Utah State Not Going To Rush McCae Hillstead Back From Concussion

LOGAN, Utah – Stopping short of ruling McCae Hillstead out on Saturday against Colorado State, Blake Anderson doesn’t sound optimistic about Hillstead’s ability to play against the Rams.

Utah State’s head coach appeared on KSL Sports Zone to talk Aggie football with Hans & Scotty G. on Tuesday, October 3.

“He’s not ready yet, he won’t practice today,” Anderson said of his freshman quarterback.

RELATED: McCae Hillstead Leaves Game With Injury, Cooper Legas Inserted For Utah State

𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮'𝙨 𝙒𝙞𝙣 🎬#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/t70s2WN27i

— USU Football (@USUFootball) October 2, 2023

“He was clearly out of it the other day and didn’t know much of what was going on. We’re going to be very careful. When he comes back, we’ll make sure that he’s ready when he does.”

Hillstead was injured on a roughing the passer penalty when two Husky defenders hit him simultaneously as he delivered a 31-yard completion to Jalen Royals. He left the game in the third quarter with Utah State trailing 17-7.

Cooper Legas, the Aggies starter in their first three games, came on and threw three touchdowns while going 11-of-13 for 204 yards on zero turnovers. Legas looked terrific in relief but most importantly, he protected the football.

“We’re going to prepare Coop (Legas) and be smart about how quickly McCae comes back. We don’t mess with concussions.”

RELATED: Cooper Legas Finds Jalen Royals For Third Touchdown Pass Of Second Half

Aggie Safety Earns MW Special Teams Honor

Redshirt sophomore safety Ike Larsen was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week after his blocked extra point sent USU home with a well-earned 34-33 win to sweep a two-game series against the UConn Huskies.

RELATED: Utah State Safety Ike Larsen Earns Mountain West Recognition

Utah State held a 34-27 lead with less than three minutes left but USU’s defense was gassed. The Huskies drove 85 yards on nine plays in just two minutes, scoring a touchdown on defensive tackle Jelani Stafford’s second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

IKE LARSEN! THAT IS ALL!!

⚡️@IkeLarsen19 pic.twitter.com/gwI1xuxJwc

— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 30, 2023

Trailing 34-33, all UConn had to do was kick an extra point to likely send the game to overtime. Instead, Larsen burst through the line for the first extra-point block of his career. He has five blocked kicks in less than two seasons at Utah State.

Following The Aggies With KSL Sports Zone

Utah State (2-3, 0-1) welcomes Mountain West conference foe Colorado State (2-2) to Maverik Stadium on Saturday, October 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (MT). USU is 37-39-2 all-time against the Rams but has won the last four matchups. The Aggies are 7-3 in the last ten games and look to move above .500 at home as they enter with a 20-20-1 record on Merlin Olsen Field.

USU football games are found on KSL Sports Zone with Scott Garrard and former Aggie quarterback Kevin White (1988-89) on the call.

KSL Sports coverage of Utah State University Athletics can be found here. 

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