Utah State (3-3, 1-1) vs. San Jose State (2-4, 1-1)
- Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m. MDT
- Venue: Maverik Stadium (Capacity: 25,513)
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Radio: Aggie Sports Network (KZNS 1280 The Zone)/Sirius XM Ch. 382
- Series: Utah State is 21-20-1 all time against San Jose State. In its last meeting in 2023, San Jose State beat the Aggies for the first time since 2008.
The trends
For Utah State: The Aggies are coming off consecutive losses to Vanderbilt and Hawaii. Utah State opened its Mountain West schedule with a convincing win over Air Force, but now sits 1-1 after loss to the Rainbow Warriors last week.
Utah State’s setback to Hawaii was arguably the first game it lost that it should have won, as it previously fell to the SEC’s undefeated Texas A&M and No. 18 Vanderbilt. The Aggies were favored against Hawaii after starting quarterback Bryson Barnes was cleared to play.
Third-down efficiency was a struggle for Utah State as it converted on only two of its 12 third downs in Saturday’s loss. Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado also gave the Aggies’ defense issues. Alejado ended the night with 413 passing yards; the Rainbow Warriors generated 546 yards of offense against Utah State.
For San Jose State: San Jose State is 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain West after it surrendered a late lead to Wyoming on Saturday. The Spartans led 21-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but gave up 21 points over the final 15 minutes to the Cowboys.
While the Spartans may hold a 2-4 record, three of their losses were incredibly close. San Jose State lost to Central Michigan and Stanford by a combined 3 points in addition to the setback to Wyoming.
The Spartans will be highly motivated Saturday, as they need to win four of their remaining six games to earn bowl eligibility. But San Jose State may be without quarterback Walker Eget and wide receiver Danny Scudero, who both were hurt during the Wyoming game. Eget threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Scudero was his favorite target, pulling in 180 yards on 10 receptions.
“We’re hopeful that those guys will play, but we’re not sure right now,” San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo said in a press conference Tuesday.
What to watch for
Home cookin’: Through six games, Utah State has won every game at Maverik Stadium, but lost every away game. The Aggies have already matched the home win total for both 2024 and 2023.
Injuries: As mentioned, both San Jose State’s starting quarterback and top receiver are in question for Saturday’s game. Last week, the Spartans rolled out two backups. Freshman Tama Amisone completed five of eight passes for 30 yards against Wyoming. Sam Houston State transfer Xavier Ward also saw some snaps, completing three of 10 passes for just 15 yards and an interception.
Can Utah State’s defense measure up? The Aggies more than struggled against Hawaii last week, surrendering 44 points. While San Jose State sits at 2-4, its offense has been serviceable and it gets most of its offense via the air.
Of course, if either Eget or Scudero are out, then its offense will look different and the Aggies will have to adjust. Regardless, San Jose State definitely prefers to air it out rather than grind it out on the ground. Thirteen of its 17 total touchdowns this season have come through the air. The Spartans are averaging 310.8 passing yards a game and convert on third downs 44% of the time. It averages just over 100 rushing yards per game.
After last week’s game in which the Aggies gave up 413 passing yards, their pass defense will need to improve, especially if Eget and Scudero are cleared for Friday.
Quotable
“We can certainly address what we didn’t do well versus Hawaii, what we did (well) and apply it versus a new opponent that’s similar, not identical. (San Jose State’s) not the same offense, the formations look similar, the intent on throwing the football looks similar, but how it’s done is not the same. We’re really working to improve our team, our execution, our coverage, the situations, the pressure and the different things needed to have success.” — Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall
“Going to be a tough game in Logan, Utah, at Utah State. (They’re) playing some good football. They had a tough loss, like us, last weekend in Hawaii, but they’re a really good team, well coached. Bronco Mendenhall is one of the best football coaches in college football. Really good football coaches there, really familiar with him. (He’s) a really good friend of mine and just a really good person, really good coach.” — San Jose State coach Ken Niumatalolo
Next up
- Utah State: at New Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.
- San Jose State: vs. Hawaii, Saturday, Nov. 1, at 8:30 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 — Utah State 47, McNeese State 7
- Sept. 27 — Vanderbilt 55, Utah State 35
- Oct. 11 — Hawaii 44, Utah State 26
- 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