We’ve got some guys who are banged up. Some guys returned to the game last week and some guys didn’t because of the way the game was playing out in the fourth quarter. – Matt Wells
LOGAN — After coming up empty in the Midwest and going down in flames on the East Coast, the Aggies are really hoping to find more success on the West Coast Saturday night at San Jose State.
And so are throngs of increasingly anxious Utah State fans.
While the Aggies' record of 1-2 through the first three games of 2017 is certainly not unexpected, there is definitely some disappointment and concern after woeful outcomes at Wisconsin (59-10) and Wake Forest (46-10). Utah State surrendered 59 unanswered points to the Badgers after taking an early 10-0 lead and were down 36-0 early in the third quarter to the Demon Deacons.
Picking up a victory against the Spartans (1-3) in their Mountain West Conference opener would certainly be a step in the right direction, but then, the Aggies haven't won a road game in nearly two years. The last time Utah State won away from Maverik Stadium was a 56-14 victory at Fresno State on Oct. 10, 2015. The Aggies are 0-11 since then, dropping away contests by an average margin of 38-17.
And even though Utah State owns a six-game winning streak against the Spartans — including three straight victories in San Jose — the Aggies could be headed to California without the services of their senior quarterback.
Kent Myers was injured following a pooch punt in the third quarter of the 46-10 loss last Saturday at Winston-Salem, NC. Myers, who completed just 9 of 23 passes for 54 yards and one interception, didn't return to the contest and USU head coach Matt Wells didn't provide any updates during his weekly press conference on Monday other to say Myers was "day-to-day."
"We’ve got some guys who are banged up," Wells noted. "Some guys returned to the game last week and some guys didn’t because of the way the game was playing out in the fourth quarter.”
However, the Aggies do know that they will be without last year's leading rusher on Saturday, as well as for the rest of the season. Senior running back Tonny Lindsey, who rushed for 763 yards and six touchdowns on 148 carries in 2016, injured his shoulder in the loss at Wisconsin and didn't play against Idaho State or Wake Forest.
“Tonny Lindsey had shoulder surgery this past week, and he is, unfortunately, out for the season," Wells said on Monday. "That is a tough thing for a young man, and he was a young man who worked really hard in the offseason to put himself in a good position to have a good senior year. I hate that for Tonny."
With or without Lindsey, the Aggies' rushing attack (currently 10th in the MW at 127.3 ypg) has been rather anemic thus far this season, netting just 382 yards on 107 carries — and 255 of those yards came in the 51-13 rout of FCS Idaho State. Junior college transfer Eltoro Allen currently leads the team in rushing with 120 yards and one touchdown on 34 attempts, while Myers is second with 100 yards and two TDs on 18 carries.
If Myers is unable to go Saturday night, Wells will turn to redshirt freshman Jordan Love, who did provide the Aggies with a shot in the arm at Wake Forest, completing 6 of 13 passes for 171 yards and USU's lone touchdown. That pass, a 77-yarder to sophomore Gerold Bright, was followed up later on by a 64-yard strike from Love to junior wideout Zach Van Leeuwen.
“Jordan came in and played well," Wells said of 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback out of Bakersfield, California. "I don’t think the moment was too big for him. There were a couple of things he missed, but he’s got confidence throwing the football.
"Both of those long passes he connected on were spot on. He stepped up in the pocket and did a nice job. He threw with confidence, he played with confidence and he took the field with confidence. He played well in the second half.”
Strangely enough, there's a strong possibility that Love could face off against another backup QB named Love. Although he was the third quarterback into SJSU's 54-16 loss at Utah last Saturday, sophomore Josh Love did start the Spartans' season opener against South Florida.
In three games this year, Josh Love has completed 35 of 70 passes for 403 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.