded and we’ll do it all together.”
Utah State is coming off its first road-conference loss in the last three years. It was also only the second time in the last 30 games that USU hasn’t forced a turnover during the game. UNLV is currently fifth in the Mountain West Conference West Division coming off their first conference win two weeks ago against Fresno State.
“I think they’re a good front,” said sophomore Austin Stephens, the Utah State center from Iowa. “They’re going to have good players. We have to be ready. Up front, we just have to sit and do our jobs. As the week goes on, we’ll watch film and we’ll be ready for them.”
On offense, UNLV will be led by quarterback Blake Decker who has thrown for over 1,600 yards so far this season. Defensively the Rebels are led by linebacker Tau Lotulelei who has a team-high 54 tackles.
“They’re a really good group and they’re solid up front but we’ve played big guys,” said Jordan Neilson, a junior defensive end for Utah State. “We need to come out hard and know that we’re coming off a loss and we need this win.”