Tag: Utah State

Chiefs held pre-draft meeting with Utah State QB Logan Bonner

Perhaps some backup quarterback competition for the #Chiefs in the future:

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to do their homework on prospects with just over a month to go until the 2023 NFL draft.

According to KPRC2 NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs are one of five teams to have met with Utah State QB Logan Bonner. He just completed his pro day workout in front of several NFL teams, running a 4.70s 40-yard dash and recording a 32-inch vertical jump at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds according to Wilson.

In the past two seasons at Utah State, Bonner completed over 60% of his passes for 4,381 yards, 42 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Efficiency, arm talent and accuracy are the names of the game for Bonner. He was the Offensive MVP of the Mountain West Championship Game in 2021 after setting a Mountain West record for most touchdown passes in a single game (4).

Bonner started just four games in 2022 before a foot injury took him out for the rest of the season. He recovered from that injury and played in the 2023 Tropical Bowl, also participating in the 2023 College Gridiron Showcase.

The Chiefs are clearly set at the quarterback position with Patrick Mahomes leading the way. Shane Buechele is expected to get a shot to earn the backup quarterback job in Kansas City with Chad Henne having retired after Super Bowl LVII. The team won’t simply hand over the job to Buechele, though. Last year, the team entered rookie minicamp with five quarterbacks on the 90-man offseason roster. They only have three on the off-season roster with Chris Oladokun rounding out the group. Bonner certainly would make sense as a priority free agent addition after the draft.

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March Madness 2023: Best bets (Utah State!) in the South Region

An upset brewing for Missouri and banking Baylor in the South Region.

The South Region of the men’s NCAA tournament bracket is an absolute gauntlet.

Aside from No. 1 overall seed Alabama, there’s No. 4 Virginia, No. 3 Baylor, No. 2 Arizona and No. 6 Creighton lurking and ready to fight their way to the Final Four.

So how do you make sense of who to bet on in such a stacked region? We’ve got you covered.

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Here are three of the best bets you can make on 16 teams who will have to go through Louisville if they want to make it to the national championship in Houston.

Tennessee expected to hire Utah State offensive line coach Micah James

Tennessee is expected to hire former Utah State offensive line coach Micah James as an analyst. He was a graduate assistant under Josh Heupel at UCF in 2018.

Tennessee is expected to hire former Utah State offensive line coach Micah James as an analyst, according to Matt Zenitz with On3 Sports.

James will reunite with head coach Josh Heupel, who he served as a graduate assistant for at UCF in 2018.

He most recently served as the offensive line coach at Utah State. Under James, the Aggies had two offensive linemen receive all-conference honorable mention selections.

James played two seasons at Middle Tennessee State and Georgia Military College. He was a team captain and earned first-team all-conference honors as an offensive lineman for the Blue Raiders.

James started his coaching career as an offensive graduate assistant at Arkansas State in 2014. He was run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Faulkner University in 2016.

His first Power Five coaching opportunity came in 2017 at Maryland, serving as an offensive graduate assistant.

After working under Heupel as a graduate assistant, James accepted a position at UMass as co-offensive line coach. Under James, Larnel Coleman earned all-Independent honors and was included on the Outland Trophy watch list. Dalton Tomlison was also selected to the Rimington Trophy watch list during the same season.

As a collegiate coach, James has been part of three conference championship teams and coached in four bowl games.

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Memphis vs Utah State SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Memphis vs Utah State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Tuesday, December 27

Memphis vs Utah State prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, Tuesday, December 27

Memphis vs Utah State SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Memphis vs Utah State How To Watch

Date: Tuesday, December 27
Game Time: 3:15 ET
Venue: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Memphis (6-6), Utah State (6-6)
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Memphis vs Utah State SERVPRO First Responder Bowl 5 Things To Know

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Memphis crashed down the stretch with a four game losing streak against the tough teams on the AAC slate, and it didn’t help to close the regular season with a loss to SMU. Basically, the Tigers beat the bad teams and lost to the good ones. Even so, it’s a fun offensive team, there’s enough explosion to hit a slew of big plays, and now it’s here and as close to intact as reasonable, unlike …

– Utah State isn’t exactly a mess, but it’s missing a bunch. It’s going to be very, very thin at the skill spots with the loss of 1,043-yard rusher Calvin Tyler to the NFL world a big hit.

The Aggies started out 1-4, pulled up out of the nosedive to go 5-1 as the offense got sharper and the turnovers slowed, and close with a blowout loss to Boise State. They’re not the Mountain West Champion-level team of last year, but they’re dangerous enough to make this a fight.

– Utah State was one of the surprises of the 2021 bowl season, dropping Oregon State with relative ease in a 24-13 LA Bowl win. It won two of its last three bowls, but the program has been hit-or-miss going just 2-3 since 2014.

– Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield was on a bit of a hot seat at the end of the year. He’s expected to be back, but it would be a big positive to pull off this win. His Tigers rolled by Florida Atlantic in last year’s Montgomery Bowl, breaking the run of five straight bowl losses and a rough 1-7 run since 2005 for the program. It was supposed to play in the Hawaii Bowl last year, but it got canceled.

– The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl was sacked in 2018 because it was stormy, and apparently there weren’t any indoor football stadiums in the greater Dallas metropolitan area to play in. The bowl gods made up for it with three straight good battles all decided by a touchdown or less. Four of the last five First Responders have been one score games.

CFN Experts Dec 20-27 | CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Why Memphis Will Win The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

The Tigers know how to throw the ball and should have enough success to push for 250 yards. They’ve got the veteran quarterback in Seth Henigan, they have the weapons to keep the offense moving, and they should be able to own third downs.

This is hardly a rock-solid Memphis team, but it’s able to get the chains moving. On the flip side, Utah State is awful on third converting just 32% of its chances. If this is any sort of a back-and-forth shootout, even a little bit of a blink will be big.

On the other side, the Memphis defense is hardly a rock, but it should be able to hold up. Teams are able to throw against it, but the run defense has held up fine. Utah State is 0-4 when it doesn’t get to 130 yards on the ground, and Memphis has only allowed that many yards four times.

However …

Why Utah State Will Win The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

With all the lost pieces in the Utah State backfield, getting time to work will mean everything. That’s not a problem against a Memphis defense that doesn’t generate a pass rush and fails to produce enough tackles for loss.

It might be ugly at the Utah State skill spots when it comes to depth and veterans, but the offensive line should be okay. The game has to be about blasting away for the ground game, keeping the mistakes to a minimum, and getting a huge performance out of a defense that needs to generate at least two takeaways.

Utah State had a problem this year in turnover margin, but it’s 4-1 when forcing multiple takeaways. Memphis is 1-3 when turning it over two times or more.

But …

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Memphis vs Utah State Prediction, SERVPRO First Responder Bowl History

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Boise State vs Utah State Prediction Game Preview

Boise State vs Utah State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 13 game on Friday, November 25

Boise State vs Utah State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 13, Friday, November 25

Boise State vs Utah State Prediction Game Preview

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Boise State vs Utah State How To Watch

Date: Friday, November 25
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
How To Watch: CBS
Record: Boise State (8-3), Utah State (6-5)
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Why Utah State Will Win

Will Boise State care?

Of course it would like to win on Senior Day, and of course it wants to keep the momentum going with six straight Mountain West wins and two victories in a row after the loss to BYU, but it has the Mountain West title game against Fresno State next week.

This isn’t even the team’s last home game – the championship is being played in Albertsons.

Utah State completely turned its season around after starting 1-5. It’s on a nice 5-1 run, it’s bowl eligible, and it’s all coming from the offense with a good balance and a defense that’s forcing enough takeaways to get by. However …

– Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble: Who’s Bowl Eligible?

Why Boise State Will Win

It also helped Utah State that it played New Mexico, Hawaii, and Colorado State in this run. Give it credit for taking down San Jose State and Air Force, but both of those were at home.

Again, the defense hasn’t been bad, but it’s been rocky against the run allowing almost five yards per carry. Now it gets a rolling Boise State running game that’s ripping though just about everything.

The Broncos are 6-0 when running for 130 yards or more. Utah State gives up close to 200 yards per game.

– Week 13 College Football Schedule, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

You’ll have to forgive Boise State if it wants to get this over with and move on as quickly as possible. Being on Friday morning should make this even weirder.

Utah State will come out fired up to make a statement on a national stage – getting to seven wins would be a big deal considering how many bowl eligible Mountain West teams there are – but the Boise State defense will clamp down hard in the second half.

Call it a tone-setting mindset for what’s coming next.

– Expert Picks College Week 12 | NFL Week 11

Boise State vs Utah State Prediction, Line

Boise State 34, Utah State 20
Line: Boise State -16.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Boise State vs Utah State Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
– Boise State vs Utah State Expert Picks

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Path to the Playoff: 7 teams still in the race 

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– Bowl Projections | Rankings

San Jose State vs Utah State Prediction Game Preview

San Jose State vs Utah State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 12 game on Saturday, November 19

San Jose State vs Utah State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 12, Saturday, November 19

San Jose State vs Utah State Prediction, Game Preview

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San Jose State vs Utah State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 19
Game Time: 9:45 pm ET
Venue: Maverick Stadium, Logan, UT
How To Watch: FS1
Record: San Jose State (6-3), Utah State (5-5)
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Why San Jose State Will Win

San Jose State should be able to pick it back up after the rough performance against San Diego State.

What went right before the 43-27 loss? The passing game was able to roll for 230 yards or more in every game against everyone else. The Utah State defense is having a rough run and it’s about to get worse.

Wyoming and Hawaii were able to crank up over 500 yards of total offense, the run defense has gone bye-bye, and …

– Bowl Projections | 10 Best Picks Against the Spread

Why Utah State Will Win

Utah State has quietly made a run to turn its season around.

It dug too deep a hole over the first half of the season, but it won four of the last five games even though the defense is inconsistent and struggling.

The offense is doing a nice job of coming up with the key play at the right time, there haven’t been any turnovers in the last two games, and the passing game is accurate and efficient against the mediocre teams.

And …

– Schedules, Predictions College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

San Jose State isn’t the same team on the road.

It’s 5-0 at home ant 1-3 away, and it’s not just because the slate has been easier in San Jose. Utah State’s offense might not be perfect, but it’ll perk up enough in the back-and-forth fight to one up with a strong fourth quarter to get bowl eligible.

– Expert Picks College Week 12 | NFL Week 11

San Jose State vs Utah State Prediction, Line

Utah State 27, San Jose State 24
Line: Utah State -1, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
San Jose State vs Utah State Must See Rating (out of 5): 3

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Expert Picks Week 12
Week 12 Schedule, Predictions | Bowl Bubble
Path to the Playoff: 9 teams still in the race
CFP Top 25: Week 3 | CFP rankings reaction

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– Bowl Projections | Rankings
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Utah State vs Hawaii Prediction Game Preview

Utah State vs Hawaii game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 11 game on Saturday, November 12

Utah State vs Hawaii prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 11, Saturday, November 12

Utah State vs Hawaii How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 12
Game Time: 11:00 pm ET
Venue: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
How To Watch: Spectrum
Record: Utah State (4-5), Hawaii (2-8)
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CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Expert Picks Week 11
Week 11 Schedule, Predictions | Bowl Bubble
Path to the Playoff: 12 teams still in the race
Bowl Bubble: Every Team’s Bowl Situation
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Utah State vs Hawaii Game Preview

Why Utah State Will Win

The Aggies have been able to pick up the production over the last month winning three of the last four games to get back in the mix for a bowl bid.

What’s going right? The defense has been fantastic against the pass, the offense is running well, and now it’s going against a Hawaii team that’s not coming remotely close to stopping anyone’s ground game, but …

– 10 Best Picks Against The Spread

Why Hawaii Will Win

Yeah, Utah State’s pass defense has been great – against Air Force, Colorado State, and New Mexico. It hasn’t been tested, and while Hawaii isn’t a high-powered passing team, it’s been productive over the last few weeks.

Utah State is 1-3 on the road – going to Alabama and BYU had something to do that – but this is a painfully inconsistent team that has to run wild to win. If it’s not averaging 4.8 yards per carry, it’s not moving.

It is possible for the Hawaii defense to rise up and hold down the Utah State offense for a while, but …

– Schedules, Predictions College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

The Rainbow Warriors are getting hammered for over six yards per carry and can’t get the defense off the field.

Utah State isn’t going to do anything crazy here. It can throw, but it’ll run, keep running, and run some more. It won’t be easy to put it away, but it’ll run for over 200 yards.

– Expert Picks College Week 11 | NFL Week 10

Utah State vs Hawaii Prediction, Line

Utah State 30, Hawaii 20
Line: Utah State -10.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Utah State vs Hawaii Must See Rating (out of 5): 2
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– Bowl Projections | Rankings
– Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

Utah State vs Wyoming Prediction, Game Preview

Utah State vs Wyoming game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 8 game on Saturday, October 22

Utah State vs Wyoming prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 8, Saturday, October 22

Utah State vs Wyoming How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 22
Game Time: 9:45 pm ET
Venue: Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, WY
How To Watch: FS2
Record: Utah State (3-4), Wyoming (4-3)
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Bowl Projections | Midseason Roundup
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Top 10 Hot Seat Coach Rankings | Heisman Race
Midseason Freshman All-America Team
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Utah State vs Wyoming Game Preview

Why Utah State Will Win

All of a sudden, Utah State has found a little bit of a groove with a good performance in the loss to BYU, a stunning win over Air Force, and an ugly victory over Colorado State.

The defending Mountain West champ isn’t dead yet. What’s going right?

The running game has been fantastic. The defense has been way better after a rough first month, and the ground attack is averaging well over 200 yards per game over the last three weeks.

Wyoming’s run defense isn’t anything special, the offense doesn’t score enough, and …

– NFL Expert Picks, Week 7

Why Wyoming Will Win

The Cowboys will get into the backfield.

They might not be all that spectacular on the offensive side, but they’re able to rush the passer – that’s a problem for Utah State. The offense doesn’t handle pressure well with 13 interceptions and a -8 turnover margin.

Utah State’s defensive front can be disruptive, but the Cowboy offensive line hasn’t been bad at keeping teams from screwing things up. It’s going to come down to …

– Game Previews, Predictions College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

Turnovers. Wyoming has turned if over three times in the last six games, Utah State might turn it over three times in this game.

The Aggies really are playing better, but Wyoming will step up the combination of defensive pressure and a wee bit of production on the ground – along with the takeaways – to get out with an ugly win.

– College Football Expert Picks, Week 8

Utah State vs Wyoming Prediction, Line

Wyoming 23, Utah State 17
Line: Wyoming -4.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Utah State vs Wyoming Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
– Predictions of Every Game

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– Bowl Projections | Rankings
– Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

Utah State vs Colorado State Prediction, Game Preview

Utah State vs Colorado State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 7 game on Saturday, October 15

Utah State vs Colorado State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15

Utah State vs Colorado State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, CO
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: Utah State (2-4), Colorado State (1-4)
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Bowl Projections | Week 6 Scoreboard
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Top 10 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
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Utah State vs Colorado State Game Preview

Why Utah State Will Win

Yeah, Colorado State got a win last week over Nevada. It’s impossible to figure out how.

The passing game was a disaster – just 78 yards – the three turnovers didn’t help, and the offense was outgained by more than 100 yards. It got the job done, but the team still has issues that go beyond just finding a way to win.

The Rams have a tough run at quarterback with injuries a huge problem. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi gave it a shot, but he struggled.

Utah State doesn’t generate a pass rush, but it’s great at coming up with tackles for loss, and …

– NFL Expert Picks, Week 6

Why Colorado State Will Win

Speaking of pulling wins out of nowhere, Utah State somehow managed to stop Air Force just enough to come up with a shocking 34-27 win. Sort of like Colorado State’s win over Nevada, that win for the Aggies doesn’t mean the other problems aren’t still there.

The Utah State passing game throws way too many interceptions, giving up a nation-high 12 so far. The offense doesn’t convert on third downs, the defense can’t stop them, and the run defense can be hammered on by anyone who commits to doing it.

Colorado State hadn’t hit 100 rushing yards all year, and then it powered away for 177 against Nevada. The O needs another good performance from Avery Morrow.

– Schedules, Previews College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

Who’s going to take a massive step to possibly turn the season around?

In an awful year for the Mountain West, just about every game is winnable. The loser’s bowl hopes are all but gone, and the winner will be on a two-game winning streak with some real, live momentum.

Both teams will turn it over too much, and neither defense will be anything special. It’s not going to be pretty, but Utah State will take it – the passing game will be a little better than anything the Rams can do.

– College Football Expert Picks, Week 7

Utah State vs Colorado State Prediction, Line

Utah State 30, Colorado State 17
Line: Utah State -11, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Utah State vs Colorado State Must See Rating (out of 5): 2
– Predictions of Every Game

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Utah State vs. Colorado State: Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Predicition

Colorado State welcomes Utah State to Fort Collins for Homecoming. Can the Rams build on their momentum from last week?

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Utah State vs. Colorado State: Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Predicition

The Rams look to keep pace in the Mountain Division

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Can the Rams make it two in a row?

WEEK 7: Utah State Aggies (2-4, 1-1 MW) vs. Colorado State Rams (1-4, 1-0 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, October 15th — 5:00 p.m. MST / 4:00 p.m. PST

WHERE: Canvas Stadium; Fort Collins, CO (36,500)

WEATHER: Partly Cloudy, high of 64 degrees

TV: CBS Sports Network

STREAMING: Fans can sign up to receive a free one-week trial of Fubo, which includes CBS Sports Network, by following this link.

RADIO: K99-FM 99.1 / ESPN 1600 AM

SERIES RECORD: This will be the 78th matchup all time between these two schools. CSU leads the series 39-36-2

LAST MEETING: Utah State won 26-24 last season

WEBSITES: UtahStateAggies.com, the official Sacramento State athletics website | CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Utah State | Colorado State

ODDS: Utah State -11

OVER/UNDER: 45.5

SP+ PROJECTION: Utah State by 8.0

FEI PROJECTION: Utah State by 6.2

PARKER FLEMING PROJECTION: Utah State 81.78% win probability (34.34-21.82)

The Rams finally got their first win for new head coach Jay Norvell. Using two defensive touchdowns and a last minute drive for a field goal, the Rams finally got in the win column with a 17-14 victory over Norvell’s old squad in Nevada.

This week, the Rams welcome Utah State to Fort Collins for Homecoming. The Aggies will be looking to continue their momentum after their big 34-27 win over Air Force. Cooper Legas has taken over for Logan Bonner and his mobility has been key for the Aggies.

Blake Anderson is in his second season at Utah State. He led the Aggies to a Mountain West Championship in his first season at the helm. Blake Anderson took over for Gary Anderson (no relation) after spending seven seasons at Arkansas State and compiling a 51-37 record.

Now to the keys to victory for the Rams.

Three Keys to a colorado state victory

1. Let Pooler Grow

The Rams will be starting their third different quarterback in three weeks this week, as walk-on redshirt-freshman Giles Pooler gets handed the reigns this week after Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi took a couple knocks against Nevada. Pooler is 6’5″ 210 left handed quarterback who spent three years, less than three miles away from Canvas Stadium, at Rocky Mountain High School before transferring to St. Xavier in Lousiville, Kentucky during COVID.

Pooler earned the respect of the coaches during the spring, so much so that he was named back up on the first depth chart of the season and saw some action againt Michigan in garbage time. BFN passed ahead of Pooler due to his mobility. But Pooler is ready to show why the coaches have faith in him.

2. Keep the Crowd Involved

It’s Homecoming in Fort Collins this weekend and it’s getting close to a sellout. The crowd is going to be there and the Rams need to give them something to cheer for. When Canvas gets rocking, it can be an intimidating place to play. Rams’ fans just haven’t had much to cheer for these past few years.

If the defense can keep up their intensity and the offense can show what the air raid can be, the Fort Collins crowd can help this Rams team out. From making it hard for Utah State to make calls to making the Aggies doubt what they’ve heard. Loud noises can do it all.

3. Defensive Intensity

The Rams defense won them the game last week against Nevada. Ayden Hector had a pick six in his first start. And Mukendi Wa-Kalonji took a fumble back 50 yards for thicc six. Henry Blackburn made his return from injury and had himself a game. He tied for the lead in tackles with eight, had a tackle for loss, forced fumble, and also had a pass breakup.

The Rams continue to be a force up front with 11 sacks and 32 tackles for loss on the year. Mohamd Kamara has four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss to the lead the team. If Kamara and C.J. Onyechi can keep Legas contained, the Rams have a chance to start 2-0 in conference play for the second year in a row.

what will happen

The Rams get back on track on offense after a rough start to the year. The defense makes enough plays to keep the Rams in the game. Utah State will get their shots in. But the monkey off the back from last week and the homecoming crowd propel Colorado State to victory.

Final Score: Colorado State 24, Utah State 20

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