Ready, break: Football team set for Mid Tenn
The 2-5 Utah State football team will try for its third win of the season in an effort to spoil the celebration plans for the 3-4 Blue Raiders Saturday, when USU takes on Middle Tennessee in its homecoming game.
Utah State will be trying to match its offensive output during last year’s game against Middle Tennessee. Travis Cox threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns and David Fiefia had 101 yards on the ground and 102 yards through the air. USU produced 495 yards of total offense in its 41-20 victory over the Blue Raiders.
Saturday’s game will be the second of four straight road games for the Aggies. USU is only 1-3 away from home this season but the Ags are coming off a bye week and, under Mick Dennehy, the USU is 5-3 after a week off.
“Practice last week went pretty well,” head coach Dennehy said. “The kids attitudes appear to be upbeat. I think we got some things done and we were able
to rest some kids.”
If the Aggies did lose to the Blue Raiders, that would eliminate any chance Utah State had at a winning record this season.
“This is going to be a big game for us,” linebacker Matt Wiser said. “It starts off our last four games. I think it is a big step because we need to take it game by game and this is the first one coming down the stretch and having a chance to have a winning season.
“Coming off a bye week, we have the soreness out of us a little bit so now we can come out and play our game and hopefully come out of these last four games 4-0 and have a winning season.”
If the Aggies win it would stop their three game losing streak.
One of the reasons the Aggies have lost three straight is the lack of production from their running game, Dennehy said. In their last game against Clemson, they totaled negative 20 yards on the ground thanks to 11 sacks by the Tigers.
“We are going to continue to run the ball and get back to some of the things we have done well in the past,” Dennehy said. “It is such a grab bag trying to find a running back and trying to get the ball into some of our wide receivers’ hands. I think we have wasted a little bit of time and gotten away from our base running game.”
Aside from the running game, Utah State has 15 different players that have recorded receptions this year and 12 straight games of passes completed to at least seven different receivers.
Travis Cox has also thrown a touchdown pass in 17 of his 19 career starts and has also accounted for 10 of the Aggies 12 touchdowns this season, eight of those touchdowns coming through the air and he scrambled for two more.
Middle Tennessee’s defensive line might be a point of concern for the Aggies coming off the 11-sack performance at Clemson.
Dennehy said Middle Tennessee’s defensive line is very deep. He also said they are pretty big and play physical but they aren’t the kind of athletes the Aggies faced in Clemson.
“They are not as fast and not as rangy but they are very physical,” Dennehy said. “I like their linebackers. [Alvin] Fite is a very good football player. They are young in the secondary and people have thrown the ball on them some.”
Saturday’s game will start at 1 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. In Murfreesboro, Tenn.
-kcaustin@cc.usu.edu