Utah State football vs. Wake Forest preview

This is where the fun begins.

Utah State football hasn’t exactly shown fans many surprises two games into its 2017 campaign. The Aggies stole one good quarter from Wisconsin before getting crushed in their money game, only to reverse the script six days later by trampling Idaho State in their cream puff game.

Now, a true test. On the road in rarely-visited ACC territory, Utah State faces off against Wake Forest (2-0) in a game that ought to expose an awful lot about Coach Wells’ squad this fall.

“You see them building a program,” Wells said in this week’s presser, “and last year they get a top-25 win in a bowl game against a really good Temple team. I remember watching that game and seeing a lot of those guys now on tape, and they’ve gotten bigger and stronger.”

Indeed Wake Forest seems to be coming into its own this year, fresh off a breakout bowl season and a convincing 34-10 manhandling of Boston College — on the road, no less. This Saturday is considered a must-win game for the Demon Deacons, at home against a group of five opponent with well-documented road struggles (USU is 8-19 on the road under Wells). The defensive line is particularly fearsome, with senior Duke Ejiofor leading an experienced group of disruptive players and Jessie Bates III providing downfield support. Coach Wells put it simply –

“You can’t throw it to him. He does a good job of catching it when you throw it to him. Boston College threw it right to him and he did a nice job of catching it.”

This makes for a healthy challenge for Aggie QB Kent Myers, who dazzled in last week’s outing against Idaho State to the tune of 24-26 passing, though he still recorded his fourth interception of the season. It was a confidence-building game for the senior, and the success of this team will largely depend on his ability to play mistake-free on Saturday.

Perhaps even more intriguing is whether or not the surprising success of the Aggie offensive line will continue. This is a unit that gave up one sack to No. 9 Wisconsin and played four quarters of penalty-free football week one, before backing it up with a similar performance against the Bengals. Dave Yost’s efficient spread offense is certainly a contributing factor, easing the burden placed on the OL by dialing up quick, cutting yards on the ground and similarly efficient passing downs. Even so, this group has already outperformed expectations — a strong showing against the Wake Forest pass rush would only solidify the line as a formidable difference-maker come conference play.

Also, keep an eye on USU’s running back situation for Eltoro Allen. The JUCO transfer may have earned himself touches after a stellar performance against Idaho State, tallying 19 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.

If the Aggies are to steal this road game, it’ll be by winning the turnover battle. Cliche? Sure it is, but against Wake Forest it’s a necessity to limit mistakes to basically zero. The Demon Deacons thrive on a consistent, methodical offense led by senior quarterback John Wolford that avoids the risk of explosive plays while feasting on opponents’ missteps. Utah State has several impact players patrolling the secondary, senior CB Jalen Davis in particular, who could negate this slow risk-free approach and turn the game on its head with one big play.

Utah State isn’t facing impossible odds Saturday, but against a Wake Forest team reaching its prime there will be little room for error. If Myers is sharp and well-protected, the Aggie defense should provide enough support to earn one of the better road wins for the program in the Matt Wells era. If any one phase of the game should falter, the Aggies drop to 1-2 with another road game looming before returning home to face BYU.

Utah State (1-1) will face Wake Forest (2-0) on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 1 p.m. (MT). The game will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra and is available to watch via ESPN3 with Bill Roth (play-by-play) and Christian Ponder (analyst) on the call. Live audio of the game is available on www.UtahStateAggies.com.