LOGAN — After his first day of football practice as a collegian, Utah State quarterback Riley Nelson said his head was spinning.
The game — even in practice — was a lot faster then he ever experienced at Logan High.
Finally, the game is starting to slow down a bit for the freshman, who will make his first career start when the Aggies host Fresno State at 6 p.m. in Romney Stadium.
"Things felt slower and I felt more comfortable than I did in the fall scrimmage," he said. "So I think I am adapting to the speed — both physical and mental speed as far as getting the play called and reading the defense all within the parameters of the play clock."
He'll see an ever faster game against the Bulldogs, one of the top defenses in the Western Athletic Conference.
"The speed of the game is going to be faster than the Idaho game because Fresno is a lot faster," Guy said.
In his debut against Idaho, Nelson was 3-for-3 for 50 yards, and he rushed for 17 more. He also had a couple of bad protection calls, which led to a fumble and seven points for the Vandals.
He expects Fresno (1-3, 1-0) to try and take advantage of his inexperience like the Vandals did.
"I'd imagine they are going to blitz," he said. "I expect to see a lot of disguising looks out of the secondary and out of the fronts, and I expect them to bring the house, but I think we will be ready for it."
Nelson went through his first full week of practice taking the majority of the reps, and Utah State coach Brent Guy said he can see improvement in just a few short days.
"He's gotten better each day. He really had a good day (Thursday)," Guy said.
But nothing in practice can equal what he will see today against Fresno State.
"Riley is a quick learner, and we'll see on Saturday," Guy said. "We're certainly not putting him in the easiest situation playing against Fresno State to get that experience."
The Aggies had their best offensive game to date last week in a 41-21 loss to the University of Idaho. They tallied a season-high 21 points while recording a season-high 305 yards offense.
Both Nelson and former starter Leon Jackson III had turnovers that led to immediate points, and Guy said for the sake of both the offense and the defense, they need to take better care of the ball.
"We have to find a way to manage the game better," Guy said. "This week I think we have to get into a game like we did at Arkansas and keep them (the Bulldogs) in the 20s and find a way to score. If we're going to win that's they style of game it's got to be."
The Aggies trailed 14-0 at the half before giving up a long run for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.
In that game, the Aggies tallied 249 yards total offense, but lost 20-0.
Fresno State has won the last three games in the series, and all three were played in Fresno. Overall, the Bulldogs lead the series 11-9-1, but they are just 2-7 in games played in Logan. The Aggies have won two of the last three in Logan, dating back to 1987.
The last time the two teams played in Logan was in 1991 when Fresno State was ranked in the Top 25 and the Aggies pulled off a 20-19 upset with a late field goal.
Aggies on the air
Fresno State (1-3, 0-1) at Utah State (0-5, 0-1)
Today, 6 p.m., Romney Stadium
TV: KJZZ Radio: 610 AM (Logan), 1230 AM or 1320 AM (SLC)
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com