UNLV @ Utah State: No Time for Disappointments

Location: Logan, UT (Maverik Stadium)

Date/Time: Saturday, October 13^th at 2:00 p.m. (MDT)

Television: N/A

Streaming: Facebook (Stadium)

Radio: Aggie Sports Network (92.3 FM local)

Head-to-Head: The Aggies are 18-7 all-time against UNLV, winning the last four.

ICYMI: I talked with Aggies RB Eltoro Allen about last week’s victory over BYU and what it means to the team

The win over BYU is exciting, just look at this GIF and tell me it isn’t:

While it’s monumental, the Aggies can’t get caught sleeping against UNLV.

What to look for:

How Do the Aggies Take Advantage of Rogers’ Absence?

- It’s no secret that UNLV QB Armani Rogers is talented. It’s also no secret that without him, the Rebels are not nearly as competitive. They were without Rogers in their matchup against New Mexico this past weekend, a game they lost 50-14. He’s out again this week, and Utah State’s defense is going to be chomping at the bit.

Utah State’s Focus with a Big Game Next Week

- Next Saturday, the Aggies head to Laramie for their first conference road game. It’s a crucial point in USU’s season, but they can’t get caught looking ahead and fall into a Vegas-sized trap. The best teams play their season one game at a time, focusing on every team no matter what their perceived skill level may be.

Attacking a Weak Rebels Defense

- Through five games, UNLV is allowing 424.8 yards of offense to its opponents, which includes 206.4 average rushing yards. That’s a dangerous stat when considering the runningback talent Utah State has. Darwin Thompson ran for 109 yards while Gerold Bright collected 61 yards on the ground. Eltoro Allen and Morian Walker Jr. can also make big plays when given open space, so if the Rebs want to stay in this game, they’ll have to work on that run D.

Putting Points Up

- So far, Utah State has been putting up crazy amounts of points, 50.2 points per game to be exact. While it isn’t as important as simply winning, keeping that hot scoring pace going can really make a difference. It keeps a team confident, and that attitude can put/keep a team like Utah State into conference championship form.

No “What They Have to Say” this week, sorry!

PREDICTION:

- Do I think this game is going to be close? Well … no. Does that mean I don’t respect UNLV? Absolutely not. They’re a team full of players hungry to be their best and hungry for a big win. The Aggies need to be careful here not to overlook the Rebels. If USU can focus, they can get the job done early. The run game needs to take advantage of a poor UNLV run defense, and Jordan Love has to keep improving and extend that no-interceptions streak to four games.

FINAL SCORE: Utah State 56, UNLV 17

What’re your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments.

Follow Alex Eiden (UnderDogsAlways) on Twitter @alexyatta_ and follow the MountainWestConnection @MWCConnection