Utah State aims for signature win against Utes

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Last season the Utah State Aggies had defending national champion Auburn beat until a bizarre finish, blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead against Brigham Young and didn’t trail in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl until 13 seconds remained.

If ever a program was looking for a signature win, it’s the Aggies, tired of being the third wheel in the state.

They’ll get that chance at home Friday against instate rival Utah, which has no intention of seeing its 12-game winning streak against the Aggies end.

“Without question we view it as a big challenge,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of traveling to Logan for the second of three non-conference games to open the season. “Their speed and athleticism from three years ago is a night-and-day difference. … If they hang on in three or four games they let get away last year in the fourth quarter, they’re a 10-win team.”

Instead, the Aggies are still looking for respect.

Both teams are coming off big wins over Big Sky opponents in their openers, with Utah State beating Southern Utah 34-3 and Utah shutting out Northern Colorado 41-0.

While Whittingham was pleased with the defensive effort and his offense setting a stadium record with a 21-play, 91-yard drive, he knows his team needs big plays if it wants to compete for the Pac-12 South Division title.

“We weren’t quite as explosive as I hoped to be,” Whittingham said. “Typically you’ve got to have chunk yardage somewhere in the drive. That’s something you have to do to be successful.”

Quarterback Jordan Wynn was intercepted once and missed on two deep balls to DeVonte Christopher. His longest completion went for 23 yards.

Utah State, meanwhile, scored touchdowns on plays of 48, 35 and 27 yards – the first two passes by sophomore quarterback Chuckie Keeton, who gained national attention last year in his college debut when he nearly pulled off the upset at Auburn until an onside kick fueled the Tigers’ dramatic rally.

Last week, Keeton was 22 of 25 for 304 yards as the Aggies rolled up 569 yards overall – picking up where the team left off last season when it set school records for total offense, rushing yards, points and touchdowns.

In the opener, the Aggies turned to sophomore Joe Hill off the bench to fill the shoes of 2011 Western Athletic Conference offensive player of the year Robert Turbin, who rushed for 1,517 yards and scored 23 touchdowns last season before turning pro and being drafted by Seattle.

Hill responded with a career night, with 116 yards rushing and three TDs on 11 carries.

Utah State coach Gary Andersen has the skill players, he just worries about holding up in the trenches against Utah’s massive offensive line and a defensive line with quick ends and an NFL-caliber tackle in Star Lotulelei.

“A lot of times if you cannot hold up in those situations in the trenches, it forces you to become dramatic in the back end,” Andersen said. “Whether that is on offense or on defense that can lead to dramatic things – sometimes good, sometimes bad.”

What would be worse, coaches on both sides agree, is if the rivalry that started in 1892 were to fade away.

The teams skipped the last two years, and Utah State is scheduled to travel to Salt Lake City in 2013 and 2015. Beyond that is uncertainty what with Utah now in the Pac-12, and Utah State headed to the Mountain West next year.

Andersen, who spent 11 years as an assistant with Utah (1997-02) and two years as a player (1985-86), hopes the teams continue to play regularly at both sites.

Whittingham even suggested the Pac-12 change to an eight-game conference schedule to allow more flexibility with non-conference games.

Whatever happens in the future, plenty will be on the line Friday night.

Utah State junior linebacker Zach Vigil, who endured an injury-filled season last year along with the heartbreaking losses, said a win over the Utes would be huge for the program.

“You guys all watched the games last year,” Vigil said of a nation-leading 10 games decided by one score, and seven in the last minute. “We would get up in a game and everybody would hold their breath in the fourth quarter like `What is going to happen now?’ This year we don’t have that mentality at all. It’s `We’re going to win the ball game.'”

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