Staff Picks – Utah State at San Diego State
Dalton Renshaw – @dren_sports
Utah State is currently a four point favorite on Saturday morning, which at first glance, surprised me a little bit. But when you start to dig in, you realize that might be pretty conservative in favor of the Aztecs. Defensively, San Diego State and Utah State are almost identical. Both rely on stopping the run first and are led by tremendously talented linebackers Kyahva Tezino and David Woodward, respectively. But what is clearly different between these two schools is how much better one is on offense than the other.
Utah State has Jordan Love, two very capable running backs and a group of receivers that might be the best the program has seen in a while. The offensive line is very new, yes, but the unit has played well and has given up two sacks up to this point. The Aggies will take advantage of San Diego State’s dysfunctional secondary and Love will throw for 300 yards-plus. Even if star running back Juwan Washington is out for the Aztecs (he’s listed as questionable), the backups are good enough to carry the load and San Diego State will do fine on the ground. But, that’s not enough to keep up with Utah State’s offense and 30 points will be hard to reach.
Now, this is my optimistic view of the game. I could very easily Love being forced to make bad throws leading to interceptions with the way Rocky Long sets up San Diego State’s 3-3-5 defense. Oh, and then there’s the 52-year long string of loses that the Aggies need to overcome. All of this considered, I still back the blue.
Prediction: Utah State 34 San Diego State 27
Joseph Crook – @Crooked_sports
After crushing Stony Brook two weeks ago, I expect Utah State to be confident going into tonight’s game. Confidence, however, does not always negate the rust that can build up over a bye week. Tonight, the Aggies will face off against the San Diego State Aztecs, a team on a three-game win-streak. They’ve done this with a staunch defense that’s only allowed an average of eight points per game. Expect the Aggies to come out slow on offense. Luckily, the Aztecs seem to have little to no idea what to do on the offensive side of the ball. They look to grind it out on the ground and pass only as a last resort. If the Aggies are able to work off the rust early, they shouldn’t have any issue outscoring the Aztecs. But don’t expect a high powered offensive game. Call me a homer or whatever you’d like, but I have the Aggies earning the victory.
Prediction: Utah State 28 San Diego 24
Scott Froehlich
The Aggies will be riding high as they hit the field against the San Diego State Aztecs, following a huge victory against Stony Brook two weeks ago. Having bounced back from a heart-breaking loss a week prior, the win showcased the level of talent USU fans are accustomed to seeing, with Jordan Love passing for just under 300 yards and Jaylen Warren rushing for 105 in a 62-7 rout.
Looking ahead to the team’s first conference game against the Aztecs, Utah State will need to be as disciplined and on point in order to win. It’s not as if San Diego State has faced too many talented teams up to this point, but the team’s defense has been stifling, allowing an average of only eight points per game. If the Aggies can move the ball well, both on the ground and in the air, they can keep up with the Aztecs and pull out a win. But if San Diego State plays to its strengths, look for a long night for USU.
Prediction: Utah State 24 San Diego State 21
Jason Walker – @thejwalk67
In Week 1, I decided to go against history and trust Utah State would overcome its inability to win key games on the road against good teams. This week I won’t do that.
I think USU is the better team in this matchup, but I believed the same in the prelude to the Wake Forest game. As the old saying goes, games aren’t played on paper and the Aggies haven’t shown they can seal the deal against good teams, especially on the road, even when they are better on paper.
Adding to these historic woes, since joining the Mountain West, Utah State is 2-8 on the road against MW teams that finished above .500. The Aggies are 6-18 in all MW games versus conference foes that finished with winning records. Then there’s the fact that USU is 1-12 all-time against SDSU including 0-10 since 1967.
Coming off a bye week could help the Aggies. USU has won its last eight games after a bye, including wins over two ranked opponents (No. 19 Louisiana Tech in 2012 and No. 18 BYU in 2014) and four teams with winning records by season’s end. However, six of those wins were under Matt Wells. Gary Andersen was 2-3 after an off week in his first stint with the Aggies.
The key to this game will be Utah State limiting its turnovers, specifically Love with interceptions, and whether or not San Diego State will be capable of exploiting the weaknesses in the Aggies’ secondary.
Despite the all-inclusive pessimism, I think this should be a close and exciting game. Jordan Love will likely finish with a lot of yards under his belt as he powers the offense, just like he always does. But given Love’s unfortunate habit of making one or two bad mistakes in key games, the elite yard and touchdown totals and leading of the offense will be offset.
Prediction: San Diego State 24 Utah State 23