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A month ago, Utah State found itself almost in full panic over an offense that scored merely a field goal in a loss to BYU.
Those days seem far away now.
Led by Chuckie Keeton and Kerwynn Williams, the Aggies have become a more explosive and well-rounded offensive team with each passing week. They defeated Texas San-Antonio 48-17 on Saturday, the third consecutive game in which the team has scored at least 30 points. They have looked dominant against Western Athletic Conference competition.
Now, the rest of the country is starting to take notice, as the Aggies received four votes in the USA Today coaches poll on Sunday.
"I really liked the focus that we showed," USU head coach Gary Andersen said. "We came here to take care of business and that's what we did. We have a number of kids from the state of Texas and we were excited to play here. But we looked at this as a business trip and I'm proud of the kids for playing well."
USU is 7-2 on the year, bowl-eligible and heading toward one of the best seasons in school history. A victory over Texas State this Saturday at Romney Stadium will give the Aggies an eighth win for the first time since 1972.
The offensive improvement has coincided with the chemistry between Keeton and Williams, two dynamic playmaking threats in the same backfield. In the passing game, Utah State is utilizing an array of wide receivers, spreading the ball around. It's made the Aggies a tougher team to prepare for.
"We've cut down on a lot of our mistakes," Keeton said. "We've played pretty well in the past few weeks. We know that we have a ways to go, but we're encouraged by the strides we've been making."
This has been balanced by a defense that has played well all season. Saturday was no different, as the first team surrendered just three points.
In Texas State the Aggies will face a team that is 3-4 on the season and in the middle of a brutal stretch. The Bobcats were defeated by San Jose State this weekend. They face USU on Saturday and then take on Louisiana Tech the following week.
Twitter: @tonyaggieville —
Texas State at Utah State
P Saturday, 1 p.m.
TV • KMYU