This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Logan • Now comes the real test for Utah State's secondary.
Auburn scorched them in the season opener, but not vertically. The Tigers threw the ball short to Emory Blake, and he turned them into touchdowns with his raw speed.
Weber State used a few trick plays, but for the most part didn't try to go deep as much as it did in its narrow loss to Wyoming in the opener.
Colorado State, USU's opponent on Saturday, promises to be different. The Rams will put their offensive line in maximum protection and send their receivers deep. They will use the fade route. They will try to beat the Aggies long with play-action, and it's something USU is quite aware of coming off its bye week.
"If it isn't a touchdown, it's a check-down," senior safety Walter McClenton said. "They look for the long ball and if that isn't there, they dump it down to their running backs and fullbacks. There isn't a lot of intermediate stuff."
And that concerns Utah State. The Aggies didn't exactly perform well against Auburn in this regard. And Weber State wasn't talented enough to test the defensive backs.
CSU has fast wideouts, a good quarterback who can move — sophomore Pete Thomas — and a running game featuring Raymond Carter that will keep USU more than honest.
"It's going to be a test for us," Utah State coach Gary Andersen said. "That's a good offense with a lot of speed and talent. We're going to be challenged."
Cameron Sanders, a sophomore cornerback, is expected to be back this week from a dislocated elbow that cost him the first two games of the year. His depth and experience is expected to be helpful.
Beyond that, Nevin Lawson and Jumanne Robertson are both expected to be challenged, since Andersen likes to play a lot of man-to-man coverage.
Moats will see familiar faces
Utah State senior wideout Eric Moats hails from Colorado and says he would've jumped at the chance to play for the Rams out of high school.
But he wasn't extended a scholarship offer because he wanted to go on a mission, and CSU didn't have a program to accommodate missionaries at the time.
So, Moats matriculated to USU, where he has become one of the more sure-handed receivers in the Western Athletic Conference. He's also Utah State's best downfield blocker among the receivers.
"I know a couple of players, and I wanted to play there out of high school," Moats said. "I'm happy with the way things turned out, though."
Benson to be on hand
WAC commissioner Karl Benson is expected to be at Romney Stadium on Saturday. The last time he was at a Utah State home game was the third game last season, a loss to Fresno State.
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
Saturday's game
P Colorado State at Utah State, 6 p.m.