Weber State (0-1) at Utah State (0-1)
Saturday, September 10th, 2011, 6:00 PM MST
Romney Stadium
Utah State QB Chuckie Keeton
Here’s the Deal…
With Boise State leaving the WAC the race for the conference championship is wide open. Utah State has been down for several years but this year they believe they can make a real move. Head coach Gary Andersen, previously a defensive coordinator at Utah, has had a rocky first two years with the Aggies. Both years Andersen’s squads finished 4-8. The Aggies took defending National Champion Auburn down to the wire and nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. The Aggies were up 38-28 with just over two minutes left in the game but squandered that lead and lost. Although the Aggies didn’t win, QB Chuckie Keeton walked away with great experience in his first start. Utah State should be confident they can hang with every team they play. The Aggies were also the top trending topic on Twitter early Saturday afternoon. That’s quite the accomplishment.
Utah State and Weber State are only a 45-minute drive from each other but haven’t played each other in 10 years. Weber State head coach Ron McBride is no stranger to the Aggies. Before he took over the reins at Weber State he coached at the University of Utah for 13 years and posted a 11-2 record against the Aggies. Weber State has had some of its best years in school history under McBride. Weber State opened its 2011 season with a close loss on the road just like Utah State. The Wildcats were on top of Wyoming 32-28 before they gave up a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game. The Wildcats and Aggies both have bitter tastes in their mouths as they each look for their first win of the season.
Why Utah State Might Win:
Utah State has a lot of special playmakers on offense and special teams. RB Robert Turbin missed all of ’10 with a knee injury after rushing for nearly 1,300 yards and 23 touchdowns in ’09. Turbin racked up 70 yards and 2 touchdowns against Auburn last week and looks to be as good, if not better than before his injury. Alongside Turbin is Kerwynn Williams, a smaller and shiftier RB. Williams also returns kickoffs for the Aggies and lead the WAC last year averaging 27.2 yards per kickoff return. Utah State also has WRs Matt Austin and Michael Smith that can pick up chunks of yardage at a time. Weber State is going to need to have a stellar game defensively to be able to slow down Utah State’s skill players. If Weber State decides to pick their poison and focus on one, the other is going to burn them. Utah State should be able to rack up another 400+ yard games offensively like they did last week and outscore the Wildcats.
Why Weber State Might Win:
Weber State isn’t shabby on offense either. In their loss last week to Wyoming the Wildcats had 540 yards offensively. Just like Aggies QB Chuckie Keeton, Wildcats QB Mike Hoke also made his first collegiate start last week. Hoke had 314 yards in the air and 2 touchdowns. Hoke’s favorite target was freshman WR Xavian Johnson, making him a prime target for Utah State’s defense. Johnson finished with 7 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. Utah State can’t overlook RB Josh Booker either. Booker shared carries last year with two other RBs and averaged 50 yards per game. This year Booker will take the bulk of the carries. In week one Booker rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown. Weber State will need Hoke, Johnson, and Booker to play like they did last week to have a chance to beat the Aggies.
What To Watch Out For:
Look no further than the defenses on both teams. Utah State and Weber State have both proven two things thus far. First, they rack up yards and score points; second they surrender a lot of yards and points. Last year the Aggies gave up 33.8 points a game and the Wildcats gave up 31.1. Utah State ranked 100 or worst in the country in 3 of the 4 major statistical categories. Utah State LB Bobby Wagner was the lone bright spot for the Aggies last year earning All-WAC honors. Wagner will need to spark the Aggies defense and keep them motivated. The team that forces the first three-and-out will control the game defensively and win.
What Will Happen:
Utah State has a lot to earn by coming out and dominating Weber State. They have the nation’s attention now and look as confident as they have in years. Freshman QB Chuckie Keeton will come out and put on another outstanding performance and prove he’s not just a one-hit wonder. Weber State is still going to score but Utah State will do a better job managing the game and getting stops on defense when they need to.
JIB Prediction: Utah State 34 – Weber State 17
