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LOGAN — Utah State and Colorado State will be meeting for the 72nd time in series history this weekend in what is the third-most played rivalry in Utah State history. The last two games in the series have been defensive battles as neither team has scored more than 16 points.
Colorado State is still in transition after losing last year's head coach Jim McElwain to Florida and multiyear starter Garrett Grayson to the NFL draft. First year coach and former Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has already heard about how hard it is to play in Logan.
"We have a tough task ahead of us for our first conference game. Utah State Aggies at their place. Which I've heard is a very very tough place to play. I've heard the fans are right on top of you, which is always exciting when you get to go to somebody else's place to play, but a lot of work's got to be done, a lot of preparation.
Utah State has won 10 straight home games and 19 of its last 21 home games stretching back to the 2011 season. Additionally, Utah State has won 24 of its last 27 league games overall dating back to 2011. Bobo credits Aggie head coach Matt Wells with USU's consistent success.
"Matt's done an outstanding job there and in three years you turn on the tape and you see a team that is physical, that is fast, that is coached very well. I think a great sign of that is last year when they had the injuries at quarterback. Playing second-string, third-string guys and to go on and win 10 games is extremely impressive. This year they are dealing with some injuries again, but I expect them to be ready to play and it will be a tough task for our guys to go to Logan and pull out a W(in)."
Bobo's respect of Wells is well-founded. Wells already ranks as the 10th-winningest coach in school history with his 20 wins, and his 66.7 winning percentage ranks second all-time in school history with a minimum of 15 games. Bobo also does not think losing Chuckie Keeton to injury will have Utah State down coming into Saturday's conference opener.
"They run similar stuff when Kent is in there. I know they have a lot of confidence in him. You can just tell by the way, when you listen to the way Matt talks about Kent. He's an athlete, he's played some receiver too, so I'm sure he could do the same things that Chuckie could do. The thing, when I've seen Utah State play from when I was at Georgia to now, I see a tough team that doesn't make excuses if somebody is out. They continue to play hard and are usually in every ballgame."
Utah State is 8-2 following a loss and 5-0 following a bye week or multiple weeks off under Wells, which bodes well for an Aggie squad that has struggled through the first three games of the season. Kickoff between Utah State and Colorado State is at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. The game is homecoming for USU and the MWC opener for both schools.
Parker Robertson is a graduate of Utah State University, a freelance contributor and an avid fan of sports. Follow him on Twitter @ParkerRob78 Email: ParkerRobertson18@gmail.com
