UTAH STATE AGGIES

Utah State Hoping To Bounce Back In Home Opener Against San Diego State

Oct 30, 2020, 3:47 PM | Updated: Apr 18, 2021, 4:10 pm

Utah State's Cash Gilliam (5) and Kevin Meitzenheimer combine on a tackle against Boise State on Sa...

Utah State's Cash Gilliam (5) and Kevin Meitzenheimer combine on a tackle against Boise State on Saturday night at Albertsons Stadium in Boise Idaho. (Wade Denniston/USU Athletics)

(Wade Denniston/USU Athletics)

LOGAN, Utah – After losing their season opener to Boise State, 42-13 on the road last week, the Utah State Aggies are hoping to bounce back at home this Saturday.

The Aggies were only able to rack up 203 yards of total offense. They had just 45 total yards on offense in the first half against the Broncos. Utah State will host San Diego State in their home opener this Saturday. The Aztecs are coming off of a 34-6 home win over UNLV last week.

Last season, Utah State went on the road to Qualcomm Stadium and beat SDSU, 23-17. That win for the Aggies was the first over the Aztecs in the history of the series after losing the previous 9 games dating back to 1971. Since joining the Mountain West Conference in 2013, USU is 1-2 against San Diego State.

Utah State Needs To Be Physical Running The Football

Of the 203 yards of total offense against Boise State, 111 of them came on the ground, led by Jaylen Warren with 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

Andersen said that the run game is very important to their offensive success.

“The run game is a big part of who we want to be, it will set up the play action, it will set up the boot game and we need to be unpredictable as far as when we’re running it more we’re throwing it and moving it around,” Utah State head coach Gary Andersen told the media this week. “If you’re going to win this side of the conference, and be competitive in this side year in and year out to really be in a spot to win the conference championship, you’re going to have to be physical in running the football and have an extremely tough football team. On both sides of the ball. I think a lot of that starts with the mentality of your guys up front and your mentality of your football team, and we got the running backs, we just got to make sure we give him an opportunity to have those creases.

Former Ute Jason Shelley’s debut wasn’t what he probably expected, passing for 92 yards and one interception.

San Diego State

In the Aztecs’ win over the Rebels last week, the offense posted 424 yards of total offense, 137 passing and 287 rushing. Their physical defense limited UNLV to just 186 total yards, 106 passing and 80 rushing.

“This offensive line is extremely physical, I think much more so than they were a year ago up front, quite frankly, a lot of the same players but they’re big dudes, when you see them out there, they’re big physical guys,” Andersen said. “Their running backs, they say they’ve got five that could roll through there and play when I watched the TV copy of the game quickly and they probably do. Same thing with San Diego State, tremendous running backs, a lot of skill on the outside that can really run. The the kind of the punch with the running backs is they’re all fast. A couple of them are blazing fast, but they’ll put it on you, they like to run angry like our running backs to run angry.

“It’s impressive and that’s why they’re always in it,” Andersen added. “They may have a down year, they may be here they may be there. They’re gonna compete for a championship. That’s why they’re, I believe they were slated to win it this year on their side and because of their physicality, toughness and athleticism, they’re right in there every single year. It’s a big challenge when you got them on their schedule and we look forward to it.”

Sophomore quarterback Carson Baker went 12-of-25 passing for 137 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back Greg Bell racked up 111 yards on the ground on 19 carries and one touchdown. Junior Kaegun Williams added 84 rushing yards, while junior Chance Bell chipped in 40 yards and two scores.

Utah State and San Diego State will square off at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

  • Utah State Aggies Scoreboard

  • Utah State Aggies Team Leaders

  • Utah State Aggies Standings

Utah State Aggies

Stew Morrill Court Utah State Aggies women's basketball Wesley Brooks...

Brian Preece

Utah State Basketball Bolsters Guardline With Second In-State WAC Transfer

USU attacked the transfer portal and added another prize when former Southern Utah freshman Braden Housley committed to becoming an Aggie.

4 days ago

Dee Glen Smith Spectrum...

Brian Preece

Sophomore Forward Tucker Anderson Commits To Utah State Men’s Basketball

Former McDonald's All-American nominee Tucker Anderson will be taking his basketball talents to Utah State University for 2024-25.

4 days ago

utah-state-wide-receiver-terrell-vaughn...

Chandler Holt

Utah State WR Terrell Vaughn Receives Camp Invite From Seattle Seahawks

Utah State Aggies wide receiver Terrell Vaughn received an invite to the Seattle Seahawks rookie minicamp on Tuesday.

4 days ago

mia tarver usu...

Brian Preece

USU Women’s Basketball Adds Pair Of In-State Guards Under Wes Brooks

Utah State women's basketball is building a strong recruiting class and leaning on in-state talent to rebuild the program under Wes Brooks.

4 days ago

Jacob Conover, BYU Football, Arizona State...

Brian Preece

Former BYU Quarterback Visits Utah State Aggies

Former BYU and Arizona State QB Jacob Conover is in the NCAA transfer portal and recently took a visit to Logan and Utah State University.

4 days ago

Hale-Motu'apuaka-Utah-State...

Kyle Ireland

Former Utah State DT Hale Motu’apuaka Earns Mini Camp Invite From Colts

Former Utah State defensive tackle Hale Motu’apuaka received a rookie mini camp invite from the Indianapolis Colts.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @kslsports...

KSL Give-A-Thon

The KSL Sports Zone, KSL 5 TV, FM100.3, 103.5 The Arrow, and KSL NewsRadio have teamed up to raise money for the kids being served by Primary Children’s Care!

ksl-sports-newsletter...

KSL Sports

KSL Sports Newsletter: Sign Up Now

Sign up today for the KSL Sports newsletter. Get the latest Utah sports news delivered to your inbox.

...

KSL Sports

Jazz Notes Newsletter: Sign Up Now

Sign up today for the Jazz Notes newsletter. Get insider analysis, game recaps and opportunities to win tickets!

Follow @kslsports...

The Road Home Mediathon 2023

The KSL Sports Zone and KSLSports.com are proud to support the all-day Mediathon 2023 at the Road Home, an annual tradition to raise money and other essential items for the Road Home, a Homeless Shelter.

3 kids wearing real salt lake jerseys smiling...

Real Salt Lake

6 Reasons You Need to Experience a RSL Matchday

RSL Games are a great way to spend time with your family with fun activities, good food, and traditions you can only experience at the field.

High angle view of the beautiful Rose Bowl Stadium...

KSL Digital Sales

How to Prepare for the 2023 Rose Bowl

Everything you need to know to plan your 2023 Rose Bowl trip in Pasadena, California. This year, the Utes will face Penn State.

Utah State Hoping To Bounce Back In Home Opener Against San Diego State