Game Day: UH at Utah State

Stephen Tsai's game day preview breaks down the offense, defense and specialists of both teams. Here's an excerpt about the UH defense:

To keep up with the pace of the Aggies' no-pause offense, the Warriors have increased the tempo of their practices, running 30 defensive plays in 15-minute periods. It was the same training used successfully in preparing for Louisiana Tech's no-huddle offense a few weeks ago. The trench guys - Vaughn Meatoga, Kaniela Tuipulotu, Geordon Hanohano - have been credited with pushing back the line of scrimage. (Haku Correa steps in for Hanohano, who is recovering from a knee ailment.) But it starts with the ends, who have managed to narrow the pass pocket. Elliott Purcell has been effective lately in playing contain defense.

Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune previews the game.

“I don’t see a weak link to Hawaii,” Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said. “They are obviously an explosive offensive team. They have a tremendous receiving corps, they have a quarterback who runs their offense very well and an offensive line that is experienced and works well together. I think it’s a challenge for our guys. They are excited about returning and have played fairly well at home this year. I expect our kids to play well. This will be a big-time challenge for us, without question.”

A big question will be which USU team shows up.

In his game preview, Kraig Williams of the Deseret News writes about Utah State's inconsistency.

The Aggies looked as though they had turned a corner on their progression to start the season. They gave now-BCS No. 1 Oklahoma everything it wanted to start the season. And just a few weeks ago, the Aggies put an emphatic beat-down on rival BYU in front of a national audience on ESPN.

Surrounding those games, however, are frustrating efforts. A late-game letdown against Fresno State squandered a very winnable WAC opener, and the Aggies were blown out on the road at San Diego State and most recently at Louisiana Tech.

Tsai writes about the one of the main motivating factors for the Warriors in this game.

In the last meeting between the teams in Logan, Utah, the Warriors, who entered as favorites, squandered several red-zone opportunities en route to a 30-14 loss.

This time, oddsmakers have installed UH as 3 1/2 -point favorites.

But the Warriors have changed their preparation. For the 2008 game, the Warriors arrived in Utah the day before the game. This time, they arrived early Thursday. They had a full 2-hour practice on Weber State's campus Thursday afternoon, and a 1-hour walk-through of Romney Stadium yesterday in Logan.

McMackin said he was so annoyed about the 2008 loss he cracked a back tooth during the game.

"It was a bad experience then, but it's good for this year because, believe me, I have never forgotten it," McMackin said.

Ferd Lewis has news and notes about Utah State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin, USU's bye week, the weather forecast (mid-50s with rain) and why homecoming at Romney Stadium likely won't be sold out:

"It is the opening of deer-hunting season," a spokesman said. "We usually try to get that date as a road game, but it didn't work out this year."

They predict a crowd of 18,000-20,000.

Ferd also thinks USU will pull some trick plays today.

What Don King likes to call "trickeration" has been part of the Aggies arsenal since head coach Gary Andersen took over last year. The calling card was, as much as anything, two successful fake punts against Boise State, one of the better special teams units around.

With an open date last week to prepare, some vivid imaginations to work from and a sense of desperation setting in at Utah State, you can only wonder what the Aggies might have up their jersey sleeves today.