LOGAN — After this weekend the hopes for perfection of half of the college football teams will lay in ruin. While Utah State is unlikely to join that group, there are three things the Aggies can do to ensure a comfortable victory Thursday night when they host Southern Utah in the season opener.

Utah State offensive line vs. James Cowser

Utah State's offensive line was often criticized as one of the weak points of last year's team. James Cowser is the man anchoring the Southern Utah defense. This early test will provide a glimpse at the progress the offensive line has made, in particular, the tackles.

"Defensively, Cowser is good, and he reminds me a lot of Connor Williams for us," Utah State head coach Matt Wells said. "He plays extremely hard and that's what our guys have noticed. We're going to have to do a good job of blocking him and knowing where he's at at all times."

In his first career start at left tackle, junior Austin Albrecht will have the main responsibility of stopping Cowser. There are a lot of things the Aggies can do offensively to help Albrecht. While double-teams and chip blocks from the running backs are the most common, don't be surprised to see Utah State roll Chuckie Keeton out away from Cowser's side. Albrecht and the rest of the Utah State offensive line needs to be able to handle Cowser if they plan on neutralizing Utah's strong and deep defensive line next week.

Keeton vs. the Southern Utah secondary

Keeton is back for one last shot. He struggled mightily at the beginning of last year coming off his injury-shortened junior season, especially against FCS foe Idaho State. In just two and a half games, Keeton had four interceptions and had a low completion percentage of 55 percent. He was not the Keeton of old.

Thursday night, Aggie fans everywhere will be holding their breath waiting to see what Keeton will be this season. Southern Utah's pass defense will give him the chance to get comfortable in this new offense. While timing with his receivers might still be a work in progress, expect him to knock off any remaining rust against SUU.

"You'll see a more determined player because he knows it's his last time around, and he's been given a chance to do it again," Wells said. "You value playing time, you value games, you value reps a whole lot more when something is taken from you."

Keeton should start his last hurrah with a bang.

Utah State defensive line vs. Southern Utah offensive line

Depth on the defensive line is still a big unknown for the Aggies entering the season. Game 1 sees the Aggies going on an offensive line that in the offseason converted defensive linemen to starters on the offensive side of the line. Southern Utah running backs coach Sam Elliot mentioned the strengths and weaknesses of the new offensive line earlier in the year.

"We are definitely stronger and tougher than last year, that physicality obviously helps us in the run game," he said. "The experience is what's lacking with them. They're bigger and stronger, but not as experienced."

On the flip side of the ball everything the Aggie defense is able to do starts up front.

"Defensively, we're going to have to get pressure on the quarterback, and there's no question about that. You've got to disrupt timing, and you've got to disrupt lanes," Wells said. "Before you do any of that, you've got to stop the run. Everything that our defense is always predicated on is stopping the run."

It will be interesting to see if the rotational players on the defensive line can consistently take on blocks and disrupt the time of the Southern Utah offense.

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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