Fresno State preview: Utah State has interim coach, same issues in matchup vs. Bulldogs

Utah State parted ways with coach Gary Andersen after an 0-3 start in which the Aggies were last in the Mountain West Conference in scoring offense and 11th in scoring defense, so Fresno State for a fourth game in a row will be taking on an opponent with a new coach.

There were clues from the past to what the Bulldogs might see Saturday in Logan when they played Hawaii and Todd Graham, Colorado State and Steve Addazio and UNLV and Marcus Arroyo – all had previous stops as a FBS head coach or coordinator.

But Utah State interim coach Frank Maile, who served in a similar role for the Aggies’ 2018 victory over North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl, is more of a mystery.

Maile has spent all but two years in his coaching career at Utah State, working his way up from a graduate assistant on defense to defensive line coach, to assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, assistant head coach and tight ends coach, and back to assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

There could be some lineup changes, but it also might not matter given that Utah State has been outscored 114-29 and had difficulty getting anything done on either side of the ball.

Fresno State at Utah State

Where and when: Maverik Stadium in Logan, 11:30 a.m.

TV/radio: FS2/ESPN940AM

Fans: .Limited to 20% capacity (25,100); Utah State had 5,116 at its first home game

Records: Bulldogs 2-1, Aggies 0-3

Series: Bulldogs lead 17-13-1

Last meeting: Utah State rolled up 525 yards of offense and kicked a field goal as time expired to win 37-35 at Bulldog Stadium

Coaches: Kalen DeBoer (2-1), Frank Maile (1-0)

Line: Bulldogs -11

Getting a jump on Utah State’s offense

Utah State has had a tough schedule to start the season, playing at Boise State, San Diego State and at Nevada. The Broncos, Aztecs and Wolf Pack are a combined 7-1 against conference opponents, 7-2 overall with Boise State losing to BYU.

Boise State, San Diego State and Nevada all got a jump on Utah State, putting the Aggies in a position to try to catch up and that’s just not in their wheelhouse.

Utah State has completed just 52.2% of its passes (48 of 92) and is averaging an abysmal 3.3 yards per pass attempt. The Aggies have been shut out in the third and fourth quarters in their past two games and in scoring 13 second-half points (4.3 ppg) ranks 118th of 123 in the nation.

Does that play to the Bulldogs’ favor?

Fresno State has scored on its opening drive in two of its three games, putting up 24 first-half points in beating Colorado State and 20 in beating UNLV.

Utah State low quarterbacks rating

That 3.3 yards per pass attempt? Going back through 2004, no FBS team has averaged less than 4.0 yards over a season.

There are a lot of incomplete passes in that equation, but that’s just part of it. The Aggies hardly stretch the field, vertically, at least.

The completed passes in a 34-9 loss to Nevada: 2 yards, 10 yards, 5 yards, 2 yards, 4 yards, 4 yards, 6 yards, 9 yards, 20 yards, 1 yard, 5 yards, 5 yards, 10 yards, 9 yards, 6 yards, 3 yards.

Quarterback Jason Shelley and backup Andrew Peasley were a combined 16 of 34 for 101 yards, averaging a season-low 3.2 yards per pass attempt.

And that 20-yard pass play? It was only the Aggies’ second this season.

Utah State passing:

• at Boise State 14 of 27, 92 yards (3.4 ypa)
• San Diego State 18 of 31, 112 yards (3.6 ypa)
• at Nevada 16 of 34, 101 yards (3.2 ypa)

San Diego State and Boise State are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in passing defense in the Mountain West, but Nevada was only No. 8 going into its game with Utah State and the Aggies’ offense still couldn’t get much to work. The Wolf Pack jumped all of the way up to third in the conference against the pass after allowing Utah State just 101 yards.

Quarterback play was going to be a big question for the Aggies after Jordan Love departed for the NFL. They ended up with Shelley, a transfer from Utah, but he had been moved to safety before the Utes’ bowl game last season before going into the portal.

Shelley led Utah to a 3-2 record as a starter in 2018 after quarterback Tyler Huntley went down with an injury late in the season, scoring more than 30 points a game in consecutive victories over Oregon, Colorado and BYU.

But at Utah State he has only struggled and there is not a lot of returning experience around to make anything about moving the football any easier – the Aggies return only 38.9% of their rushing yards and 53.4% of their receptions from 2019.

In three games, Shelley has completed 42 of 75 passes (56%) for 276 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Utah COVID-19 state of emergency

Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert issued a state of emergency on Sunday due to a surge of coronavirus cases and overcrowding at hospitals in the state.

It will not, however, impact the game.

The governor and state Department of Health issued executive and public health orders that include a mask mandate, requiring masks to be work in public and when within six feet of anyone they don’t live with, and limit casual social gatherings to household-only.

All extracurricular activities including athletic and intramural events also were put on hold with the exception of intercollegiate athletic events, or practices or games associated with high school championships that follow instructions for testing and limiting crowd size.

Winning the Mountain West

Utah State is 18-6 (.750) against teams from the West Division of the Mountain West, second-best of any Mountain Division team.

• Boise State, 20-5
• Utah State, 18-6
• Colorado State, 16-6
• Air Force, 13-10
• Wyoming, 11-13
• New Mexico, 6-18

Fresno State has beaten the Aggies just once in four games since the conference was split into divisions in 2013, the victory coming that season in the Mountain West championship game.

Player to watch

Safety Shaq Bond was an honorable mention all-conference selection last season, and is making plays for a struggling defense.

Bond has double-digit tackles in back-to-back games with 12 against San Diego State and 10 at Nevada, and ranks fourth in the Mountain West and first among defensive backs in the conference with 8.7 tackles per game.

The senior also leads the Aggies with 3.0 tackles for loss and is tied for first in passes defended.

Utah State struggling with turnovers

Utah State is one of six teams in the nation that have yet to force a turnover this season – no interceptions, no fumbles and just one forced fumble.

The difference between the Aggies and the other five teams is that they have played three games. Akron, Ohio, Oregon, UCLA and Washington State, also without a turnover gained, have all played just one game.

The Aggies went into last week having forced 147 turnovers since 2014, ranking second in the Mountain West to San Diego State with 155.