USU football take on Aggies from New Mexico State
There should be no surprise to Utah State fans which team will win Saturday’s Aggie bowl.
USU will kick off against the New Mexico State Aggies at 2 p.m. in Romney Stadium for a Western Athletic Conference matchup that could have bowl game implications.
Utah State needs one more win to become bowl eligible and enters the game fresh off a decisive 49-27 victory over San Jose State, in what was supposed to be a down-to-the-wire game. It was Utah State’s highest scoring game this season.
“They were 4-1 walking into that game,” said Utah State head coach Gary Andersen. “They played Stanford right down to the wire so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Especially with the last couple of years, our games against San Jose State have been very tightly contested. I thought our kids handled the trip well, I thought they prepared very well during the week, especially after a tough loss to BYU.”
Last week, the Aggie defense racked up a school-record 13 sacks against the Spartans. Against the red-clad Aggies to the South, USU should have no trouble limiting the options of NMSU sophomore quarterback Andrew Manley.
Manley averages more than 270 passing yards per game, but has been under center in each of New Mexico State’s five-straight losses this season. With six interceptions to his 11 passing touchdowns, Manley connects often with sophomore wideout Austin Franklin to spearhead the Aggie attack.
Franklin has caught seven touchdown passes this season and averages 17.7 yards per reception. The 6-foot-2 Dallas, Texas, native has already put up 742 yards this year.
“We recruited Austin Franklin and we know all about him,” Andersen said. “He is a good kid, a good football player and that is definitely their go-to guy. You have got to try and equalize him. He is going to get his touches because he is the centerpiece of that offense.”
The ground game is another story for New Mexico State. The NMSU offense averages a meager 85 yards rushing, more than 10 yards fewer than Utah State usually allows.
USU opponents have scored an average of about 12 points per game, compared to NMSU’s average of 24 points scored.
“On the offensive side of the football, they have some good receivers,” Andersen said. “They want to throw the ball first without a question and that is their mindset. They do a nice job of getting the ball out on time and getting it out quickly.”
Offensively, Utah State should have no problems moving the ball. New Mexico State opponents rack up an average of 441 yards per game.
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The USU duo of sophomore quarterback Chuckie Keeton and senior running back Kerwynn Williams should have little trouble making big plays against a weak defense in front of a home crowd.
Andersen said it will be interesting to see how the NMSU defense reacts to Keeton’s abillity to extend plays under pressure with his feet.
“They like to change it up and show you some different fronts, so it is a difficult defense,” Andersen said. “It will be a little bit different for us to be able to prepare for and again the pressure that they bring, pressure in a lot of different ways from a lot of different spots.”
The receiving duo of seniors Matt Austin and Chuck Jacobs will pose a big threat for the NMSU secondary. The two have combined for eight receiving touchdowns this season and are capable of breaking a big gain on any play.
“We want to get in a position to contend and play and win a WAC Championship,” Andersen said.
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @StuckiAggies