By the way, it feels really weird saying that Hawaii is a middle of the road college team, but realistically they are. Their coach McMackin, aka the Moron from Oahu who doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut (reference - WAC media day - see the video below) is no June Jones, and whoever their quarterback is certainly is not Colt Brennan. So, I guess it's not too bad saying Hawaii is a middle of the road college team.
UPDATE!!!! - Pardon this interruption to the blog post, and let's rewind for a moment.
The University of Utah has just named the no. 1 quarterback in their depth chart to be Jordan Wynn, an untested true freshman straight out of high school.
Kyle Whittingham did emphasize during the announcement that Wynn is simply the No. 1 QB at Utah, and not necessarily the starter.
View the Article Here.
Make no mistake, this quarterback is talented at a high school level. There are a lot of unknowns, however, with a true freshman quarterback starting for a very successful program. There are a lot of expectations, lots of pressure, and lots of opportunities for him to fold.
That having been said, there are two other quarterbacks on the depth chart that Whittingham could play if Wynn doesn't do well. I think that the Ute mindset is to test the waters against USU with the freshy, thinking that their defense will be strong enough to do whatever it wants against the Aggies.
I think that this selection will hurt the Utes. If the Aggie defense is strong, look for this game to be a defensive, low scoring battle. I still think Utah will win, I just think that it will be a lot closer than I did before.
OK - continuing on...
Opponent #7: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Prediction: USU 45 - 35 LT
Last year's game in Ruston, Louis. was a scoring spree. Utah State held very steady to LaTech through the half, but in the second half, Tech started pulling away, and it looked like it was going to be a two-touchdown win for the bulldogs. Not so.Robert Turbin and Diondre Borel provided the offensive spunk necessary to get the ball into the endzone for two quick TDs, and even took a lead early in the fourth quarter. The defense couldn't hold, however, and LaTech finished strong. Two unanswered offensive series put the Louisiana Dogs up by ten, and that's how it ended.
Barring any significant injury on defense, that will not happen again this year. LaTech has not gathered any significant improvement from last year from what I know. Tech has to compete with LSU and every other major SEC program to get recruits from the home state and its neighbors, which plays into the hands of USU. Also, Gary Anderson's defensive schemes, which should be pretty solid by this point, will provide the defensive pressure that USU didn't have last year.
Both teams stand on par offensively - the x factor in this game is going to be the Aggie defense. If the Aggie defense shines, USU will win.
And the game is in Logan. The Ags will want to post a win for the hometown crowd.
Opponent #8: The Fresno State Bulldogs
Prediction: USU 27-30 Fresno
This game will be one of the most intense of the season. Who could forget last year's almost win against the highly publicized and supposedly superior squad from California? That (insert your swear word of choice here) kicker who knocked in the miracle kick from 62 yards away did the impossible last year, and USU will be out for revenge in this game.Unfortunately, the Bulldogs will be too much for USU to handle, but not by much. A field goal will once again be the difference in this game. Fresno's kicker, Kevin Goessling, has been named to the watch list for the Groza award, which goes to the nation's best kicker.
I want to say that USU's defense will be absolutely dominating against the Bulldogs, but they have a very prolific offensive scheme, and any WAC team that goes to Fresno without a bye week to gather itself will have a hard time against Fresno.
Yuck. I really want to call this one a win for USU, but I just can't.
Opponent #9: The Hawaii (formerly Rainbow) Warriors
Prediction: USU 14-28 Hawaii
Last year, the high point of the season was the Hawaii win in Logan. To beat the team that had ran the WAC table and gone to the Sugar Bowl the year previous at home was just about as good as it got last year.This year, a much more daunting task will be presented ahead of the Aggies. They must head for the Islands without a bye week to prepare.
For those of you who may not know, Hawaii is one of the most difficult venues to play in the country. Nobody likes to go to Hawaii to play football, unless it's for a bowl game. That combined with the travel and time zone change without a bye week to prepare all adds up to a USU loss.
And yet, I find myself wanting, wanting, wanting to believe that USU will be able to pull out a win in the Aloha State, especially after we beat Hawaii last year.
To be honest, this is a game that I put down as a split - I just don't know who will win. Everything logical leads me to believe that USU will not be able to pull it off, but if they do, I'm calling a 6-win season and a bowl berth in the New Mexico bowl. If not, then I'm calling a 4- or 5-win season for the Aggies during this rebuilding year.
That's why I'm calling this section of the season "the gauntlet." It will give Aggie fans a real indicator of where the USU football program stands when matched up against the respectable sports programs in the conference.
More to come soon! Peace out everyone!
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