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Utah St. Aggies at Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders 3:00 PM ET
Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders –9.5 –104 (2 Units)
This will be the second of four straight road games for the Aggies, who are in a stretch with six of seven games away from home. Utah St. is 1-3 on the road this year, having won at UNLV (despite getting outgained by 259 total yards), and they are 5-24 away from Logan in the Mick Dennehy era. Middle Tennessee St. is clicking on offense and their defense has played their two best games in their last two conference outings. Besides their loss to Florida, their other three losses were by 9 points or less and two of those were on the road. They have put up 79 points on offense in their last two games at home.
The Blue Raiders should be able to name their score here. Utah St. ranks 16th in the NCAA in pass defense allowing just 170.3 ypg but that is due to teams running on them late due to big leads. The Aggies are 94th in pass efficiency defense, a much better indicator of how their defense is holding up against the pass. Blue Raiders QB Clint Marks leads the Sun Belt Conference in passing and total offense, averaging 294.4 yards per game. Marks even played well against Florida two weeks ago, completing 25-37 passes for 223 yards including a 37-yard TD toss to Kerry Wright. The Blue Raiders are 7th in the country in passing offense and 21st in pass efficiency offense. However, it’s the rushing game that is making strides. Last week against Idaho, the Blue Raiders finished the game with a season-high 165 yards rushing and 203 passing. That marked the closest the two offensive phases had grown in a game this season. The Blue Raiders have put up three straight 100-yard rushing performances in conference play while opposing defenses have tried to limit the team's fiery air attack. In fact, Middle Tennessee St. has raised its rushing average from 75 yards per game in the year's first three contests to a 138-yard average in the last three Sun Belt games. Utah State is ranked 108th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 224.7 yards on the ground per game. On offense for Idaho, quarterback Travis Cox's problem this season has been youth at the skill positions. He has tossed 13 interceptions this season after throwing only seven all of last year. A big part of the problem is the youth surrounding him as the Aggies' two leading receivers are a freshman and a sophomore, respectively. Their running game isn’t doing much better either. Their 62.6 yards per game rushing is its lowest since averaging 51.1 in 1988 and their 281.9 total offense yards per game is its lowest since 1986 when the Aggies averaged just 192.0 yards per game. Injuries aren’t helping this team either. Senior linebacker Jared Johnstun and senior offensive guard Victor Eti suffered "stinger-concussion problems," according to Dennehy. Despite the bye this week, both players are listed as questionable. "If they don't improve dramatically, they probably won't play," Dennehy said. Eti's injury could further decimate an offensive line which, in recent weeks, has lost starters Malik Cin (blood clot) and Pace Jorgensen (knee). There is more bad news. After getting injured in a car accident last weekend, defensive back Antonio Taylor will not play. Taylor is tied for the team lead in tackles with 47. Joe Lindsay and Andrea Bala will be looked at to fill the newest hole in the Aggies' secondary that is still missing starting safety Terrance Washington. Utah St. does not travel well as they have lost all four of their road Sun Belt Conference games in the last two years, while they are 4-2 in conference home games in that time span. Middle Tennessee St. is looking forward to this game after getting embarrassed last season at Utah St. The Aggies produced a season-high 495 yards of total offense, while the defense limited the Blue Raiders to 150 yards and no points through three quarters. Defensive lineman Jerry Vanderpool remembers last year's visit to Utah State. "I never played in the snow before," said Vanderpool. "And I never lost like that in my life." Blowout city.
Big XII Game of the Year Today
Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders –9.5 –104 (2 Units)
This will be the second of four straight road games for the Aggies, who are in a stretch with six of seven games away from home. Utah St. is 1-3 on the road this year, having won at UNLV (despite getting outgained by 259 total yards), and they are 5-24 away from Logan in the Mick Dennehy era. Middle Tennessee St. is clicking on offense and their defense has played their two best games in their last two conference outings. Besides their loss to Florida, their other three losses were by 9 points or less and two of those were on the road. They have put up 79 points on offense in their last two games at home.
The Blue Raiders should be able to name their score here. Utah St. ranks 16th in the NCAA in pass defense allowing just 170.3 ypg but that is due to teams running on them late due to big leads. The Aggies are 94th in pass efficiency defense, a much better indicator of how their defense is holding up against the pass. Blue Raiders QB Clint Marks leads the Sun Belt Conference in passing and total offense, averaging 294.4 yards per game. Marks even played well against Florida two weeks ago, completing 25-37 passes for 223 yards including a 37-yard TD toss to Kerry Wright. The Blue Raiders are 7th in the country in passing offense and 21st in pass efficiency offense. However, it’s the rushing game that is making strides. Last week against Idaho, the Blue Raiders finished the game with a season-high 165 yards rushing and 203 passing. That marked the closest the two offensive phases had grown in a game this season. The Blue Raiders have put up three straight 100-yard rushing performances in conference play while opposing defenses have tried to limit the team's fiery air attack. In fact, Middle Tennessee St. has raised its rushing average from 75 yards per game in the year's first three contests to a 138-yard average in the last three Sun Belt games. Utah State is ranked 108th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 224.7 yards on the ground per game. On offense for Idaho, quarterback Travis Cox's problem this season has been youth at the skill positions. He has tossed 13 interceptions this season after throwing only seven all of last year. A big part of the problem is the youth surrounding him as the Aggies' two leading receivers are a freshman and a sophomore, respectively. Their running game isn’t doing much better either. Their 62.6 yards per game rushing is its lowest since averaging 51.1 in 1988 and their 281.9 total offense yards per game is its lowest since 1986 when the Aggies averaged just 192.0 yards per game. Injuries aren’t helping this team either. Senior linebacker Jared Johnstun and senior offensive guard Victor Eti suffered "stinger-concussion problems," according to Dennehy. Despite the bye this week, both players are listed as questionable. "If they don't improve dramatically, they probably won't play," Dennehy said. Eti's injury could further decimate an offensive line which, in recent weeks, has lost starters Malik Cin (blood clot) and Pace Jorgensen (knee). There is more bad news. After getting injured in a car accident last weekend, defensive back Antonio Taylor will not play. Taylor is tied for the team lead in tackles with 47. Joe Lindsay and Andrea Bala will be looked at to fill the newest hole in the Aggies' secondary that is still missing starting safety Terrance Washington. Utah St. does not travel well as they have lost all four of their road Sun Belt Conference games in the last two years, while they are 4-2 in conference home games in that time span. Middle Tennessee St. is looking forward to this game after getting embarrassed last season at Utah St. The Aggies produced a season-high 495 yards of total offense, while the defense limited the Blue Raiders to 150 yards and no points through three quarters. Defensive lineman Jerry Vanderpool remembers last year's visit to Utah State. "I never played in the snow before," said Vanderpool. "And I never lost like that in my life." Blowout city.
Big XII Game of the Year Today