Dave Ryan Of CBSSN Gives His Keys For A Utah State Upset Against Utah

SALT LAKE CITY- Utah State will seek to upset the Utes in a matchup full of uncertainties and excitement. You can find the game on CBS Sports Network at 2:30 p.m. MT. with Dave Ryan and Robert Turbin in the booth.

For the first time in nine years, Utah and Utah State will face off on the gridiron as the Aggies welcome the Utes to Logan on Saturday.

Game Week back at The Mav #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/Ve9rsGOoAH

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 9, 2024

In his 23rd year covering college football, Dave Ryan will be on play-by-play for Aggies versus Utes. In a phone interview with Tanner Tripp of KSL Sports, he shared his thoughts about in-state rivalries, underdogs, and keys to how he thinks Utah State can shock the college football world and defeat Utah.

History Between the Utah Utes and Utah State Aggies

Although these two Beehive State teams have not met in nearly a decade, they have a rich history driven by tradition.

Saturday will mark the 113th contest in the series, with the Utes winning 79 total times, including the last two matchups. Utah State’s last win came in overtime in 2012.

When it comes to in-state clashes like Utah and Utah State, Dave said, “I love storylines, so this week… is just packed with them. With the in-state rivalry… 113th overall meeting, battle of the brothers, I love the history and pageantry of college football.”

Part 1 #TBT to USU vs. Utah 2012! 🏈

Relive the highlights from the last time Utah came to Logan, when the Aggies defeated the Utes 27-20 in an unforgettable OT thriller! 🔥 #AggiesAllTheWay #Battleofthebrothers pic.twitter.com/0NLQwqbomc

— Utah State Alumni (@UtahStateAlumni) September 12, 2024

This will be the first battle between the two teams since Utah joined the Big 12 Conference at the beginning of this athletic calendar, and despite still playing in different conferences, Saturday’s game is simply still football.

“It’s still two teams, two fan bases that for that day are playing each other and it means so much to the kids and to the fans… When you talk to the players before a game, they believe they’re gonna win, they believe in the coach’s game plan, and that’s so unique. They’re so genuinely excited about these games, it means so much,” Ryan had to say.

Dave also has his fair share of experience with rivalry games, like the Bronze Boot game, Paul Bunyan’s Axe game, and the Cy-Hawk trophy. Knowing the anticipation these games bring, Ryan commented on what we could see in Logan.

“Those games mean so much to places that don’t have the NFL, and I think Utah is a perfect example of that,” he said, “you have three FBS programs in the entire state, so when they play each other, it’s a big deal… Those big rivalry games need to happen for college football… to the fan bases and someone like me who loves college football as much as I do, those games are just so important.”

Utah State’s Quest To An Upset

An upset means elation for one fan and devastation for the other. For one player, it might be the biggest win they’ve ever been a part of, and for the other, it could mean championship hopes are dashed. Even though it can be a rollercoaster, upsets are one of the great things about college football.

“I do think that upsets make college football interesting,” Dave commented, “There would be almost no one who would have predicted Northern Illinois to beat Notre Dame last week, so few people based on betting lines and based on probability and matchups.”

Dave Ryan On Line Of Scrimmage

If Utah State wants to make headlines this weekend by taking down #12, they will need a lot to go their way, including controlling the line of scrimmage.

“When I watched Utah play its two games, Southern Utah and then Baylor, you watch for personnel and matchups,” Ryan talked about Utah’s physicality up front, “I look at the trenches first. Line of scrimmage, second-level linebackers, and on the back end of the defense, and the same thing, would Utah State’s offensive line match up with Utah’s defense? On paper and in my mind, just looking at that matchup, that’s going to be a big problem for Utah State.”

Dave Ryan On Defense

Although the battle will be tough up front, the Aggies have an array of talent sprinkled throughout the entire defense.

“I think Utah State has some very good defensive players that are power-4 transfers who can legitimately make a difference. To me, watching Clyde Washington play, he just jumps off the film, and he started his career at Purdue, so there’s a good reason for that.”

Utah State punches the ball loose and recovers it! @USUFootball ball! pic.twitter.com/rPAqnS013l

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 8, 2024

Dave Ryan On Quarterbacks

A looming question mark that will have a huge effect on Utah State’s defensive game plan is the injury status of Cam Rising. Cam exited the game against Baylor just before halftime, after running into a drink cart on the sideline, hurting his throwing hang. Rising has been questionable all week and is not expected to play Saturday, leaving the door open for freshman Isaac Wilson to make his first career start against the Aggies.

Cam Rising was slow to get up after this collision with the water coolers on the sideline 😬 pic.twitter.com/drn8EeAdoE

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 7, 2024

“It’s almost like night and day watching Utah pre and post Rising injury,” Dave Ryan said about the uncertainty at quarterback for the Utes, “I do think that if Isaac Wilson starts and plays the whole game… the upset is very possible, mostly because it’s in Logan. From the very moment usually that home field advantage in an upset is worth about 10 points. So, if you think of two scores and Isaac Wilson who’s going to have his first career start, this could be a hostile environment. I do think it’s very possible that Utah State can get to Wilson, disrupt their offensive flow, and with that home crowd going berserk at maverick stadium, put together an upset. I think it’s very possible.”

Utah State’s Nate Dreiling Learning On The Job

After being named the interim head coach at the beginning of July, Nate Dreiling has had to learn on the fly. With only 60 days between getting the job and the first game of the season, Coach Dreiling had limited time to prepare for his rugged early season schedule of two top 15 teams in the first three weeks. Unfortunately, the matchup with USC last week did not go as planned, as Dreiling and Utah State suffered a 48-0 loss.

“I do think he probably looked at the schedule pretty quickly and saw those two games back-to-back and said, ‘holy cow what have I got myself into,'” Ryan remarked.

Despite the rigorous schedule and tough defeat in which Utah State allowed 544 yards of offense to the Trojans, Dave does think that this Aggie squad learned lessons to apply against the Utes, saying, “[Dreiling] is probably thinking ‘we’ve got to shorten this game, we’ve got to control the ball, we cannot let Micah Bernard, [Dorian] Singer, and that offense go off.'”

The Utah Utes present a tall task indeed, but Utah State should have confidence in their ability to shock the world.

“I would be excited if I were Coach Dreiling, they learned a lot from Robert Morris, they played a great second half… If I were the kids and their coaches, I’d be pumped to play another top 15 team, what do you have to lose?”

.@USUFootball HC Nate Dreiling talks about the #USUAggies 🔑🔑to victory against the No. 12 #UtahUtes#AggiesAllTheWay #UtahState #USU #USUfootball @KSLSportsZone @ScottyGZone @975Hans https://t.co/VVEYwuvtJq

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 11, 2024

Utah State’s Bryson Barnes Seeks Revenge

The Utah State Aggies are facing their own injury troubles at quarterback after Iowa transfer Spencer Petras was forced off the field in week 1 against Robert Morris. Bryson Barnes stepped in and led the Aggies to a comeback victory against the Colonials and was given the start against USC as Petras continued to heal. Barnes, who started 11 games and played in two Rose Bowls for the Utes before transferring, is expected to start against a familiar foe on Saturday.

About Barnes’ history with Utah, Dave Ryan said, “I think for him, knowing Utah’s personnel so well, and what they run defensively, it’s a huge advantage. He went against this defense for years in practice whether as a QB1 or QB2, so he has a very clear understanding from watching hundreds of hours of practice film, exactly what Utah runs. So I think the challenge really is with Morgan Scalley and the defense for Utah to show different wrinkles and to try to keep him off his game… it’s gonna be a chess match between Bryson Barnes and Morgan Scalley to me.”

The Ute defense ranks in the top ten in the country, having only allowed one touchdown and 12 points in their first two games. However, having a former teammate as the opposing quarterback will present a new challenge for the prolific defense.

As for Barnes, he should feel well prepared.

“I would be just stoked beyond belief to play my old team. The motivation would be through the roof.”

Utah State Aggies Vs. Utah Utes

In terms of who Dave Ryan thinks will walk out of Maverik Stadium victorious, it may come down to who will be under center for the Utes.

“If Rising starts [Utah State] is in trouble,” said Ryan, “so it’s gonna be a conservative, sort of grind out slugfest, 17-10 type win if Wilson plays, or an upset.”

Either way, Saturday’s meeting between the Utes and Aggies should be full of fireworks with the possibility for magic.

“It would be an awfully big win, just for the program, the fan base… standing up to big ‘ol Utah and knocking them down would be a huge story this weekend in college football.”

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Tanner Tripp is a sports writer for KSL Sports covering all teams across the state of Utah. Follow him on X @tanner_tripp and Instagram @tanner.tripp here.

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