WAC football title on the line
Saturday’s game between Utah State and No. 19 Louisiana Tech will in all likelihood be the Western Athletic Conference championship game. Both teams sit at 4-0 in the WAC with one game to be played after this weekend.
“Obviously, the Louisiana Tech game is a huge game for the Aggies and a huge game for the Bulldogs,” said Utah State head coach Gary Andersen. “It’s a great accomplishment by both sides to get to the point where both teams are.”
Utah State enters the game with an 8-2 record while La. Tech is 9-1. A combined seven points at the hands of Wisconsin, BYU and Texas A&M separate these teams from being a perfect 20-0 this season.
La. Tech has the second-best scoring offense in the nation, putting up an average of 53.4 points per game. The only team to hold the Bulldogs to fewer than 44 points was New Mexico State when La. Tech missed three field goals and entered halftime with seven points.
Louisiana Tech is led by senior quarterback Colby Cameron who has 3,283 passing yards and a 71 completion percentage. The Newbury Park, Calif., native has 30 total touchdowns this season and has set an active NCAA record for consecutive career pass attempts without an interception at 419.
Wide receiver Quinton Patton’s 1,086 yards and 11 touchdown catches are a complement to running back Kenneth Dixon’s 1,052 yards rushing and 24 rushing touchdowns in a fast-paced, well-balanced offense.
Andersen said the Aggie defense will have to substitute well to keep control of the game.
“When Louisiana Tech feels that they’ve got you tired, they are going to put the pedal to the metal,” Andersen said. “They are going to say keep the same personnel group on the field and they are going to come after you. We cannot let fatigue be a factor to us. You may have to strategically use a timeout here and there to let you catch your breath if you need to.”
Utah State ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 13.5 points per game. The Aggies have only allowed more than 20 points in a game twice this season, 27 to San Jose State on the road and against Utah in overtime. USU won both games.
The Aggies have outscored opponents 103-6 in the first quarter, a testament to the strength of the USU defense.
Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Dykes said Utah State has the strongest defense the Bulldogs will have faced.
“They have really been dominant,” he said in a press conference Monday. “You just look at them and they are never out of play. Guys are in sync and they just know how to play good defensive football.”
Utah State’s defense is led in part by senior safety Will Davis, who has one interception in each of the past three games. Against Texas State, Davis
picked off a pass in the end zone to prevent what could have been the first Bobcat touchdown against the Aggies.
“They are really playing lights out defensively,” Dykes said.
USU is tied for ninth in the nation in red-zone defense, holding teams to 10 touchdowns and nine field goals in 29 appearances, an average of about 10 red-zone points per game.
As frightening as the Aggie “D” may be, La. Tech sophomore safety Mike Schrang is more concerned with stopping USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton.
“They have good players,” Schrang said. “Keeton is a very good quarterback. He makes plays on his feet and though the air. They have a good offensive line. They have playmakers on that side of the ball that we are going to have to stop.”
Keeton leads the Aggies offense well, facilitating 23 touchdowns through the air. He has the ability to extend broken plays with his scrambling ability out of the pocket. Keeton has a variety of weapons to use including senior receiver Matt Austin, who leads the Aggies in receptions, yards and touchdown catches.
“We’re definitely a dynamic team this year,” Keeton said. “But we have to just take whatever the defense is giving us and as long as we don’t make any mental errors, play smart with the football and try not to turn it over, that’s definitely going to help us out.”
The Aggies also rely heavily on senior running back Kerwynn Williams, who has 12 total touchdowns. The Las Vegas native surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season and 2,000 in his career in the win over Texas State but adds a larger dynamic in his knack for finding his way into the passing game.
Williams is tied with Austin for the most catches on the team and has 499 receiving yards – many of which have come by way of well-executed screen passes that go for big chunks of yards.
Williams said he has a little more personal motivation for Saturday’s game because of the conference championship implications.
“This is my last chance to get one, so it’s a big game for me personally,” Williams said. “Louisiana Tech was the team that knocked us out of contention last year, so to be able to face them this year for the WAC championship is big.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Joe Ailllet Stadium in Ruston, La.
“We are going to need to play well,” Dykes said. “We are going to need to play better than we have been. It is going to need to be one of our best efforts this year to have a chance to win.”
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @StuckiAggies