Utah State State vs Air Foce Preview

Utah State faced off against Texas A&M at College Station last Saturday and came back to Logan with a 44-22 loss. Quarterback Marcel Reed thew for 220 yards and three touchdowns and receiver Mario Craver caught five passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns. Utah State was 2-14 on third downs (14.2%) while Texas A&M was 5-13 on third downs (38.5%). Texas A&M had 554 yards compared to Utah State’s 250 total yards. Utah State had 172 passing yards as Bryson Barnes threw for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Texas A&M had 319 passing yards and had an average of 9.4 yards per pass. Utah State rushed for just 78 yards compared to Texas A&M’s 235-yard performance. Utah State averaged 2.2 yards per rush while Texas A&M rushed for an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Texas A&M had 5 penalties for 54 yards while Utah State had several penalties, 11 for 72 yards. Both teams forced a turnover, but Texas A&M dominated the time of possession battle, possessing the ball for 34 minutes 14 seconds comapred to 25 minutes 46 seconds.

Overall, this was just not a good game for Utah State, but the Aggies now get the opportunity to look forward when they face Air Force on Saturday.

Date/Time: Saturday, September 13th

Location: Logan, Utah

TV: FS1, 9:45 PM EST

Line (Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook: Air Force (-4.5)

Series History: Air Force leads the overall series against the Aggies 7-5. The last time that Aggies and Falcons met in 2023 in Colorado Springs, Utah State lost to Air Force 39-21. Between 2021 and 2022 the Aggies won two games against the Falcons. Between the 2020 and 2019 seasons, the Aggies lost two in a row to the Falcons. The longest win streak for Utah State in the series against Air Force is two games, and the longest losing streak for the Aggies in the series is three games.

1. Limit the Penalties, Convert 3rd Downs

Over the past two games, Utah State has struggled on 3rd Down and this is an area that needs to improve. If the Aggies commit penalties, they are are going to put themselves into 3rd and long situations, which are much less likely to convert. The Aggies must control the possession time of the game to win this one, which is why it is one of the most important keys to winning this game.

2. Stop the Run

During their last game against Texas A&M, the Aggies allowed 235 total rushing yards. In their first game against UTEP, the Aggies held the Miners to 103 yards rushing. Air Force had 267 yards rushing and scored four rushing touchdowns in their first game against Bucknell. Air Force was 6-9 on 3rd Down against Bucknell and if Utah State cannot stop the run, Air Force is going to be able to convert 3rd Downs and create explosive plays. In total, Air Force had 18 first downs on rushes in the first game of their season, which is something that Utah State needs to try to limit.

3. Create a rhythm on offense

Through two games, Utah State is averaging 25 points per game on offense and is averaging 202.5 passing yards per game and 102.5 rushing yards per game. In total, the Aggies are averaging 305 yards per game. Against an Air Force team that is looking to improve on their season from last year and has been training hard, Utah State needs to be consistent on offense. One of the biggest ways that Utah State is going to create a rhythm is by creating 3rd and short situations so that they can gain more first downs. The best way to create a rhythm on offense? It starts with the run game. Teams that are able to effectively able to run the ball have more efficient offenses overall. Utah State needs to get the run game going.

Utah State played a good game against UTEP but there were still questions about this team. The Aggies succeeded in the passing game and they will need to do the same thing in order to win this game. Against Texas A&M, Utah State held Texas A&M to just 14 points but a 20 point second quarter for Texas A&M is what allowed them to pull away. Utah State was not able to get the run game going against Texas A&M and it showed because Utah State only converted two 3rd downs. Utah State also committed several penalties in the game, which doesn’t help offensive flow either. Utah State needs to stay disciplined against Air Force. The Falcons can be a difficult team to play, but this game being in Logan changes things. In a competitive game, Utah State comes out on top over the Falcons.

Score Prediction: Utah State: 34; Air Force: 21

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