Wyoming will have a tough test ahead of them as they face the Mountain Division leader Utah State for their homecoming game this Saturday.
Utah State enters the game with a very prolific offense that has averaged just under 52 points per game this season and gained on average 197 yards rushing and 280 yards passing per game. They are lead by the adept quarterback Jordan Love. Love has 1557 yards passing so far and 14 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions.
“This year he is a different quarterback then he was a year ago,” said Jaden Johnson, the sports editor for the Utah Statesmen, the student ran paper at Utah State University. Last year Love received his first significant playing time against Wyoming. Love would throw three interceptions in that game. “Love has gotten stronger and is making really good reads on every throw. It is really impressive the improvement he has made.”
Love is not the only weapon Wyoming will have to watch for. Wide receiver Ron’quavion Tarver has four touchdowns on the year along with having 269 yards. He is a big receiver that catches anything in his area according to Johnson. Utah State’s leading receiver is Jalen Green who has 22 receptions for 312 yards and 3 touchdowns. Green is a transfer from USC
For Utah State Johnson said they have a two headed monster attack between Darwin Thompson and Gerald Bright. Thompson is the leading rusher with 56 carries for 426 yards and 7 touchdowns. Bright has 421 yards off of 65 carries and has scored 4 touchdowns on the ground. Johnson said both have similar running styles and that they do a great job of getting yards after first contact.
On the defensive side of the ball the Aggies have averaged just under 24 points allowed per game. Opponents on average have gained 156 yards on the ground and 208 through the air against Utah State this year.
They are lead on defense by linebacker Tipa Galeai who is a transfer from Texas Christian University. This is his first year playing with Utah State and is currently 28th in the nation in sacks Johnson said. Johnson said their strength with the linebacker position as David Woodward, a sophomore linebacker, is another stand out player for the Aggie defense. Woodward leads the team in tackles and is 11th in the nation in tackling Johnson said.
Utah State is currently posting a 5-1 record with their only loss being at Michigan State where they lost only by a touchdown in their first game of the season. After that Utah had an easier schedule and did not have to face a tough defense. This is what concerns Johsnon for this game is that Utah State does not have a lot of experience against a great defense like Wyoming’s.
The homecoming game is set to kick off at 12:30 p.m. in Laramie at War Memorial Stadium. The game will be aired on AT&T Sportsnet.
