Zack Greenlee and the Fresno State Bulldogs battle Chuckie Keeton and the Utah State Aggies in a game that will feature two of the WAC’s best players to start this young season. Coming into the game, the Bulldogs are 1-4 while the Aggies are 2-2. The game will air Saturday, Oct 10 at 10:30 p.m. ET on CBSS.
In last week’s matchup, Fresno State lost to San Diego State 21-7. KeeSean Johnson had a solid performance in the loss, grabbing five receptions for 35 yards and one TD. Utah State is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it defeated Colorado State 33-18. Kent Myers had a good performance through the air for the Aggies, connecting on 12 of 21 pass attempts for 137 yards and one TD. He added 191 yards and a TD on 16 carries. Hunter Sharp had 63 receiving yards and a TD on four catches.
This week’s matchup between the Bulldogs and Aggies has even odds and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available.
With a 1-4 record for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Bulldogs will look to improve as they head into Week 6. The Bulldogs have a passing defense in the top half of the country (in terms of yards per pass allowed), but can move up in the ranks when they face off against Utah State. The Aggies average just 10.1 yards per pass, ranking them 119th in the country. It is critical for the Aggies to prepare for Fresno State’s big-play defense, which ranks 19th in the nation with 2.2 turnovers per game. On average, the Aggies earn 8.5 flags each game, one of the worst rates in the nation. Such errors could be beneficial for the Bulldogs if they persist into this week’s game.
As for their opponent, the Aggies head into Week 6 with records of 2-2 for both ATS and SU. The Aggies have the 20th-ranked run defense in the nation, giving up just 107.5 yards per game on the ground. The Bulldogs might be leery of ball security against the Aggies. They rank 18th in the country in fumbles recovered with one per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Utah State, ATS Winner – Utah State
Notes
Fresno State is 1-5-1 SU in its last 7 games,.
Fresno State is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games at home.
Fresno State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Utah State.
Fresno State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah State.
Both teams are 1-0 SU when leading at the half this season.
The Fresno State passing attack is ranked only 96th in the country, while the Utah State pass defense is ranked 64th. The Aggies passing game is ranked just 105th, compared to the 97th-ranked pass defense of the Bulldogs.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Utah State is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 86th-ranked rushing attack will face the 96th-ranked run defense of Fresno State, while its 20th-ranked run defense will look to contain the 98th-ranked rushing game of the Bulldogs.
