Fresno State will try to run the ball as they normally do. The Bulldogs have had a very strong season rushing the ball as all three running backs (Lonyae Miller, Ryan Mathews, and Anthony Harding) average nearly six yards every time they touch the ball. Conventional wisdom would tell one that six yards per carry equals a touchdown on every drive but Fresno State’s rushing numbers are inflated due to the fact that Lonyae Miller has TD runs of 90 and 80 yards this season. Without those two runs Miller would average five yards per carry instead of his lofty 7.7 average at this point in the season. What this means is that at some point in the game the Bulldogs will have to turn to their passing game. While the passing game has been efficient it has faltered inside the twenty yard line often leaving the Bulldogs with field goal attempts instead of touchdowns.

Against Utah State the Bulldogs will have to come out and establish themselves on offense right from the start. Fresno State is the better team of the two, there is no doubting that. With offensive weapons such as Rashad Evans, Ryan Mathews, Lonyae Miller, Anthony Harding, Tom Brandstater, Devon Wylie (who is finally healthy again) Seyi Ajirotutu and Bear Pascoe Fresno State should have relatively little problems scoring against the Aggies. The Bulldogs have averaged 33 points per game this season but should have no problems putting up forty points against the Aggies on Saturday. The Bulldogs offense has done well on the road this season as Fresno State is currently 3-0 away from Bulldog stadium. On the other hand Logan has not been kind to the Bulldogs in the past. If Fresno State can come out and exercise their Logan demons they should win this game going away. However, this is the Fresno State Bulldogs and this game will be much closer than it should be.

Aggies Offense

Utah State enters the game averaging just over 300 yards per game on offense. The Aggies QB Diondre Borel is also their leading rusher on the season. Fresno State generally does not fair well against QB’s who can move on their feet as they showed against Hawaii. Utah State’s offense is far from explosive as they have done very little on the offensive side of the ball aside their game against Idaho (one of the few teams in the nation that may actually be worse than Utah State). Borel has thrown six interceptions this season but will have relatively little worries throwing the ball against a Bulldogs defense that has only reeled in two interceptions on the season. Looking at Utah State’s season to this point there does not seem to be a common attack that they use on offense. Fresno State leads with the run which in turn opens up the passing game. Utah State looks to try and exploit whatever is working for that day. Against Nevada Borel threw for 262 yards due to Nevada’s porous passing defense. Against Idaho the Aggies rushed for over 300 yards due to the Vandals horrible run defense. Fresno State has had trouble stopping both the run and the pass this season as they have yielded over 400 yards of total offense per game. Utah State may not have the most explosive of offenses but if Fresno State does not shut down the running lanes and continues to lack a pass rush Utah State is going to be far more successful on offense than most would expect.

Bulldogs Defense

Fresno State’s defense very well may be the key to this football game. The Bulldogs will be without defensive line standouts Wilson Ramos and Jon Monga. Cornell Banks and Ikenna Ike will be counted on to anchor the line against Utah State. Fresno State’s pass rush has been non-existent this season as they have netted six sacks up to this point in the season. This has been one of the many reasons that the secondary has not been able to create any turnovers. The opposing QB has had time to do whatever he pleases against the Bulldogs and if Fresno State does not find a way to pressure Boren once again they will be chasing players all over the field much like they did in the second half against Idaho.

On the positive side Utah State does not have the type of offense that exploits defensive problems well. Fresno State had a bye week and will be ready to step on the field against Utah State. Look for the Bulldogs to blitz from all angles during this game as they try to pressure Borel into throwing the ball before he is ready to. Utah State will have to counter with good offensive line play to keep the Bulldogs out of the backfield on blitz packages. Idaho had very little problems keeping the Bulldogs away from their QB and Utah State will look to do the same against the Bulldogs. Fresno State will be facing an offensive line that allows 3 sacks per game meaning that this is exactly the type of team that Fresno State can take chances against on defense. If the Bulldogs can provide pressure on the QB there will be very little Utah State can do to keep up in this game. The Aggies offense just isn’t good enough to keep Fresno State on the field for long periods of time and their defense has had little success stopping anyone on the field of play this season. Fresno State’s defense has struggled this season but hopefully the week off will have allowed the Dogs time to rest up before their game Saturday.

Aggies Defense

The Aggies defense tends to go along with the rest of their team: They allow large chunks of yards and have done next to nothing to stop anyone they have played this season. The Aggies have given up an average of 450 yards per game on defense. They do not stop the pass or the run well and allow teams to drive down the field with regularity. Fresno State’s offense should have no problems driving the length of the field and racking up gaudy numbers en route to a win at Logan on Saturday. With that being said this is Fresno State playing and they are on the road. Look for Utah State to take chance after chance against the Bulldogs. The Aggies have absolutely nothing to lose and will bring out all the stops when Fresno State steps on the field. No, Fresno State will not get Utah State’s “A” game because Utah State is not capable of bringing an “A” game to the field of play. The Aggies have far too many holes on both offense and defense to ever play a complete football game. The Aggies however do seem to get up for playing the Bulldogs. Expect this game to be close at halftime before Fresno State pulls away in the third quarter en route to victory.