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FACTS & STATS: Site: Kibbie Dome (16,000) -- Moscow, Idaho. Television: ESPN Regional. Home Record: USU 3-2, Idaho 1-4. Away Record: USU 1-3, Idaho 1-4. Neutral Record: USU 0-0, Idaho 0-0. Conference Record: USU 2-2, Idaho 1-4. Series Record: Utah State leads, 18-17-2.

GAME NOTES: All alone at the bottom of the Western Athletic Conference standings, the Idaho Vandals try to finish off the home portion of their 2011 schedule on a positive note as they entertain the Utah State Aggies this Saturday in Moscow.

Idaho, which has a total of two wins on the season, but just one against another member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, was held to just a single touchdown for the second time this year as it fell to BYU, 42-7, in a non- conference battle last weekend. The defeat was the seventh in the last eight outings for the Vandals overall.

Meanwhile, the Aggies still have a shot at a postseason appearance thanks to a record of 4-5 with three games remaining. Last week, the team squeezed by San Jose State at home, even with an injury to their starting quarterback, as they secured a 34-33 triumph. Even though the team is a game under .500 overall, at 2-2 in WAC play USU is fourth in the conference standings right now.

Last year, USU suffered a 28-6 loss at home versus the Vandals, snapping a three-game series win streak, but still Utah State holds an 18-17-2 advantage in an all-time series which dates back to 1916.

Trailing by 20 points in the first quarter, the Aggies found themselves facing an uphill climb against San Jose State at home last weekend, and somehow the hosts battled all the way back to capture a one-point win, even with their regular starting quarterback out of the game due to a stinger. The Aggies turned to Adam Kennedy who threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, the second of those going to Matt Austin with just 47 seconds remaining in regulation to give the home team the win. Running back Robert Turbin helped out in a big way with 128 yards and two scores on the ground. Turbin, who had a couple of uncharacteristic efforts against Louisiana Tech and Hawaii a few weeks back, now has six games this season with at least 100 yards on the ground, leading to 116.6 ypg which ranks him second in the WAC and 12th in the country. With a nose for the end zone, Turbin has scored 16 times on the ground which ties him for the school record.

Even though the Aggies seemed to be burying themselves on the scoreboard last Saturday, the good news was that the defense was actually fighting pretty hard to keep the game from being a rout. In fact, of the 33 points scored by SJSU, 12 came on field goals, so that certainly says something about the USU defense between the twenties. Considered one of the top defenders entering the season, Bobby Wagner accounted for a team-best 12 tackles, two of which came behind the line of scrimmage. The tackle total was right on Wagner's season average which places him first in the conference and tied for fourth in the entire country so rarely does he let plays get away from him. From a team perspective, the Aggies have been playing quite well against the run this season, permitting opponents just 114.6 ypg which is second-best in the conference and 22nd in the country this week.

The Vandals were paced by Princeton McCarty who posted 127 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, his 82-yard scoring burst in the third quarter being the longest of his career, but it still wasn't enough to bring the team back from what turned into a 42-7 loss at BYU. The passing attack was almost non- existent for the squad as Taylor Davis and Brian Reader combined to convert just 11-of-21 passes for 50 yards and a pair of interceptions. Reader has watched his passing numbers plummet in recent weeks, part of that due to the fact that the team has not been afraid to pull him out of the action after he threw six interceptions within a span of three games. Unfortunately, it doesn't much matter who is under center for this group right now because they are averaging just 286.2 ypg of total offense, which is last in the WAC and 116th in the country this week.

The Idaho defense was beaten at every turn by the Cougars last Saturday night as the hosts scored two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters before calling off the dogs in the onslaught. BYU was allowed to register 30 first downs and a hefty 505 yards of total offense by a Vandals defense that couldn't get settled in against the more dominant offense. Tracy Carter recorded an interception for the visitors, but that was the extent of the positive plays by the Vandals on that side of the ball. Forcing turnovers has not been an easy trick for Idaho this year, the team gaining possession of the ball just 15 times through 10 games, so it should come as little surprise that opposing offenses are having their way against the Vandals defense. At this point in the campaign, opponents are generating 279.6 ypg through the air which places the Vandals last in the WAC and 110th in the country in that area.

As long as Turbin gets his carries and is able to control the tempo of the game coming out of the backfield, expect the Aggies to take another step towards possibly extending their season.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Utah State 28, Idaho 17