Last week Utah State had a subpar performance against the UConn Huskies where the offense struggled at points, losing two fumbles, but did break the 30 mark with 31 points while UConn scored 20.

Utah State at Alabama

Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Line: Alabama (-41.5), provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

Date/Time: Saturday, September 3rd; 7:30 PM EST

Television: FS1

History: Utah State has met the Tide twice, one in 2004 and once in 2005, and both resulted in Crimson Tide wins.

Three things to watch for:

Can Utah State find another receiver?

Brian Cobbs did a nice job for Utah State last weekend, getting 78 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. The Aggies need to be able to find reliable replacements to go to, especially as the season moves on.

Can Utah State do a better job defending the run?

Against UConn, the Aggies struggled in run defense, giving up 245 rushing yards to the Huskies. The defense needs to be able to make a stronger presence with pressure and tackle Alabama running backs and receivers on short passing plays.

Can Utah State be consistently offensively?

Utah State put up yards. Plenty of them. However, the Aggies were only able to score 31 points and went 6-15 on third down and 0-1 on 4th down. The Aggies not only need to do better on third down but they also need to be able to move the ball in the red zone.

Analysis

Last week was Utah State’s chance to wake-up and they answered the call later than most thought they would. This is where the real season start for Utah State: In the most challenging game of the season against the Crimson Tide.

While Utah State was able to find their footing against UConn but that isn’t going to be the case this week. Alabama doesn’t have a problem as the Crimson Tide rolls to victory.

Prediction: Alabama: 45; Utah State: 10