Mountain West Championship Game

Matchup: Fresno State vs. Utah State
Location: Bulldog Stadium ~ Fresno, CA
Line: Fresno State -3.5. Total 60


Keys to Victory for Fresno State

-Derek Carr has passed for 4,462 yards and 45 touchdowns on the year. The future NFL QB is facing a solid defense, but should be able to move the ball in his final college game.

-Davante Adams has caught 113 passes for 1,477 yards and 22 touchdowns. Josh Harper sits in second on the team with 1,011 yards and 13 touchdowns on 79 catches. Adams is a real talent and not just a product of playing with Derek Carr. Look for him to find the endzone at least once. 

-The Bulldog defense has been atrocious this season. They rank 85^th in points allowed and 96^th in total yards allowed. Part of this is because their offense scores at such a high rate so opposing teams have plenty of possessions. Even so, they have looked miserable in the secondary, and seem to only be getting worse. To prevent further disappointment, the pass rush will have to show up this week. After recording a Mountain West leading 31 sacks on the season, they did not reach David Fales once in their lone loss of the season.

Keys to Victory for Utah State

-Star QB Chuckie Keeton has been injured for most of the season. Freshman quarterback Darrell Garretson has passed for 1,127 yards and nine touchdowns with just four interceptions during the better part of seven games in Keeton’s absence. 

-Travis Reynolds has been Garretson's favorite target on the team, catching 51 passes for 832 yards and four touchdowns. 

-Joey DeMartino leads the 41st-ranked rushing attack with 1,024 yards and 12 touchdowns.

-Utah State actually has a very solid defense in a conference that likes to throw the ball around, ranking seventh in points allowed and 13th in total yards allowed per game. They've allowed and average of 10 points and 279 yards in the past 5 games.

Prediction: I think Fresno State should get the victory as their offense will be too much for a very game Aggie defense. I wouldn't consider betting the -3.5 however, due to the fact that their defense simply can't be trusted. We're talking about a team that had no answer to San Jose St, and also allowed 51 points to Rutgers.