Matchups to watch as Colorado State takes on Utah State


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LOGAN — Utah State will see a familiar face Saturday evening in Logan. Not only will this be the 72nd time the Aggies and Rams have clashed on the gridiron, it marks the fifth year in a row that they have met.

It will be a defensive struggle between the two sides if the last two games are any indication. The most points scored by either team in that span are 16 by Colorado State last year. The Aggies shut down the running game of the Rams in those games, holding them to just 34 yards in 2013 and 75 yards in 2014. Here are the key matchups to watch for in the latest installment of the Rams vs. Aggies.

Rashard Higgins vs. Utah State's secondary

Colorado State All-American wide receiver Rashard "Hollywood" Higgins is incredible. That might actually be an understatement. In his last 15 games, Higgins has only been held under 100 receiving yards twice, and one of those was a 98-yard effort. In three games this season, Higgins is averaging 15.6 yards a catch and 104 yards a game.

Aggie head coach Matt Wells is very aware of Higgins' ability. "He makes the key catch, he makes the acrobatic catch, he makes the impossible catch. A year ago, we had guys draped over him and he's making catches. He has our respect, he has our players' respect and he has our attention."

Keeping the ball out of his hands will be the top priority of the Aggie secondary. Whether or not they will be able to contain Higgins will likely determine who walks out of Maverik Stadium with the win.

Utah State's offensive line vs. CSU's front seven

The Aggie offensive line has been a point of a lot of scrutiny and criticism for the second year in a row and, to some extent, for good reason. While the offensive line is not fully responsible for the struggles in the run game, it shoulders the burden of fixing it.

Wells knows the game could be decided up front on both sides of the ball. "In my opinion, a lot of the game is going to be decided in the front seven on both sides of the ball. Are they going to be able to run the ball on our defense? Can we run the ball on them?"

Utah State is averaging a very pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry, good for 113th of 127 FBS schools. Doing a better job upfront opening holes for the running backs will go a long way to helping the Aggies win. It will allow Utah State to sustain drives longer and control the tempo of the game. It has the added benefit of keeping CSU's playmaker Higgins on the sideline.

Kent Myers vs. CSU's secondary

Myers will definitely be watched closely in his first start of the season. Myers is now running the show in absence of Chuckie Keeton, and his first test will be fun to watch.

Wells and the team are confident in what Myers can do. "His teammates are very, very confident in him. I can tell you that. He brings athleticism and he throws the ball well whether it's down the field, in the pocket or on the move. He's improved from last year, but game time will tell. I like where he's at, and our guys are very confident in him."

Colorado State's safeties garnered the praise of Wells in Monday's press conference. "Both the safeties, (Trent) Matthews and (Kevin) Pierre-Louis, are long, rangy and good tacklers in space. So, it's a team we know a decent amount about, personnel-wise. We have a lot of respect for them."

The Rams' secondary is holding opposing passers to just 49.5 completion percentage, and 176 yards through the air a game. It softens in the red zone, giving up five touchdowns through the air, compared to four on the ground. It will be interesting to see exactly how much offensive coordinator Josh Heupel will attack the CSU secondary in Myers' 2015 debut.


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

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