Idaho State vs. Utah State: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

The Aggies look to bounce back at home from a tough opening loss in the season opener. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.

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Home cooking at Maverik.

WEEK 2: Idaho State Bengals (0-1) vs. Utah State Aggies (0-1)

WHEN: Saturday, September 9 — 6:00 PM MT/5:00 PM PT

WHERE: Maverik Stadium; Logan, UT

WEATHER: Sunny, high of 83 degrees

TV: KJZZ

STREAMING: Mountain West Network

RADIO: The Idaho State broadcast can be found on 91.1 FM (KISU) in Pocatello, Blackfoot, and American Falls, as well as 91.3 FM in Idaho Falls and 88.1 FM in Rexburg. The Utah State broadcast can be found on the affiliates of the Aggie Radio Network, including flagship 1280 The Zone (KNZS) in Salt Lake City.

SERIES RECORD: Utah State leads the overall series, 18-2. In the last meeting on September 7, 2017, the Aggies defeated the Bengals, 51-13, in Logan.

LAST GAME: Idaho State lost on the road to San Diego State, 36-28, while Utah State lost on the road against Iowa, 24-14.

WEBSITES: ISUBengals.com, the official Idaho State athletics website | UtahStateAggies.com, the official Utah State athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Idaho State | Utah State

ODDS: N/A

SP+ PROJECTION: Utah State by 23.8

FEI PROJECTION: N/A

PARKER FLEMING PROJECTION: N/A

After a tough battle in Iowa City to open the 2023 season, the Utah State Aggies begin their home slate against the Idaho State Bengals on Saturday.

The Bengals were erratic but pesky in their first contest of the year against San Diego State, which is something the Aggies surely won’t take lightly after an epic collapse against another FCS opponent, Weber State, just last year. Can Utah State, already battle tested, keep the momentum they began to gain in Week 1?

Three Keys to a Utah State Victory

1. Eliminate big plays on defense.

Unsurprisingly, Brian Ferentz’s offense didn’t exactly light Utah State up in Week 1 but the Aggies were hit with a number of big plays: Iowa had just 284 yards of total offense, but eight of 69 plays (11.6%) accounted for 177 of those yards (62.3%).

Cleaning that up could go a long way toward avoiding unwanted headaches against Idaho State, who weren’t shy about throwing the football with two different quarterbacks, Jordan Cooke and Hunter Hays, and managed six chunk plays totaling 155 of the team’s 343 yards (45.2%) despite a combined completion rate under 50%.

2. Get the pass rush in order.

Another element that will help is more disruptive play from a defensive line that was, also unsurprisingly, quiet against the Hawkeyes. According to Pro Football Focus, Utah State had just three quarterback hurries and hits each in 34 total dropbacks.

It remains to be seen whether Hale Motu’apuaka will be ready to go this week, but it’s clear that the Aggies coaching staff is placing a lot of trust in younger contributors like Paul Fitzgerald, Enoka Migao, Bo Maile, and Seni Tuiaki, all of whom played at least 33 snaps in Week 1. Given that their Mountain West compatriots, San Diego State, managed 20 hurries against these same Bengals, it’s okay to expect a lot.

3. Cut down on penalties.

Yellow flags were a significant problem for Utah State last season and that didn’t appear to change much in the opening loss to Iowa. Four false starts and three personal fouls didn’t help matters against the Hawkeyes, though it remains to be seen whether playing at home instead on the road will matter: In 2022, the Aggies actually averaged more penalties per game at Maverik Stadium than on the road, 9.3 to 7.7.

Prediction

Last week’s Idaho State game wasn’t as close as the final score made it seem — San Diego State finished the week with a 97.7% post-game win expectancy — and this one shouldn’t be, either.

Utah State 38, Idaho State 14

Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire