USU hitting the reset button in preparation for Saturday tilt with Colorado State


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LOGAN — The last time the Utah State football team won back-to-back games was in 2015 when the Aggies won three straight, including a 52-26 domination of then 21st-ranked Boise State.

Fast forward two years. USU is coming off back-to-back wins over San Jose State and BYU as it now prepares to host Colorado State in a rare Saturday afternoon matinee in Logan.

The question on a lot of minds is: Are the Aggies going to continue to play well or will they be too hung over from the win over BYU? In 2015, following the win over Boise State, USU lost five of its next seven games. The first game following the Boise State win was a 48-14 loss at San Diego State.

Utah State head coach Matt Wells is well aware of what happened before following a big win.

"The key to this whole thing is hitting the reset button," Wells said. "The biggest thing is nobody's ever going to take that victory (vs. BYU) away. That wagon wheel is staying here for a year. We're excited about it, and it's a great win. But we have to put that thing in the rearview mirror. … If you keep focusing on that thing, you're about to crash and have a major wreck. You need to look ahead at what will end up being one of the most talented teams we'll play this year in Colorado State."

In order to avoid that wreck, USU will have to rely on two things: a defense that ranks first nationally in turnovers forced and a senior quarterback who has scored four touchdowns against the Rams over the last two meetings.

The defense is led by defensive back Jalen Davis. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior was named the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week along with Texas safety DeShon Elliott. Davis was also named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week after recording three interceptions, two of which went for touchdowns. Davis has five interceptions on the season, and three of those have been returned for touchdowns.

"That was a performance where you say, ‘Players make plays, players win games,’” Wells said. "He didn’t win the game for us, but the two pick-sixes went a long, long ways."

Senior quarterback Kent Myers also had a solid night and is a key player in the success of the USU offense. In the 2016 game at Colorado State, Myers ran 92 yards and two touchdowns and was 18-of-33 for 205 yards and an interception in a 31-24 loss.

Against BYU, Myers ran for 61 yards and a big touchdown to start the fourth quarter to go along with 176 yards passing and two touchdowns.

In the three Utah State wins in 2017, Myers has a total of 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.

The schedule is favorable to finish the season for USU, with home games against Colorado State, Wyoming, Boise State and Hawaii and road contests at UNLV, New Mexico and Air Force. Getting back to a bowl game after missing out in 2016 with a 3-9 finish is very possible.

However, for USU, it is about staying focused and riding the wave of confidence that, according to Wells, "is sky-high right now."

Both teams are coming in with identical 3-2 records. Colorado State blew out Hawaii 51-21 in Honolulu on Saturday and has wins over FCS foe Abilene Christian and Pac-12 foe Oregon State.

“It’s the biggest game of the season right now," Wells said. "It’s not just because it’s the next game. They’re hot. They’re playing well. We’ve had two good games in a row. I think it’s going to be a great showdown and a great matchup. It’ll be physical. It’ll be a bloodbath. It’ll be really, really physical on both sides of the ball.”

Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. MDT at Maverik Stadium in Logan and will be televised regionally on AT&T Sports. Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias

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