Utah State (4-4, 2-2) vs. Nevada (1-7, 0-4)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MST
- 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 8-19 all time against Nevada. The Aggies won the last meeting, 41-24, in 2023.
The trends
For Utah State: Utah State has had an extra week to think about its demoralizing 33-14 loss to New Mexico in October as the Aggies prepare for Nevada following a bye week.
There were many glaring issues in the loss to New Mexico that Utah State can’t ignore. The Aggies struggled to wrap up on tackles, the offensive line struggled to block, and they never really established a run game. As usual, third-down conversions also continued to be an issue.
Luckily for Utah State, if there’s any Mountain West opponent to face after an ugly loss, it’s Nevada. The Aggies need a confidence-boosting win in the worst way, and it may be in luck against the 1-7 Wolf Pack Saturday.
The thing to look for in Saturday’s game is not the highlight plays, but can Utah State get back to disciplined football? Can it do the little things, like minimizing foolish penalties and finishing tackles on first contact? That will be a telling sign.
For Nevada: The Wolf Pack’s most recent loss to Boise State officially ended bowl game aspirations, though any bowl hopes already ended much earlier in the season. Nevada is still looking for even one win against an FBS opponent. Its singular win so far this year was a 20-17 win over Big Sky’s Sacramento State in Week 2.
Nevada has had close games with both Fresno State and New Mexico, with each game finishing within a three-point margin.
The Wolf Pack switched starting quarterbacks after a Week 4 loss to Western Kentucky. Since then, freshman Carter Jones has been at the helm. In Jones’ four games as a starter he’s thrown three touchdowns and six interceptions.
Similarly to Utah State, Nevada is also coming off a bye week. While Utah State is still fighting for bowl eligibility, the Wolf Pack is hoping to scrape up some wins to go into the offseason with something to build off of.
“I think we understand that what we have left is what we have left,” Nevada coach Jeff Choate said. “This is kind of that four-game season mentality and the opportunity to create momentum for our program and for the individuals that are having their chance to continue to play.”
What to watch for
Home vs. away: Utah State has won all four home games and lost all four road games this season. It hosts Nevada in Logan Saturday, but the next two weeks will be on the road at UNLV and Fresno State. Its final game is at home against Boise State. The Aggies need to win two of the four remaining games to stay bowl eligible.
Turnover margin: At -13, Nevada has been one of the worst teams in FBS when it comes to turnover margin. Utah State stays pretty even with a +1 turnover margin on the year. Any shocking loss to Nevada would start with the Wolf Pack taking care of the football.
Containing a poor offense: Nevada ranks last in the Mountain West offensively, averaging just 14 points per game. After a poor defensive performance against New Mexico, the Aggies’ defense has an opportunity to build back some confidence.
Quotable
"I think (Nevada is) really close (to a win), and I’m sure they’re thinking the same thing. Even with the turnovers, the games are so close that they’re playing, and they’re going right to the end, regardless of opponent. So, I’m sure they’re targeting that and have even with that, no matter who they play, the games are really competitive right to the very end." — Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall
“Coach Mendenhall’s got a good team. His quarterback is a really good player. This guy has a strong arm, he’s a physical runner, presents a lot of challenges. They use him quite a bit in the plus-one run game, but he also has some nice targets on the outside and he’s got a deep running back room as well. So, I think they present some challenges on offense.” — Nevada coach Jeff Choate
Next up
- Utah State: at UNLV, Saturday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m.
- Nevada: San Jose State, Saturday, Nov. 15, at 1:30 p.m.
Utah State schedule/results
- 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 — Utah State 30, San Jose State 25
- Oct. 25 — New Mexico 33, Utah State 14
- Nov. 8 — Nevada
- Nov. 15 — at UNLV
- Nov. 22 — at Fresno State
- Nov. 29 — Boise State