By Wade Denniston

It's been two years since the Utah State University football team won a non-conference road game (21-14 at the University of Utah) and if it is looking to break that string Saturday, it won't be easy against eighth-ranked Kansas State University.

USU will make its first trip to Manhattan, Kan., since Sept. 11, 1971, when the Aggies beat the Wildcats, 10-7.

However, things have changed since then, as KSU has been a football powerhouse over the last couple of seasons.

USU is coming off probably its worst performance of the season, despite beating Arkansas State University 20-14 at Romney Stadium last Saturday for homecoming.

The Aggies had more total offense than the Indians (379-274) and controlled the ball for 34 minutes, but had it not been for running back Demario Brown's splendid day, USU might have lost.

Brown rushed for a career-high 225 yards on 40 carries. The senior also tallied the Aggies' only two touchdowns on the afternoon, including one from 51 yards out.

But that wasn't enough for Brown as he went over the 3,000-yard mark for his career to become just the sixth player in Big West Conference history to do so.

"I'm real humbled, but pleased to get 3,000 yards," Brown said. "After getting this victory, it feels a lot better because it wouldn't have been worth (anything) if we had lost."

Not only that, the 6-foot-1, 213-pound native of California recorded the 17th 100-yard rushing game of his USU career to tie Abu Wilson and Louie Giammona for the school record.

"I'm very impressed with the way he came to play," Aggie head coach Dave Arslanian said. "He showed up to practice Wednesday (Oct. 6) and he wasn't feeling well, so we sent him to the student health center. Then, he came back and was getting dressed for practice when (the trainer) grabbed him and said, You have a little bit of a flu bug, you go home and get well.'

"He was getting dressed for practice! Then, on Thursday (Oct. 7) he was back in practice going at it."

USU scored once in each period against ASU, but had to hold off a late rally after sophomore quarterback Jeff Crosbie threw an interception with 2:24 left in the game.

The Indians took over on the Aggie 30-yard line, but could get no closer than the 21 as senior cornerback Vashon Garmon made a tackle after a nine-yard completion to thwart any upset hopes.

"Some may consider it one where maybe we dodged a bullet," Arslanian said, "but that's the way it goes. You have to be able to be Superman once in a while."

The Aggies committed four turnovers in the game, while forcing just one Indian miscue.

However, ASU went three and out on nine of its 14 possessions, a credit to the USU defense.

"If there was one thing that I would single out, it would be the toughness that our team and our players demonstrated," Arslanian said.

"The most obvious was at the end of the game when the defense came onto the field. They made four great plays and kept them out of the end zone."

KSU is coming off a 50-9 thumping over in-state rival Kansas University.

The Wildcats have outscored their opponents this season 200-61 and have only been challenged in one game, a 35-28 victory over the Cyclones of Iowa State University.

"We need to improve significantly this week in order to have a chance against the team we're playing," Arslanian said. "For us to think that we're as good as Kansas State right now would be ludicrous. What they have done with their record and where they're at, they're a top-10 team. What we have done with our record, we're not. Yet, both teams better show up and be ready to play.

"We're going to know everything we can know about them, and if they make a mistake and don't know everything about us, then it can work to out advantage."

The last time the two teams squared off was Oct. 17, 1992 at Romney Stadium. KSU came into the contest with a 3-1 record, in the fourth year of the Bill Snyder era.

USU was 1-4 and had not beaten a then-Big Eight opponent in 21 years.

But, the Aggies surprised the Wildcats as they took advantage of five turnovers, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the third quarter by Dave Balls and Jermaine Younger.

Younger, who finished the game with two interceptions and 13 tackles, was named Sports Illustrated National Defensive Player-of-the-Week for helping USU upset KSU, 28-16.

Kickoff will be at 12:10 p.m. MST, and it is worth mentioning that the Aggies lead the overall series 3-1.

MS
DC