Utah State (1-0, 0-0 MWC) at No. 13 USC (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

• Kickoff: Saturday, 9 p.m. MDT
• Venue: LA Memorial Coliseum
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Radio: KZNS 1280 The Zone
• Series: USC holds a 6-0 advantage over USU all-time. The most recent game — played in 2016 — was a 45-7 win for the Trojans.
• Weather: Clear skies with temperatures in the low 80s at kickoff.

The trends

For Utah State: The Aggies are 1-0 following a 36-14 win over Robert Morris in their season opener. Utah State started slowly against the Colonials but rallied from a first-half deficit for a convincing win. USU finished with 646 yards of total offense — 343 passing and 303 rushing — which was tied for the ninth-most yards in school history.

For USC: The Trojans are 1-0 following a thrilling 27-20 win over LSU in Las Vegas. USC, now ranked No. 13 in the country, was led by quarterback Miller Moss who threw for nearly 400 yards (378) and a touchdown, completing 75% of his pass attempts. More importantly, the Trojans appear to have discovered defense again, under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. USC held LSU to 421 total yards of offense, including only 117 rushing yards.

What to watch for

Self-inflicted wounds.

If there was one thing the Aggies struggled with against Robert Morris it was correctable mistakes.

USU turned the ball over three times — all interceptions — and all three were preventable. The first, a Spencer Petras interception, was the result of wide receiver Jalen Royals falling on a timed route. The second, another Petras interception, happened when a Robert Morris defensive back jumped a route, with USU wide receiver Otto Tia a little slow to get to the spot. The third and final turnover, an interception by backup quarterback Bryson Barnes, came on an aggressive heave just before halftime.

It wasn’t just turnovers, though.

The Aggies were also highly penalized, many of those coming at inopportune times. USU finished with 10 penalties for 105 yards and had multiple promising offensive drives cut short by holding along the offensive line.

Then there were the big plays allowed by the defense.

On the whole, USU was much improved defensively in its season opener, as compared to the end of the 2023 season. USU shut out Robert Morris in the second half, limited the Colonials to only 362 total yards of offense and held RMU to an average of 4.9 yards per carry and 7.8 yards per reception.

Where the Aggies messed up was only a few key sequences. A play action pass in which a cornerback lost sight of a tight end. A screen pass where multiple Aggie defenders took poor angles and missed tackles as a result.

Those miscues, plus a couple more, were why Robert Morris put any points on the board at all.

Clean up those three areas — turnovers, penalties and big plays allowed on defense — and the Aggies go from a team that struggled, briefly, with an FCS opponent to the kind of team that could be a threat to just about anyone.

Of course, USC isn’t just anyone. The Trojans are one of the more talented teams in the country — ranked in the top 15 by 247 Sports — and with the defense appearing dramatically improved, USC will be a significant challenge.

Key player

Zachariah Branch, USC wide receiver: The Trojans have no shortage of skill position players that can make a real impact, but chief among them may be Branch. Not only for his skills as a receiver, but also for his impact as a punt/kick returner.

There may not be a better returner in the country than Branch, who was a first-team All-American as a true freshman in 2023 (returner specialist), the first in USC history. The numbers speak for themselves.

As USC’s return specialist, he recorded 442 yards on 24 kickoff returns (18.4 avg.) with a long of 96 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded 332 yards on 16 punt returns (30.8 avg.) with a long of 75 yards, with another touchdown.

Branch is the type of player who could break the game open with a single run, making it all the more important that the Aggies — especially punter Stephen Kotsanlee — keep the ball out of his hands.

“That is (our) No. 1 priority, right? That is probably the fastest player in the country,” USU interim head coach Nate Dreiling said. We need Elliott Nimrod on kickoffs to be booting it like he was (against Robert Morris). Making sure that ball is out of the end zone and they can’t return it. And then Stephen and the rest of the punt team needs to be on point. He (Branch) is such a phenomenal player and they do a good job, not just on special teams. When the defense is on the field you have to eliminate his touches. He can take (one) whenever he wants). We have to be on point.”

Quotable

“I think it is never about your opponent. Whether you are playing Auburn, or SC or the Dallas Cowboys. As long as you are getting better and are focusing on what you have to do to be successful you’ll always have a chance. We need to slow the game down a little bit, capitalize on some turnovers and force them into some bad throws. Ultimately if we have the right mindset we’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to the world seeing what type of team is going to come out and be resilient. It just has to be the second-half team we saw. We don’t have time to do the first half deal, we have to come out swinging.” — Utah State coach Nate Dreiling.

“They’ve obviously had some coaching changes and turnover but looked like they handled that well and really settled in and played a good first game, especially in the second half. … (Bryson Barnes is a) really good player. Obviously we know. Got to see him last year. They (Utah State) have some really good skill position kids around him. Were very productive offensively in their first game.” — USC coach Lincoln Riley.

Next up

Utah State: vs No. 11 Utah; USC: at Michigan

Utah State schedule

• Aug. 31: Utah State 36, Robert Morris 14
• Sept. 7: at USC (9 p.m., Big Ten Network)
• Sept. 14: Utah (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Sept. 21: at Temple (TBA)
• Sept. 28: Bye
• Oct. 5: at Boise State (TBA)
• Oct. 11: UNLV (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Oct. 19: New Mexico (2 p.m., TruTV)
• Oct. 26: at Wyoming (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Nov. 2: Bye
• Nov. 9: at Washington State (TBA)
• Nov. 16: Hawaii (1 p.m., Spectrum Sports)
• Nov. 23: San Diego State (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Nov. 29: at Colorado State (TBA)

All times Mountain Time zone.

Nine years ago, Baylor and Utah announced a home-and-home football series.

How times have changed since then.

Back in the spring of 2015, when the series was agreed to, Utah was in its third year of Pac-12 Conference membership and starting to find its footing in the Power Five league after posting a 9-4 record in 2014. Baylor, meanwhile, was coming off of back-to-back 11-win seasons and back-to-back Big 12 championships.

Now, after the collapse of the Pac-12, the two teams are both in the Big 12.

When the Utes officially accepted their invite to the Big 12 in August of last year, athletic director Mark Harlan had an issue on his hands. Two of the three teams on Utah’s nonconference schedule — Baylor and BYU — were now conference-mates. Football schedules fill up fast, with schools booking nonleague games out a decade or more, so Harlan had to scramble to make sure Utah had a full slate of games.

The Big 12 definitely wanted the 2024 edition of the Utah-BYU rivalry — which was on the schedule as a nonconference contest — to be a conference affair. That left Utah with an opening, which the Utes filled by agreeing to a two-and-one series with Utah State (two home games, one away game). The Utes are set to head north to Maverik Stadium this fall for the first time since 2012.

Because of how tough it would have been to find two nonleague opponents in less than a year, Utah and Baylor elected to keep the matchup as a nonconference game, which means the Utes effectively play 10 Big 12 games this season — though only nine count for the conference standings.

“It is a unique situation,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “… Who knew that things would shape up as they have?”

Utah-Baylor game preview

A season ago, the Bears and Utes met for the first time in sweltering Waco, Texas, where field conditions reached 130 degrees.

Both offenses, which ended the year ranked near the bottom of FBS, sputtered and couldn’t get going until Nate Johnson led the Utes on a 15-play, 88-yard drive to tie the game with two minutes remaining. After a Cole Bishop interception on the next Baylor possession, Jaylon Glover scored the go-ahead touchdown and Utah escaped Waco with a 20-13 win.

While nothing is guaranteed in sports, Saturday’s return game at Rice-Eccles Stadium game should be markedly different than last year’s offensive slog.

Both teams have different quarterbacks than the last time they met — the return of Cam Rising for Utah and new transfer quarterback Dequan Finn for Baylor.

The two signal-callers have a few things in common. Both are transfer quarterbacks (Rising transferred from Texas ahead of the 2019 season and Finn transferred from Toledo ahead of the 2024 season), both are veterans (Rising’s first year was in 2018, while Finn’s first season was in 2019), and both like to use their legs to their advantage.

Utah has had issues corralling dual-threat quarterbacks in the past — UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and USC’s Caleb Williams (though the Utes did better against Williams in their last two matchups) come to mind.

“Hit ‘em, hard, when they run the ball,” Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley joked when asked what the Utes need to do to defend a running quarterback. “You got to have eyes on them. So if you’re going to add a guy in the box, you add a guy in the box, or you create pressure to fool the QB, there’s different things that you can do. Bottom line, it’s playing assignment-sound, disciplined football.”

Finn thus far looks to be an improvement over Blake Shapen, and did well enough in the Bears’ 45-3 opening win over Tarleton State. The former MAC Player of the Year threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 64% accuracy, but had two interceptions. Finn also had a 39-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game, showcasing his dual-threat ability.

After last year’s woes, Baylor brought in a new offensive coordinator to replace Jeff Grimes, and it’s a familiar name for Scalley — former Cal OC Jake Spavital.

Spavital brings an up-tempo offense to Baylor.

“They’re a tempo team that you’ve got to get off schedule,” Scalley said.

“They get lined up quick, they’re assignment-sound. Their technique is really good, their wide receivers do a great job of getting hands on them, blocking. They’re physical. For us, it’s matching that tempo, we’re trying to match that tempo in practice, make sure we’re getting lined up quick, that we’re playing assignment-sound.”

Finn has plenty of weapons to throw to, including Biletnikoff Award watch list member Ashtyn Hawkins, Ketron Jackson Jr. and Monaray Baldwin.

The question mark for the Bears after their first game is up front with a revamped offensive line who didn’t wow against Tarleton State and who will be facing a Utah front that prides itself on its physicality. They’ll block for running back Richard Reese, who started his season on the right foot with 78 rushing yards on Saturday.

Defensively, the Bears needed a shakeup after a 3-9 season last season, and head coach Dave Aranda, who was the defensive coordinator for LSU’s 2019 national championship season, took over defensive play-calling duties this season.

So far, so good for Aranda’s defense, which is betting on the growth of their players after last season and didn’t bring in a ton of transfer starters. The Bears held Tarleton State to just 181 yards, but the competition goes up several notches against Rising and the Utes.

Matt Jones and Keaton Thomas, who had a pick six last Saturday, are a formidable duo at linebacker, and the No. 1 goal for Baylor’s defense is going to be to try and get Rising out of the pocket early and often. Whittingham gave the Utes’ offensive line a “B+” grade against Southern Utah, and Utah needs a little more from its tackles against Baylor, both to protect Rising and also to get the run game going, which is what Whittingham wants to see on Saturday.

While Baylor should take a step forward this season, it’s still going to be a big task for the 14.5-point underdog to upset the Utes at home on Saturday.

Happy Friday, and welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.

Earlier this summer, the Utah State Board of Education ordered the removal of 13 book titles from every public school to comply with a new state law. The news spread fast, attracting criticism and support across the state and nation.

I wanted to hear what Utahns thought about book bans. Specifically, I want to know who — and how – decisions like these should be made. Here’s a sample of what you said:

• “As a teacher who is also a parent, I support the selection of age appropriate content for school libraries,” writes Eric in Smithfield. “I feel like the phrase ‘book banning’ is misleading because the books are still available through many other avenues (including local public libraries) if a student really wants to read them. School libraries, which cater only to a very specific age group, should contain content that is appropriate for that age group.”

• “I’m a librarian, and I’ve been doing some research about how people talk about libraries,” writes Amy in Salt Lake City. “One common story is about finding a life-changing book. Often, such books are about gender identity, religion, politics, racism or some other topic that the reader’s family was afraid to talk about. The fear of book banners seems to be that teachers and librarians are handing kids inappropriate books, and really they are not. However, migrating from the YA section of the library to books for grown-ups is a rite of passage. Mature, well-educated readers can pick their own books.”

• “[It should be] a collaboration between parents and the district with minor teacher input,” writes Teresa in Taylorsville. “Giving teachers too much control means potential for bias — including books that reflect their lifestyle or ideology. Teachers want too much control over other people’s kids under the guise of ‘helping’ kids with socialization. I was in Taylorsville High School where I found a book called ‘Gender Queer’ on the bookshelf. It’s disgustingly graphic and pornographic. I brought the vice principal to see it … he took photos and said he’d ‘take care of it.’ That book should absolutely be banned.”

• “Children need to be exposed to differing perspectives to become discerning adults, and books are one of the best and safest ways to make that happen,” writes Thom in Murray. “‘Protecting’ children from conflicting opinions simply condemns them to weakness later when confronted with real world dilemmas and disagreements. If a family’s, or even community’s, values and beliefs are so fragile that they cannot withstand challenge and examination, that is perhaps the surest sign they are sorely in need of it. As recent years have demonstrated, you don’t have to believe everything you read, but you need to be aware it is out there and that others do.”

• “As an educator I feel that schools should make smart decisions about what books they have available to students at the elementary, middle and high school levels that are age appropriate,” writes Mariah in Millcreek. “However, banning books is not the answer. You need to trust teachers and parents to monitor their own students’ book choices. These broad guidelines are too hard for teachers to manage and take away student choice, which is crucial in getting kids to read.”

• “The book bans are ridiculous, the only thing they are worried about is sex,” writes Laura in Salt Lake City. “Violence is fine. More often than not the books being banned represent LBGTQ+ characters or people of color. Utah is no longer all white, straight, Mormon students. We have rich diversity and should embrace this rather than isolate these students more.”

• “I think there are some books that can be considered dangerous if they are made popular again (for example, things Hitler wrote),” writes Erin in Sandy. “All these people clutching their pearls because an adult topic is covered in a teen book have forgotten that the internet exists. I would much rather my kid read a book than find potentially damaging content on the internet.”

I’m curious: Was there a book you read as a child that challenged your beliefs or changed your perspective? Tell me about it.

Utah Voices

The following excerpts come from op-eds recently published in The Tribune.

• “Utah’s own environmental crises — air pollution and desiccation of the Great Salt Lake — could become the humiliation of Salt Lake’s Winter Olympics in 2034 if we don’t act now,” writes Edwin R. Stafford, a marketing professor in Utah. Read more.

• “For African Americans, the significance of Labor Day goes far beyond the celebration of labor itself; it is a history rooted in enslavement, resilience and the unyielding spirit of freedom and entrepreneurship,” writes Robert S. Burch Jr. Read more.

• “The expertise housed in leading research institutions like the University of Utah remains foundational to our state’s welfare and the nation’s security,” writes Michael Christopher Low, the Director of the University of Utah’s Middle East Center. Read more.

• “Utah is unlikely to ever run on Dunkin’, but allow me to convince you that it can at least trot on Dunkin’,” writes comedian Brian Higgins. Read more.

• “If the amendment is approved, the Legislature would effectively enshrine in the Constitution its authority to nullify all citizen initiatives,” write Mormon Women for Ethical Government members Melarie Wheat and Leslie Zabriskie. Read more.

• “The Games bring together athletes who push the boundaries of human performance, and the humanities should similarly strive for international excellence, balancing tradition with innovation,” write Scott Black and Robert Carson from the University of Utah. Read more.

• “My neighbors and I stay in this valley in spite of its raw nature because we love it, knowing the same forces that created the beauty are the same forces that could displace us,” writes Terry Tempest Williams. Read more.

Share Your Perspective

Are you a young voter — between the ages of 18 and 30 — in Utah? Let me know what matters most to you.

From Bagley’s Desk

I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.