Landon Rehkow placed five of his six punts inside Washington’s 20 without a touchback. He repeatedly made the Huskies start deep, and Utah State’s defense held them to one touchdown and six conversions on 17 third downs. That partnership kept the Aggies close in Saturday’s 16-14 road loss.
Now Utah State visits No. 17 Utah on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1:30 p.m. Mountain on FOX. The Aggies’ last win in Salt Lake City came in 1997. Ending that drought will require the offense to help preserve the territory Rehkow and the defense can earn.
The model gives Utah State a 3.8% chance to win. Washington had entered last week as a 26.5-point favorite, then fell out of the AP poll after its narrow escape, the Associated Press reported. Utah State competed far better than expected. The Aggies still enter this week 0-2, without a win toward bowl eligibility.
There is no outside result worth building Saturday around this week. The interactive guide and methodology have the forecast details; the football worth watching is whether Utah State can sustain possessions against Utah.
Robert Anae’s offense is designed around quick decisions, accuracy and getting playmakers the ball in space. At Utah, watch whether the quarterback can take the available completion and leave the offense a manageable next down. That is how the intended system can help protect field position.
McCae Hillstead missed Washington with what KSL Sports reported as a forearm injury, and Grady Brosterhous started in his place. Who will start against Utah remains an open question.
Brosterhous supplied 81 net rushing yards and directed a late 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive at Washington, but also threw three interceptions. He showed he could extend plays and lead a sustained scoring possession; the next step is doing so without surrendering possessions. Across two games, Utah State has thrown seven interceptions and forced no turnovers. The defense needs some help reversing that exchange.
The blocking deserves as much attention as the quarterback. Javen Jacobs and Sesi Vailahi combined for minus-6 yards on eight carries at Washington. Bronco Mendenhall pointed to inconsistent blocking and missing running lanes, saying quarterback scrambles were effectively the running game. Watch for ordinary handoffs that gain enough yards to keep the quarterback from having to rescue the possession.
Utah just recorded four sacks and 13 pass breakups against Arkansas. Asking an unsettled passing game to supply every first down against that disruption is a tough way to stay close.
Utah State’s defense followed a 241-yard allowance against Idaho State by holding Washington to 356 yards. Rehkow helped make those stops count by keeping Washington backed up. The offense can repay that work Saturday with a possession that includes a productive handoff, a sound completion and no giveaway. Even when a drive ends with Rehkow coming back out, make Utah start deep again.