No. 14 Utah State has focus squarely on Colorado State

Posted November 15, 2018 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 14 Utah State (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West) at Colorado State (3-7, 2-4), 2 p.m. EST (AT&T SportsNet)

Line: Utah State by 28.

Series record: Colorado State leads 39-33-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The trick for the Aggies will be to keep their focus on a struggling Rams team. Because what lies ahead is big - a showdown at No. 23 Boise State the following week that could decide the West champion in the conference. This should keep the Aggies, who've won nine straight, fully engaged: They haven't won in Fort Collins, Colorado, since 2012. The Rams are in a three-game slide as they search for the program's first win over a top-25 team since 2002, when they beat Colorado. They've lost 20 straight to ranked teams since that victory.

KEY MATCHUP

Jordan Love vs. Colorado State defense. The sophomore quarterback was named the league's offensive player of the week for a fifth time this season. He threw for a career-high 491 yards and five TDs against San Jose State last weekend. The Rams are allowing 463.9 yards per game. It's senior day and some of the defensive starters looking to finish their last game at Canvas Stadium on a high note include cornerback V.J. Banks, safety Jordan Fogal, defensive end Caleb Smith, and linebackers Tre Thomas and Josh Watson.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Utah State: RB Darwin Thompson. The junior has five 100-yard rushing performances this season, including a 140-yard, one-TD performance last weekend. He has 14 rushing touchdowns this season.

Colorado State: WR Preston Williams. The junior who transferred in from Tennessee has 1,020 yards receiving despite the Rams utilizing different quarterbacks. His 78 receptions are fourth-most in program history for a season.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Aggies have already established team records with 66 touchdowns and 513 points. The previous records were 60 TDs in 2011 and 454 points in '12. ... The team's nine-game winning streak ties the '60 squad for longest in school history. ... Utah State has scored 50 or more points and gained at least 600 yards in each of their last three games. ... The Aggies defense has allowed just seven rushing TDs this season. ... CSU punter Ryan Stonehouse is second in FBS in gross punting average (49.3). ... The Rams are 13-33 since '93 versus ranked teams.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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