USU Faces Fresno State Saturday in WAC Football Opener

UTAH STATE at FRESNO STATE

Saturday, Oct. 15 - 8 p.m. (MT)

Streamed on WatchESPN.com (formerly ESPN3.com)

Bulldog Stadium (41,031)

Fresno, Calif.

QUICKLY — In its 2011 Western Athletic Conference opener, Utah State [University] (2-3, 0-0 WAC) will head to Fresno, Calif., to take on Fresno State (2-4, 1-0 WAC) Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (MT) from Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium (41,031). The battle between the Aggies and Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN3.com, with the Trey and Jay show calling the action, as Trey Bender will handle play-by-play duties with Jay Taylor providing analysis. The game will also be available through the ESPN GamePlan.

SATURDAY'S STORYLINES — Things to watch for in Saturday's battle between the Aggies and Bulldogs:

• USU is seeking its first win in Fresno since 1980, halting a five-game losing skein there.
• The Aggies are trying to snap a four-game losing skid to the Bulldogs.
• Both head coaches involved in Saturday's game played and coached under former Utah and current Weber State head coach Ron McBride, as USU head coach Gary Andersen and Fresno State head coach Pat Hill have strong ties to former Utah and current Weber State head coach McBride, as Andersen played under McBride at Utah in 1985-86 when Andersen was a center and McBride was offensive line coach for the Utes, Andersen also served as an assistant under McBride from 1997-2002. Fresno State head coach Pat Hill played under McBride at UC Riverside, when McBride was an assistant coach, and McBride helped steer Hill into a football coaching career.
• Two top 20 rushing leaders in FBS will be on the field Saturday, as USU junior RB Robert Turbin is No. 10 at 119.8 ypg while FS junior RB Robbie Rouse is No. 18 at 112.0 ypg.
• The Aggies are 1-5 in WAC openers and are 11-9 overall in their last 20 conference openers.
• Utah State is the last WAC team to play a conference game and the Aggies are only one of six teams in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) yet to play a conference game, ironically four of the others face off Saturday, as Wyoming meets UNLV in both teams' Mountain West Conference openers, while Cincinnati and Louisville square off in each others' Big East openers.
• Aggie junior RB Robert Turbin needs:
  --Four points for the No. 3 spot on USU's Career Points list and six points for the No. 2 spot, as Turbin enters Saturday with 242 career points, as the No. 3 spot is currently held by Abu Wilson (1992, 94-96) with 246 points while Tom Larscheid (1959-61) holds the No. 2 spot with 248 points.

FOLLOWING THE GAME AND THE AGGIES

• ON TV — Saturday's battle between the Aggies and Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN3.com, with the Trey and Jay show calling the action, as Trey Bender will handle play-by-play duties with Jay Taylor providing analysis. The game will also be available through the ESPN GamePlan.
• ON THE AIR — All Utah State football games are carried live on the Aggie Sports Network: KVNU 610 AM, KVNU 102.1 FM (Cache Valley) and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; KZNS (97.5 FM only) in Salt Lake City; on KLZX 105.3 FM in Montpelier, Idaho. All Aggie football games are also on the Internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com by clicking on "Listen Live.”
• ON THE INTERNET — USU home football games are also streamed on the Internet through "Aggies All Access," by clicking on the "Live Aggies Video" link on the home page of www.UtahStateAggies.com. Fans can register and purchase month or season packages to watch.
• GAMETRACKER — Fans can follow all USU Aggie home games through the USU website at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game. Saturday's game will also be available through GameTracker.
• COACHES SHOW ON THE ROAD — The Gary Andersen radio show will rotate between The Copper Mill and Elements Restaurant on Thursday nights (6:05-7 p.m. on 610 AM KVNU) when the Aggies play on Saturday, with some exceptions, including the BYU and Hawai'i weeks. The show gives USU fans an opportunity to ask questions and interact with Coach Andersen and players.
• Upcoming Coaches Shows: Oct. 13 at Elements / Oct. 20 at Copper Mill

UP NEXT — USU returns to the friendly confines of Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium to host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m. (MT) in USU's first afternoon game of the season.

Read more, including “Utah State Noteables,” in the full summary at the Athletics website.

Additional Aggie sports news is available at the Athletics website.