It's rivalry week in Logan for the 81st meeting, with rain moving in after kickoff and both teams chasing bowl eligibility. Utah State is laying 7.5, and I'm taking the points. Start with the Aggies' offense. They've scored 17, 17, 18, 21, 0, 14 and 17. That's never more than 21 and under 15 a game, and their two wins came by 1 and 11. Now Eli Wood is out, taking 37 of their 117 catches, 479 of their 1,351 passing yards and half of their 10 touchdown passes. Anthony Garcia filled in well at Texas State with 8 catches for 87 yards. But Grady Brosterhous has thrown for 206 yards or fewer in five of six starts, and this offense is 7-of-28 on third down over its last two games. Colorado State gets Hauss Hejny back healthy. In the three games Hejny finished, the Rams scored 35, 58 and 56. Last week Hejny went 24-of-31 for 333 yards and three touchdowns, then added 85 yards and two more scores on the ground. RJ Vick is probable to return, Tommy Maher just posted 108 yards and two touchdowns, and this line has allowed three sacks all year. Special teams tilt it too. Kian Afrookhteh is 6-of-10 on field goals, and the Aggies gave up a 100-yard kickoff return and had a punt blocked at Texas State. In a one-score game, that's the cover. The risk is real. The Rams' defense is a sieve. Five of its six FBS opponents scored 41 or more, and the five not named Wyoming ran for between 204 and 503 yards. Robert Anae will feed Javen Jacobs. Texas State ran for 503 on Colorado State and 106 on Utah State. The Rams also lost both road games, 59-45 and 66-27, though K'saan Farrar was at quarterback for both. Still, a ground-and-pound Aggies game means fewer possessions, and fewer possessions make an eight-point margin harder to reach. I see Utah State by 3 to 7. Watch Mel Brown, who is questionable and is the Rams' kick-return spark. The lean holds either way. Colorado State +7.5.
It's rivalry week in Logan for the 81st meeting, with rain moving in after kickoff and both teams chasing bowl eligibility. Utah State is laying 7.5, and I'm taking the points.
Start with the Aggies' offense. They've scored 17, 17, 18, 21, 0, 14 and 17. That's never more than 21 and under 15 a game, and their two wins came by 1 and 11. Now Eli Wood is out, taking 37 of their 117 catches, 479 of their 1,351 passing yards and half of their 10 touchdown passes. Anthony Garcia filled in well at Texas State with 8 catches for 87 yards. But Grady Brosterhous has thrown for 206 yards or fewer in five of six starts, and this offense is 7-of-28 on third down over its last two games.
Colorado State gets Hauss Hejny back healthy. In the three games Hejny finished, the Rams scored 35, 58 and 56. Last week Hejny went 24-of-31 for 333 yards and three touchdowns, then added 85 yards and two more scores on the ground. RJ Vick is probable to return, Tommy Maher just posted 108 yards and two touchdowns, and this line has allowed three sacks all year.
Special teams tilt it too. Kian Afrookhteh is 6-of-10 on field goals, and the Aggies gave up a 100-yard kickoff return and had a punt blocked at Texas State. In a one-score game, that's the cover.
The risk is real. The Rams' defense is a sieve. Five of its six FBS opponents scored 41 or more, and the five not named Wyoming ran for between 204 and 503 yards. Robert Anae will feed Javen Jacobs. Texas State ran for 503 on Colorado State and 106 on Utah State. The Rams also lost both road games, 59-45 and 66-27, though K'saan Farrar was at quarterback for both.
Still, a ground-and-pound Aggies game means fewer possessions, and fewer possessions make an eight-point margin harder to reach. I see Utah State by 3 to 7. Watch Mel Brown, who is questionable and is the Rams' kick-return spark. The lean holds either way.
Colorado State +7.5.
Colorado State +7.5