Aggies looking for a win against Lobos to stay in championship hunt

LOGAN – The Aggies are two-thirds of the way done with their nine-week stretch of no byes. They will continue it in Romney Stadium Saturday afternoon. Start time is at 2 p.m. and will be against a New Mexico team that hasn’t won at home yet, but is 3-1 on the road.

The Aggies have won 13-straight games in November, dating back to 2010. They are hoping to make it 14. Head coach Matt Wells said winning in November is what needs to keep happening for the Aggies to compete for Mountain West championships.

“You talk about baseball and Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. You talk about making plays, and playing your very, very best when your best is needed in late September, October in baseball playoffs,” Wells said. “I think it’s the same thing in football. You got to play your very, very best in the month of November if you want a chance to win a championship, and we’re still in the hunt.”

As of right now, Utah State still has a shot at the championship, but they can’t do it alone. If they want to play in the conference championship game they will need help from either Air Force or Hawai’i. One of those teams needs to beat Colorado State for the Aggies to have a chance at playing in the championship game.

“Unfortunately, again this year, two years in a row, we don’t control our own destiny,” Wells said. “But if something presents itself in the last week of the season you better be in position, or you’re going to have a missed opportunity. There’s no reset button. There’s no redo’s. This isn’t a video game. You have to take advantage of every single opportunity.”

Stopping New Mexico may come down to stopping their run game. The Lobos have the third leading rushing offense in the country and the number one spot in the conference with 326.3 yards per game. In last Saturday’s 60-49 loss against Boise State, they ran for 505 yards.

Utah State’s defense has proven they are capable of stopping the run. The Aggies have the best run defense in the conference and the sixth best in the nation, but due to injuries, they are thinner at the linebacker spot than they have been all season. According to Wells, linebackers Nick Vigil and Torrey Green are day-to-day, but linebacker LT Filiaga is done for the season after an Achilles injury he suffered against Wyoming. Junior nose guard Travis Seefeldt said the team will do the same thing for the linebacker position they did for the quarterbacks and wide receivers after those spots were hit hard with injuries.

“It’s just next man up,” Seefeldt said. “Whoever steps in the role we know will make plays and do their job.”

Freshman quarterback Kent Myers is set to make his third career start. Myers is 2-0 as a starting quarterback and is 30-36 passing for 381 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s amazing to see,” senior kicker Nick Diaz said. “To see him come in and perform the way he has. I mean, his level of maturity is off the charts right now. He’s been performing really well, taking extra time in the film room, trying to talk to a lot of the older guys on the team. He’s really taken on that leadership role the way that we’ve all expected him to, and he’s done a phenomenal job.”

The Aggies are 9-11 all-time against the Lobos. In last year’s contest, Utah State won 45-10 in Albuquerque. Saturday will be the first time the Lobos have made a trip to Logan since 2002.

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