The Utah State Aggies and the San Jose State Spartans meet Saturday in college football action from Spartan Stadium. Utah State is coming off a matchup with Fresno State back on Friday. The Aggies took a tough five-point loss in that one to fall to 3-4 overall. As for San Jose State, they played New Mexico over the weekend. The Spartans went on to win in blowout fashion to move to 2-5 on the year. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Utah State Aggies
The Aggies posted a rough 1-3 run through their first four games this year, beating only Idaho State 78-28 in that time. The losses otherwise came versus Iowa 24-14, Air Force 39-21 and James Madison 45-38. Utah State was able to build some momentum with wins in their next two games, taking out UConn 34-33 and Colorado State 44-24.
In last Friday’s matchup versus Fresno State, Utah State faced a 28-17 deficit going into the fourth quarter. The Aggies couldn’t mount the comeback despite 15 points from there and lost 37-32. QB Cooper Legas finished with 363 yards, three scores and two picks, while Rahsul Faison added 75 rush yards and a touchdown. Jalen Royals (125 yards; two TDs; seven catches) and Terrell Vaughn (119 yards; seven catches; TD) paced the receivers.
Utah State Aggies Team Facts
- The favorite has won 13 of Utah State’s last 14 games.
- Utah State has covered the spread in each of its last seven games against San Jose State.
- Utah State has lost the first half in four of its last five road games against conference opponents.
- Each of Utah State’s last six games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
San Jose State Spartans
Over on the San Jose State side, they were able to win just one of their first six games this year. The Spartans beat Cal Poly 59-3 in their third outing of the year. Otherwise the losses came versus USC, Oregon State, Toledo, Air Force and Boise State during that time. Chevan Cordeiro threw for 325 yards and an interception for the Spartans in the loss to the Broncos.
Matched up against New Mexico on Saturday, San Jose State started a bit slow but ultimately scored 14 or more points in each of the final three quarters during a 52-24 win. Cordeiro managed 272 yards with two touchdowns this time, but Kairee Robinson (126 yards; three TDs) and Quali Conley (123 yards; TD) did most of the offensive work on the ground.
San Jose State Spartans Team Facts
- The favorite has won each of San Jose State’s last 10 games at CEFCU Stadium.
- San Jose State has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine games against conference opponents.
- San Jose State has won the first half in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
- San Jose State has won the first quarter in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
- Seven of San Jose State’s last eight games have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- San Jose State has suffered the equal-most road losses by a margin of 10 points or less of any FBS team this season (2).
- Utah State rank 15th among FBS teams for points per game this season (38.2).
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’m going to take a stab on the Aggies here. Probably not touching it, though. That said, Utah State put up a pretty good effort overall versus a solid Fresno State team last Friday. The Aggies ended up with 568 yards of offense (363 passing) and 30 first downs, but struggled in other areas. Utah State went a tepid 4-of-13 on third-down conversions, committed eight penalties for 74 yards and had a couple of interceptions along the way. Still, Utah State has posted 32 or more points in four straight games and should hang a nice total here as well.
As for San Jose State, they’re feeling good after a dominant road win in a chippy game (26 combined penalties) versus New Mexico. The Spartans put up 531 yards total (259 rushing) and 10.8 yards per play in a nice display of their potential. San Jose State has scored 20 or more points in four of their last five games, so Utah State is going to have to get off to a quick start here and maintain some drives if they want to keep pace. I think the Aggies will pull it off.