Utah State football: Aggies face tough task in slowing powerful Nevada run game

LOGAN — Utah State has no choice but to put the disastrous conference-opening loss at New Mexico State in a deep, dark corner of the mind where it can't be remembered.

The Aggies, who host the high-powered offense of Nevada today at 1 p.m., still have aspirations of finishing the year with a flurry and a few wins. But the Wolf Pack — a team that has the nation's top-ranked rushing attack at 288.8 yards per game — will be as stiff a challenge as USU could ask for.

"You are basically in a track meet to try to keep up with them on the scoreboard," Utah State coach Gary Andersen said.

Nevada's offense doesn't have one individual star, but three runners who average more than 75 yards per game on the ground. So, the Aggie defense can't simply focus on trying to stop one or two people. Nevada's Vai Taua (79 yards per game), Luke Lippincott (78.6) and Colin Kaepernick (76.8) are each capable of breaking free on any snap.

Throw in the 186 passing yards per game Kaepernick adds, and the Pack's 475 total yards per game is the eighth-best offense in the country.

And that list doesn't even include Mike Ball, who rushed 15 times for 184 yards and five touchdowns two weeks ago against UNLV.

"They have three or four guys that can all rush for over 100 yards a game. They have three good backs and a good quarterback," USU senior safety James Brindley said. "So, it is going to be a tough task. We have played well against them in the past; we just have to practice hard."

Utah State, Andersen said, will need to be disciplined in its containment and not blow any assignments.

"They do what a good offense does. They make you account for the quarterback. They make you account for the whole football field," Andersen said. "You have got to be able to take care of the quarterback. No one has been able to do that."

Kaepernick has been described as a taller version of USU's Diondre Borel.

While Borel has seen his passing game improve this season, it's his legs that cause opposing defensive coordinators the most problems.

Kaepernick, likewise, is a talented runner who has 2,107 career rushing yards and 5,944 passing yards. The junior has passed or run for 73 touchdowns so far in his college career.