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LOGAN — When the final seconds ticked down at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday afternoon, the Utah State football team was not only beat up on the scoreboard but on the field as well.
The Demon Deacons put a 46-10 thumping on the Aggies and also knocked some key players out of the game and one out for the season.
Now, as Utah State prepares to open Mountain West Conference play at San Jose State on Saturday, it will have to do so without running back Tonny Lindsey Jr. and potentially senior quarterback Kent Myers.
Lindsey suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at Wake Forest while Myers suffered an undisclosed injury and may not play on Saturday.
“Tonny Lindsey had shoulder surgery this past week and he is, unfortunately, out for the season," USU head coach Matt Wells said. "That is a tough thing for a young man, and he was a young man who worked really hard in the offseason to put himself in a good position to have a good senior year. I hate that for Tonny. Everybody else is day-to-day. We’ve got some guys who are banged up; some guys returned to the game last week and some guys didn’t because of the way the game was playing out in the fourth quarter.”
If Myers is unable to go, backup quarterback Jordan Love will start. Love came in against Wake Forest and led two scoring drives in the second half. Love connected with receiver Gerold Bright for a 77-yard touchdown. Love finished 6 of 13 for 171 yards and a touchdown.
“Jordan came in and played well," Wells said. "I don’t think the moment was too big for him. There were a couple of things he missed, but he’s got confidence throwing the football. Both of those long passes he connected on were spot-on. He stepped up in the pocket and did a nice job. He threw with confidence, he played with confidence and he took the field with confidence. He played well in the second half.”
Saturday's matchup between the Aggies and Spartans is the first since 2014 and it's the first time USU has traveled to San Jose since the 2013 season. USU has won six straight against the Spartans and scored 40-plus points in each of the past three meetings. In the 2014 contest, USU won 41-7 in a game that saw USU rack up over 400 yards of total offense, and Kent Myers recorded four touchdowns in the game (three rushing, one passing).
According to Wells, he likes this rivalry and knows it will be another challenge for the Aggies.
“The thing about San Jose State is it has been a good rivalry and it has been a longstanding game between the two schools," Wells said. “(Head) coach (Brent) Brennan and that staff has juice. I know a bunch of guys on that staff and they will be ready to play, and they will play hard."
Kickoff is slated for 5:30 at Spartan Stadium, and it is the second game of the year for USU that will be aired exclusively on Facebook. Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
