No. 12 Utes Take on Utah State in 'Battle of the Brothers'

Sep 12, 20243 min read

The No. 12 Utah Utes (2-0) travel north to face the Utah State Aggies (1-1) at 4:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 14 in Logan, Utah. This matchup will be the first "Battle of the Brothers" since 2015, where the Utes beat the Aggies by a score of 24-14. The Utes will likely start quarterback Isaac Wilson after Cam Rising was injured in Week 2 against Baylor. The Utes will face their first road test, while the Aggies look to bounce back from a rough 48-0 loss to then-No. 13 USC in Week 2.

What's at Stake?

The Utes face a major challenge without their star quarterback, Cam Rising. The offense struggled when Rising went down with a hand injury in Week 2 in Utah's 23-12 win over Baylor. The Utes will have to show how tough they are as a team this week against the Aggies, and Wilson will have to grow up fast. The true freshman has loads of talent, but there is no doubt that he still needs to develop. The rest of the team must step up to avoid an upset in Logan against a rowdy Mountain West Conference team and its crowd. A loss would completely derail Utah's season.

For the Aggies, a win here would be monumental. Upsetting the No. 12 team in the country after being dominated by USC would be quite the pick-me-up. The Utes are favored to win this game by more than two scores per DraftKings, so a loss would not be a shock. Starting quarterback Bryson Barnes will get a shot at a revenge game against the Utes after starting most of their games last year when Rising went down with an injury. The Aggies have been slipping in the MWC over the last few years, and a win could help turn that around although it's unlikely.

Key Players: Utah State

Jalen Royals, Wide Receiver

Royals earned First-Team All-Mountain West honors in 2023. If the Aggies want to score on a tough Utes defense, then QB Barnes will have to get him involved. This year, Royals has 124 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions. In 2023, the talented wide receiver exploded for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. Royals will be a threat that the Utah defense will have to take very seriously.

Jordan Vincent, Safety

On defense, Vincent has been a tackling machine for the Aggies. With 21 total tackles on the year, Vincent will be key in slowing down the passing attack and stopping the Utes' run game when it gets to the second level. In 2023, Vincent came up with 65 total tackles and 2 sacks. In 2022, he had 84 total tackles. The Utes' offense will find a way to get downfield, but Vincent will have to help the Aggies bend and not break.

Key Players: Utah Utes

Micah Bernard, Running Back

Without Bernard, the Utes' offense would have gone completely stagnant in Week 2. With Wilson starting, the Utes may look towards the run game more to set him up with some easy throws. This season, Bernard has 151 yards on 24 carries with a receiving touchdown. And, 118 of those yards came in Week 2. Bernard should be heavily involved this week and his stats could soar after a big game. If the Utes want to win convincingly, then they will have to use all their tools.

Connor O'Toole, Defensive End

O'Toole was a monster last week against Baylor as he had 2 sacks and a forced fumble. When the Utes' defense needed to carry the offense, O'Toole was there. Already up to 10 total tackles on the season, O'Toole will look to feast and get to his former teammate Barnes. If the Utes want things to be easy with Wilson starting at QB, then it is going to start with O'Toole and the rest of the defense putting them in good positions.

Trends to Watch

The Utes are trending upwards, but they need an impressive showing to convince the public they are legit. With Rising's injury not being extremely serious, their season's hopes ride on him coming back fully healthy. The Utah defense is trending to be one of the best in the country and will be a major story to watch. The Aggies are currently trending down after an embarrassing loss to USC in Week 2. Putting up a fight would help their confidence, but getting beat down badly two weeks in a row would be a horrible start to the season.