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Utah State's Matt Wells has played and coached at Hughes Stadium "a bunch of times" over the years.

He vividly remembers one visit.

In 1994, Wells was the Aggies' starting quarterback when they traveled to Colorado State for a game against the Rams.

"They were really good on defense," Wells said, "… and I remember getting concussed."

After being rocked on a tackle early in the game, Wells slowly lifted himself off the ground. When he looked, he said, "Everything was orange and red. And there wasn't a cloud in the sky."

Colorado State beat Utah State, 41-16, and eventually finished the season with a 10-2 record. USU went 3-8.

"That was a long day," Wells said. "The Rams got after the Aggies that day."

Wells, now Utah State's head coach, hopes his team plays better Saturday night, when it faces Colorado State. Because CSU is building a $220 million on-campus facility that will be ready next season, it will be the Aggies' final game in Hughes Stadium.

Utah State needs a win, no matter where they're playing this game.

After back-to-back losses to Air Force (27-20) and 19th-ranked Boise State (21-10), the Aggies are 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference.

While a Mountain Division championship is likely off the table, Utah State can still piece together a successful season capped, perhaps, by a sixth straight bowl bid.

Beating the Rams would be step in that direction, but it won't be easy.

"This is a tough program," Wells said of CSU. "They have tough players and it's tough to play in Fort Collins. It always is when we go there. Our guys will have to be up for the challenge."

Colorado State is 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West. The Rams come off a 38-17 loss to rival Wyoming in freshman quarterback Collin Hill's second start.

Nick Stevens, who was second-team all-Mountain West last season, rarely plays after struggling in the first half of Colorado's 44-7 win over CSU in the season opener.

"Obviously they have gone through a few quarterbacks," Wells said. "But the guy they have settled on for now is big and strong-armed. He throws the ball town the field and he's got some athleticism to him."

Given his inexperience, it's reasonable to assume Utah State's defense will aggressively attack Hill and try to disrupt the Colorado State offense.

Safety Jontrell Rocquemore declined to give away any strategy, however.

"We treat them all the same," he said. "We might try to get in his head a little bit more — try to disguise what we're doing a little more. But, other than that, you just try to be on your game. … You play with great intensity and great focus and do what you did in practice."

Offensively, Utah State has struggled to move the ball and score since losing star running back Devante Mays to a knee injury.

The Aggies ran for only 71 yards in last week's loss at Boise State. They managed only three points on two trips inside the Broncos' 15-yard line.

"We didn't do a very good job offensively in the red zone and had mistakes on offense that bogged us down," Wells said. "… We have to do better."

Twitter: @sluhm —

Utah State at Colorado State

P At Hughes Stadium

Kickoff • 8 p.m.

TV • CBS Sports Network

Radio • 610 AM, 1280 AM, 102.1 FM

Records • Utah State 2-3, 0-2; Colorado State 2-3, 0-1

Series • Colorado State, 37-33-2

Last meeting • Utah State, 33-18 (2015)

About the Aggies • They come off losses to Air Force (27-20) and Boise State (21-10). … They have not lost three straight since 2010. … They have lost five straight on the road, going back to last season's 56-14 victory at Fresno State. … Under head coach Matt Wells, they're 21-2 when they scored first. …LB Anthony Williams, their leading tackler, won't play in the first half. He was called for targeting at Boise.

About the Rams • They have beaten Texas-San Antonio (23-14) and Northern Colorado (47-21). … They come off a 38-17 loss to rival Wyoming. … They have lost three of their last four games against Utah State. … Opponents are 21-for-22 in the red zone. … Senior Hayden Hunt is 19th in the country in punting (44.4.) .. Senior LB Kevin Davis is fourth in the Mountain West Conference in tackles (10.2).