McNeese State (1-2, 0-0) at Utah State (2-1, 0-0)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 6 p.m. MDT
- Venue: Maverik Stadium (Capacity: 25,513)
- TV: KMYU
- Livestream: Mountain West Network App
- Radio: Aggie Sports Network (KZNS 1280 The Zone)/Sirius XM Ch. 382
- Series: Utah State and McNeese State have never played.
The trends
For Utah State: The Aggies are fresh off a convincing win over Air Force to open Mountain West Conference play. Utah State was especially dominant in the second half against the Falcons, led by quarterback Bryson Barnes who scored five touchdowns.
Utah State has overachieved based on preseason expectations, with wins over UTEP and Air Force and a competitive loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies’ defense in particular has surprised, looking very different from units from previous seasons.
For McNeese State: The Cowboys have played games only in Louisiana thus far, with a win over Louisiana Christian and losses at Louisiana and at home against Weber State.
Offense has been McNeese State’s strong suit, having scored 40-plus points in two games. Defense has been a struggle, with the Cowboys being outscored by 25 points in their losses.
What to watch for
Can the Aggies take another step forward?
The win over Air Force was notable for Utah State. It was a convincing win over a conference opponent where both USU’s offense and defense played well on the whole.
The game against McNeese State offers an opportunity for the Aggies to keep the momentum going, as well as recuperate a little from the physical toll that comes from playing Air Force.
Utah State should be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, facing off against a smaller FCS program. As a result, Barnes should have more time than he has had all season to work through his progressions.
A big day from Utah State’s offense would not be a surprise, whether through the air or on the ground via running backs Miles Davis and Javen Jacobs.
McNeese State has a chance to have success on offense. The Cowboys have real talent, at running back particularly with Tre’Vonte Citizen and Bryce Strong.
So far, quarterback Jake Strong has been solid, throwing for just under 800 yards and five touchdowns while completing about 63% of his pass attempts.
Defensively, there isn’t a lot to suggest that the Cowboys can slow down the Aggies. Louisiana scored 34 points against them and Weber State did even better, putting 41 on the Cowboys on the road.
Key player
William Holmes, sophomore, outside linebacker, Utah State: Holmes had something of a breakout game against Air Force, recording a career-high 13 tackles and a fumble recovery.
A former minor league baseball player, turned running back, turned defensive end, turned outside linebacker, Holmes is a physical specimen who is coming into his own as a football player.
So far this season, Holmes has proven good against the run, but he — and really no Aggie other than senior linebacker John Miller — have proven they can get into the backfield and pressure the quarterback.
McNeese State will ride its ground game, but there should also be opportunities for Holmes, among others, to wreak havoc in the backfield.
The Cowboys have done a decent job in pass protection. Strong has been sacked seven times through three games.
Quotable
“Yeah, offensive skill and really nice scheme. And what a great football game between those two schools (Weber State and McNeese State). I’m just kind of familiarizing myself with this opponent, they had a really good football game, so yeah, well coached and quality players. It was fun to watch (the Cowboys play the Wildcats) and they kind of drew me in, even though I was kind of looking at it from a scouting and an evaluation perspective. You kind of find yourself as a coach, your knee starts bouncing up and down, and (asking) who’s going to make a play? It was a great game.” — Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall
“They (the Aggies) have good players. It is going to be a tough game. It will be a tough test for us. This is a really good football team. I mean, wow. Up and down the field against Air Force. Very, very impressive.” — McNeese State coach Matt Viator
Next up
- Utah State: at No. 20 Vanderbilt, Saturday, Sept. 27, at 10:45 a.m.
- McNeese State: at Stephen F. Austin, Saturday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m.
Utah State schedule
- Aug. 30 — Utah State 28, UTEP 16
- Sept. 6 — Texas A&M 44, Utah State 22
- Sept. 13 — Utah State 49, Air Force 30
- Sept. 20 — McNeese State
- Sept. 27 — at Vanderbilt
- Oct. 11 — at Hawaiʻi
- Oct. 17 — San José State
- Oct. 25 — at New Mexico
- Nov. 8 — Nevada
- Nov. 15 — at UNLV
- Nov. 22 — at Fresno State
- Nov. 29 — Boise State