Utah State football: Kerwynn Williams leads Utah State by Colorado State 31-19

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Utah State Aggies weren't about to boast — well, except for one.

Kerwynn Williams set career highs with 21 carries for 205 yards and two touchdowns in leading Utah State past Colorado State 31-19 Saturday night.

Williams praised his offensive line while his coach, Gary Andersen, went on and on about how hard it is to win at Hughes Stadium and how proud he was of the Aggies for bouncing back from a tough loss at Wisconsin a week earlier.

Then, cornerback Will Davis stepped up and didn't hold back.

He said the Aggies (3-1), who are off to their best start since winning their first five games in 1978, won't lose again, predicting they will take the Western Athletic Conference crown in their final season before joining the Rams (1-3) in the Mountain West next year.

After apologizing for dropping a number of potential interceptions, Davis said, "Honestly, I think we should be able to win out."

"We should go 11-1. We lost one at Wisconsin, but that just shows how dominant we are in the WAC," Davis said. "... in the Mountain West, I think we're going to be just as dominant. We should be up there first year in there. I expect them to win. I'll be gone, but we've got a young team, not a lot of seniors. ... We're going to be killer over there, I feel like. Better competition, so it's going to be great."

Davis said the Aggies were eager to rid themselves of the nasty aftertaste of a 16-14 loss at Wisconsin in which their kicker missed a 37-yard potential game-winning field goal in the waning seconds, and they did just that.

"It was tough to get a loss, especially a loss like that. But I love it; it was great. It just shows that it gets us back on that winning streak. We just need to continue through the next eight games and get a bowl game and get nine games," Davis said.

"Nine games straight. That's what we're going to do. That's what we're going to get. Aggies fans, you should expect us to win the whole time. Every game from here on out. The WAC should be easy."

You can bet those words will be posted in locker rooms across the conference, where the Aggies have games at San Jose State, UTSA and Louisiana Tech left on the schedule.

Williams, a senior, had touchdown runs of 26 and 58 yards against the Rams after entering the game with just one other 100-yard performance — in 2010, when he gained 147 yards on 19 carries against Boise State.

"From start to finish, the offensive line did a great job opening up a big hole for me to hit," Williams said. "I just ran through the hole."

Williams' 26-yard run sparked a 17-0 first half for the Aggies. After two field goals by Jared Roberts, his 58-yard scamper made it 24-6 in the third quarter.

"We knew he was a good back," Rams cornerback Shaq Bell said. "He is pretty quick and can run the ball. But there were a couple of missed tackles."

Bell forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass for the Rams, who pulled within 24-12 on Dominique Vinson's 4-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter. The 2-point conversion failed, and the Aggies responded with a quick 15-yard TD run by Joe Hill.

Marquise Law caught four passes for 76 yards for CSU, including a 29-yard TD toss from Garrett Grayson with 1:43 left, his first career touchdown.

"I'm not disappointed with the effort. I know we are just out of sync," Rams first-year coach Jim McElwain said. "Maybe we are asking too much. Getting a little too far ahead of the curve."